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For every 'Regis P' elegantly scribbled onto the dozens of miniature boxing gloves laid out in front of him, WBA super-lightweight world champion Regis Prograis pauses and thinks about his
answer. It's clear he can't multitask, but the confidence is crystal.
"I'm too good for Josh Taylor," he exclusively tells Express Sport.
"I think that if you're looking at his skills, he's tall, he's fast and he can box well, he is tough at the same time. He's a very good fighter and even before the tournament started, I felt
like he was the best at 140lbs after myself."
That tournament is the World Boxing Super Series, the super-lightweight class, of which, makes its final bow on October 26 at the O2 Arena in London, where Prograis faces Scotsman Taylor for
both his WBA strap, and his opponent's IBF title. Not to mention that glorious looking Muhammad Ali trophy and the coveted Ring Magazine belt.
Despite making it clear that Prograis wanted the final in New York, on 'neutral' ground, promoter Lou DiBella had to settle for the WBSS' decision to stage the final in England's capital,
nearly 5,000 miles from the 30-year-old's home state of Louisiana.
But upping and leaving is second nature to 'Rougarou', whose nickname is taken from a mythical werewolf creature which firmly holds a place in Louisiana-Creole folklore.
As a 16-year-old, three months into his boxing journey, Prograis was about to witness the devastating effect Hurricane Katrina would have on New Orleans, a city that oozes culture and soul.
Close to 2,000 lives were lost as the category five hurricane swept through the state, wrecking homes, and near-everything which stood stationary, while billions of dollars were spent in the
clean-up operation.
I'm unbeatable right now in the 140lb division, I'm unbeatable.
Prograis explains: "We left New Orleans the day before Hurricane Katrina hit. I moved to Houston in Texas. I started boxing right before Katrina hit and then we moved to Houston, which is
where I got my first official start.
"I missed it [New Orleans]. The culture of the place, I've been to so many places around the world and I still haven't found a place like New Orleans.
"It's the people, the culture, the food, you definitely got to go one day, man. The people really make the place. We really family-orientated, no matter what.
"My wife is from Brazil and I kind of compare Rio to New Orleans because a lot of people don't really have money, but they're still so happy. They're just so happy with life, and thats how
New Orleans is.
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"You might go a lot of places and if people don't have material things, you see that they feel down but in New Orleans it's not like that."
But once the dastardly memories of Katrina had passed, Prograis had truly found his calling in boxing, despite possessing the natural ability to play many different sports.
He adds: "I quit every other sport, football, basketball, I swam, I ran, did a little baseball but boxing stuck. My first love was to play basketball but boxing is just something I loved to
practice. I was always rough growing up, fighting and all that stuff, doing rough things. Boxing was something that I fell in love with. It was love at first punch."
And there was one figure who Prograis would see, in person, every day at the gym he trained at once he'd moved to Texas - former heavyweight champion of the world Evander Holyfield.
But it was Holyfield's infamous rival, the man who chewed off a piece of his ear during their world title rematch in the summer of 1997, 'Iron' Mike Tyson, who really inspired a starry-eyed
Prograis during the 1990s.
"Evander Holyfield was in the gym, I was 17 when I moved to Texas, I started seeing Holyfield when I was like around 19 or 20, he was in there a lot, yeah," he says.
"But I started watching Mike Tyson when I was younger. He was a world champion in the year I was born, 1989. I didn't see him come up but after I watched all his fights I was like 'damn, I
wanna be like him one day'.
"Just a little short, cocky dude, knocking out giants, I wanted to be just like that. And that's what started me as far as boxing goes. That was the influence for me to start the sport."
Just like Tyson, Prograis has his chance to pick up a second world title belt - and in four fights fewer. However, not only does opponent Taylor represent a tricky task in what's being
billed by experts and ex-pros as a 50-50 bout, the undefeated American will have to do it on foreign soil for the first tine in his career.
But for everything Taylor does, Prograis is sure he can do more, and in much more accustomed fashion. He fought at school, dodged Katrina, became world champion and now sees his name up in
London lights.
He says: "I'm unbeatable right now in the 140lb division, I'm unbeatable. My style matches up well with his and it will give him fits.
"I can do so many different things in the ring, he can fight one or two ways.
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