Looking ahead, Regis is anxiously awaiting
a date for his next fight, the semifinal
round in the tournament, which is slated
to pit him against Kiryl Relikh from
Belarus. He hopes it will be staged in the
larger, more centrally located Smoothie
King Center in downtown New Orleans.
“I want as many of my New Orleans
people as possible to be able to see this
fight,” Regis said. “I want to put everybody
on notice that we’ve got a home-grown
champion from New Orleans. I don’t live
there now but my roots and my heart are
still in New Orleans. My whole family
still lives there. The last big fight (in
New Orleans) was Sugar Ray Leonard
and Roberto Duran (November 1980).
No big fights there since but I will bring
boxing back there. I already started and
I’m going to continue as long as I’ve got
the chance.”
PHOTOGRAPHER: GEOVANNI VELASQUEZ
Along the way, Regis has made a
commitment to giving “inspiration and
encouragement” to the young people to
whom he speaks and meets within schools
and other youth facilities (including
amateur boxing matches) in Houston and
on his frequent visits to New Orleans. As
a champion, he proudly says, “The best
thing I do in the community is inspire the
kids. I tell them my story and I try to give
them inspiration about my journey and
what I did to succeed.”
Regis’ earliest beginnings in the sport
began when he was in his teens and living
in New Orleans East. His first trainer, as
he fondly recalls, was Harry Simms, who
he introduced to a crowded press conference
last May, just prior to the Velasco
fight. “He’s the one who got me started
and he taught me a lot,” Regis said.
Only 16 when Hurricane Katrina
flooded out his family’s home, Regis
bounced around between Houston,
Mississippi and Slidell before landing
again in Houston where he lives today
with his Brazilian-born wife, Racquel, and
their two children, 5-year-old son Ray and
2-year-old daughter Khaleesi.
Resuming the training
that was interrupted
by the storm,
Regis worked out at Houston’s Savannah
Boxing Club where longtime former heavyweight
champion Evander Holyfield also
trained during the later stages of his career.
Although Holyfield never gave Regis any
specific advice on how to handle himself
in the ring, he was a positive motivator for
the 19-20-year-old up-and-comer.
“I talked to him a whole bunch and
the main thing he told me was to keep
going, always, and don’t stop believing
in yourself,” Regis recalled. “Keep going
forward. Keep grinding away. Stay in the
gym every day, focus and just believe in
yourself. And those were the main things
I learned from him.”
Prior to turning professional in 2012,
Regis fought his way to an 87-7 amateur
record and eventually attained #4 ranking
in the U.S. He was the 2009 Ringside
World Champion and he won a regional
Golden Gloves title, in addition to competing
in the 2012 Summer Olympic Trials.
Regis’ professional debut came in grand
style with a knockout of Carl Almirol
two minutes into the first round of their
battle in Houston on April 28, 2012. Still
undefeated three-and-a-half years later,
he was awarded the Light Welterweight
Championship from the North American
Boxing Federation (NABF), a regional
sanctioning body within the WBC. Finally,
after the Velasco fight, he was proclaimed
the WBC Interim Super Lightweight and
Diamond Champions.
Although not yet into his full training
regimen while awaiting word of a date for
the Relikh semifinal round bout, Regis is
not letting his condition slack off. “I’m
still training,” he explains. “I’m still in the
gym every day but not anything serious
yet. Just staying in shape and enjoying my
COVER STORY
PHOTOGRAPHER: GEOVANNI VELASQUEZ
PHOTO COURTESY OF REGIS PROGRAIS
18 | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | breakthrumediamagazine.com JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 9
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