Conor Benn’s immediate path back to world title contention has taken an unexpected detour. Following his seismic victory over Chris Eubank Jr., the fighter known as ‘The Destroyer’ had his sights set on a return to the 147-pound welterweight division and a shot at the WBC belt recently won by Ryan Garcia. Instead, his next challenge will be a 150-pound catchweight bout against former super-lightweight champion Regis Prograis.
Zuffa Debut on a Blockbuster Card
The fight, a co-main event supporting Tyson Fury’s heavyweight comeback against Arslanbek Makhmudov, takes place on Saturday, 11 April 2026, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. For Benn, it marks a lucrative debut under the Zuffa Boxing banner following his headline-grabbing split from long-time promoter Eddie Hearn and Matchroom. That one-fight deal is rumoured to be worth $15 million, a move that has notably heightened tensions between Hearn and UFC CEO Dana White, a founder of Zuffa alongside Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Al-Sheikh.
The entire event will be broadcast live worldwide on Netflix, the streaming service’s first live boxing production from the UK, available to subscribers at no extra cost. The main card is scheduled to begin at 7pm BST, with Benn and Prograis expected to make their ring walks at approximately 9:30pm BST.
It is a stacked undercard beneath the Fury-Makhmudov headliner. Jeamie ‘TKV’ Tshikeva makes the first defence of his British heavyweight title against Richard Riakporhe, while Frazer Clarke seeks to rebound from his loss to TKV against Australia’s Justis Huni. Further bouts include Felix Cash versus Liam O’Hare and Simon Zachenhuber against Pawel August.
The Challenge of ‘Rougarou’
Standing across the ring from the 29-year-old Benn will be the vastly experienced Regis ‘Rougarou’ Prograis. The 37-year-old American southpaw is a former two-time world champion at super-lightweight (140lbs), having held the WBA title in 2019 and the WBC belt from 2022-2023. His career ledger stands at 30 wins and three losses, with 24 victories coming by knockout.
Prograis’s recent form, however, shows a fighter at a potential crossroads. He bounced back from consecutive defeats – a loss of his WBC title to Devin Haney in December 2023 and a points loss to England’s Jack Catterall in Manchester in October 2024 – with a hard-fought ten-round unanimous decision win over Joseph Diaz in August 2025. He had been scheduled to fight Oscar Duarte early last year but withdrew due to a shoulder injury suffered in training. Ahead of this clash, promoter Eddie Hearn has claimed Prograis is “badly injured,” allegations the fighter has this week vehemently denied.
The Significance of the Scale
The agreed catchweight of 150 pounds is a critical factor shaping expectations for the bout. For Benn, who jumped up two divisions to middleweight (160lbs) for his two fights with Eubank Jr., this represents a move back towards his natural welterweight home. At 150lbs, he will be at his leanest fighting weight in nearly four years.
For Prograis, the demand is of a different magnitude. The New Orleans native has spent his entire professional career at or near the 140-pound super-lightweight limit; his last fight against Diaz was contested at 143lbs. The jump to 150lbs is uncharted territory for him, a significant physical ask compounded by his age. Analysts suggest Benn, coming down in weight, will hold pronounced size and strength advantages he will be expected to exploit from the opening bell.
This dynamic informs the prevailing prediction that Benn should navigate this test comfortably as he builds momentum from his Eubank Jr. triumph. While Prograis is respected as a seasoned and technically adept southpaw with fight-changing power, the consensus is that his best days are behind him and that the catchweight burden is too great at this stage of his career.
Bookmakers reflect this outlook, installing Benn as a significant favourite with odds as short as 1/18 to win outright. The odds suggest a stoppage is a strong possibility, with Benn at 4/11 to win by knockout, though a decisive points victory – priced at 16/5 – is also widely anticipated. Prograis, the 8/1 underdog, faces a formidable task to upset the odds in what will be only his second professional fight on British soil.
