Former unified junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis is only a few days away from his scheduled return in Dubai.

Prograis, 33-years-old, faces Ireland’s Tyrone McKenna in the co-main event on the second of two Probellum shows this weekend at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.

The once-beaten fighter has been rebuilding his career since suffering his lone defeat, a close twelve round decision loss to Josh Taylor in 2019.

Prograis believes British contender Jack Catterall should have been given the victory against Taylor last month in Glasgow.

Catterall was on the losing end of a controversial twelve round split decision when he challenged Taylor for the undisputed championship at 140-pounds.

“I’m not going to lie, I never even thought … when I said I couldn’t get beat, I felt I couldn’t even come close to getting beat,” Prograis said to The National. “So I took a loss. I still think I won the fight, but at the same time, he won the fight. That was Josh Taylor’s night.

“It’s definitely a shame [what happened to Catterall], because right now Catterall should be the undisputed champion at 140. He might never get the opportunity again, for all four belts in one fight. I thought I won our fight, but that? Mine was close in London, it could have gone either way, but Catterall? It was a clear victory. It's just sad that somebody like Catterall has worked his whole life to become, not just a champion, but he could’ve been undisputed champion at 140. And it’s just taken away just like that [clicks fingers].”

Prograis admits that Taylor's mind games made him throw away the game plan to pursue a stoppage win. He promises to avoid such mistakes in the future.

“I want to be more of a thinking boxer, more of a boxer instead of a brawler,” Prograis says. “I came up as a brawler; I want to fight, that’s what I want to do. And [Taylor] kind of got into my head, ‘Let’s fight’. And we just fought for 12 rounds.

“After that, I learnt a lesson: it’s called hit and not be hit. So that’s what I’m working on. Longevity-wise, it’s just being smart and I’m better as a boxer. Of course, I can bring the dog out anytime I need. But it’s called boxing, not fighting.”