"I put my hands down and started walking him down. Like I said, I knew he couldn't hurt me, so I did what I wanted...I just wanted to go out there and make a statement and that's what I did. I ran through him...I am ready for the Terence Crawford and Adrien Broner type of fights," stated jr. welterweight contender Regis Prograis, who talked about his victory over Joel Diaz Jr. immediately after the fight. Check out what he had to say in this post-fight exclusive!
PC: Congratulations! I have told anyone that would listen that once the competition got better, we would see much of the same. You did some great things in there. How do you feel?
RP: I felt good. I'm looking at my face right now, I got hit a little too much. That's kind of my fault, but I did what I needed to do. I went out there and handled business and I can't be more happier. Dude was 23-0 with 19 knockouts and he was a big puncher, he was strong, and I ran through him just like I did everybody else. I went out there and made the statement and I can only go to the top from here.
PC: When you say you got hit a little too much, did you just get too comfortable in there because you were able to do everything you wanted to do?
RP: Yeah! That's why, but I felt like he couldn't hurt me. It's 8 ounce gloves, everybody can get hurt, and looking at my face, I got caught a couple of times with unnecessary shots, but I knew he couldn't hurt me. I got hit harder than that before and I took 'em and I know I can take a punch. I don't need to be taking punches, but I know I can take a punch. That's why I got comfortable in there. I put my hands down and started walking him down. Like I said, I knew he couldn't hurt me, so I did what I wanted.
PC: This is the fight where people felt you would be tested and pushed. Obviously that wasn't the case and you stopped him in the 2nd round. At what point during the fight did you realize this would be like all of your other fights?
RP: The first round. In the first round, I popped him with a left hand to the body and I hurt him because I heard him groan and that's when I knew he couldn't take my power. I leveled it up a little bit and I started hitting him to the head. After the first round, I saw that his face was all busted up when he went back to the corner. After that, I knew that he couldn't take my power and if I put him in a dog fight, because I know that's what he like to do is be in a dog fight and I came out the big dog.
PC: You looked over at him between rounds and you told your corner he was hurt, so you could see it on his face.
RP: Bobby was telling me to just go out there and box and let the punches come to me. Like I said, I felt like he couldn't hurt me, so I just wanted to go out there and make a statement and that's what I did. I ran through him.
PC: You landed some great straight lefts to his head, but the body work was great tonight. Did you specifically work on that for this fight or do you always work on great body punching?
RP: I work on that all the time. I know I'm a big-time body puncher. I just wish people could see a little more out of me, but right now, at 140, people can't take my power. So I can hit somebody with a left hand and they just can't take it. That's just what I do.
PC: How do you balance it now because you feel like these guys can't take your power at 140, but you also admitted to needing to keep your defense tight even after you get comfortable in there?
RP: It's kind of hard for me because when I hurt people, I get confident. I work on defense a lot, every day in the gym, but in a fight, if I feel like they can't hurt me, then I'm going to go in there and beat them up. I like to turn things into a street fight, a street brawl, and I knew that's what he wanted to do, so I beat him at his own game. But of course with future opponents, if somebody got big-time power at 140, then I can move my head, I can box and do different things. But right now, I've been running through everybody because I'm stronger than everybody. I know I got a lot of power and that's why I'm running through everybody.
PC: Was there anything about Joel Diaz Jr. that surprised you?
RP: I was shocked how tough he was because after that first round, when he went back to his corner, his face was messed up. I hit him with some hard shots. The first left hand I hit him with to the body hurt him. He was tough. He was real tough and I hit him with a lot of hard shots. He did go out in the second round, but he was real tough. He probably need to go to 135. I think he'll be real good at 135. He was on the scale at 137, so he probably should go to 135.
PC: I know you train hard and you know you put the work in, but when fans and some media haven't seen you go deep into a fight and you're saying you want guys like Adrien Broner and Terence Crawford, it brings up questions of if you can go deep into the championship rounds.
RP: When I'm training, sometimes I go 15 rounds in the gym with like 4 or 5 different people, so I know I can do it. I can't help that I'm knocking people out in these fights. I know I can go 10 rounds if I need to or 12 rounds if I need to and I am ready for the Terence Crawford and Adrien Broner type of fights, even though the longest I ever had to go in a fight was 8 rounds with Abel Ramos. Percy, I gotta go to the press conference now, they calling for me.
PC: Okay, bet. Thanks for the immediate post-fight and congrats again, my man.
RP: Fa sho! We'll catch up later.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]