As expected, Showtime has officially announced a 140-pound doubleheader for a special edition show on Friday, March 9, live from Deadwood, South Dakota.
In the main event, unbeaten prospect and rising contender Regis Prograis (20-0, 17 KO) will take on former titleholder Viktor Postol (29-1, 12 KO), with the interim WBC title at stake. The currently vacant full WBC title is set to be decided on March 17, when Jose Ramirez faces Amir Imam, and the Prograis-Postol winner will be in line for first shot.
“I feel I’m one of the best junior welterweights in the world and this is my chance to display my belief in myself,” Prograis said. “I’m very excited to be fighting Viktor Postol – he’s a very experienced fighter that previously held the WBC world title. I want to become a world champion this year, and I know Viktor Postol wants to reclaim his title, but we have to go through each other first. This is a great fight for boxing because you have two hungry fighters. It’s a can’t-miss fight.”
“My goal is to become a world champion again and I know a win over Regis Prograis will bring me one step closer,” Postol said. “I have been training hard for the past couple of months and I’m very excited for the opportunity to face Prograis on March 9.”
The co-feature will be an IBF eliminator between Ivan Baranchyk (17-0, 10 KO) and Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KO). The IBF title is currently held by Sergey Lipinets, who defends the next night, March 10, against Mikey Garcia, also airing on Showtime.
“My next fight is very important for my career and I am preparing for it very seriously,” Baranchyk said. “A few months ago, I moved to Miami, where I am now being trained by Pedro Diaz. I have strict discipline for everything in my training. I’m working on improving my skills, tactics for the fight, my skill set and physical strength. I’m also maintaining a much stricter diet and eating very healthy. I want every fighter to know if I am in the boxing ring you will never have an easy fight with me.”
“My dream is to become a world champion and I need to defeat Baranchyk to continue on my path,” Yigit said. “This will be my first time fighting in the United States but I’m ready to show the boxing fans that I have what it takes to become a world champion. From Stockholm, Sweden to Deadwood, South Dakota, onward my journey continues.”