Regis Prograis Releasing Hard-Hitting Book Through Williams Commerce Publishing

The champion turned author takes readers on his personal journey through his beautiful struggles.

NEW ORLEANS — The good, the bad, and the catastrophic would best describe the journey that WBC junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis has endured on his road to finding success in boxing. From fighting for free, surviving catastrophic hurricanes in both New Orleans and Houston, to headlining a DAZN PPV Saturday night in what looks to be a sold-out arena in San Francisco, California against Devin Haney. What a journey the New Orleans native has been on and now he’s ready to share his “Stories & Lessons” with the world in his upcoming book, set to be released in early 2024. Childhood friend and successful publisher, Ross Williams of Williams Commerce will be the vessel to connect Regis with readers. A book bound to happen will hit shelves soon and make for a great post-Christmas gift for any avid reader. 

Williams gives Zenger News an update on the book and a prediction on the big fight. 

Zenger: You will be publishing Regis Prograis’ first book. Was this a collaborative idea, did you go to him, or did he come to you? 

Williams: It was a mutual thing. Regis has been one of my biggest supporters. He was an advocate for my first two books. It was like, “You know we gotta do a book together.” That’s part of our friendship and brotherhood too. We share books amongst one another. It felt like destiny. 

Zenger: Do you feel readers will have a different perception of Regis after they read his book? 

Williams: Yes indeed! In most of his interviews, they ask him the same questions. With this, me and Regis been friends since first grade, so I’m able to speak to intricate details of his family. There are so many different faucets to Regis, you don’t have to be a boxing fan to like this book. It reaches all demographics because it’s about overcoming adversities in your way, while remaining true to who you are as a person through your ups and downs. That’s why we titled it, “Stories & Lessons,” because anybody could learn from the stories and lessons that he learned in his life. 

Zenger: You don’t have to be a boxing fan, a Hurricane Katrina victim or survivor to take something away from this book? 

Williams: Not at all. And I think this book and this Devin Haney fight is going to get him a lot of the flowers that he deserves. When you talk about personalities and people who are just fun to be around, Regis is that guy. I have known him for over two decades and it’s always fun. So much more than the public see. This book will give him that crossover appeal as a star, which he rightfully deserves. 

Zenger: Has Regis been hitting you up like, “You gotta add this,” or “You gotta take this out.” 

Williams: (Laughing). This has been a life-changing process. We have a solid foundation. We connect on those levels. We are extremely hard workers, very personable people, and we do things for a purpose. It’s been a smooth process. 

Zenger: Williams Commerce takes the guesswork out of publishing books. Given the magnitude of Regis’ upcoming fight, I’m sure you eliminated any distractions in terms of getting book talking points in real time? 

Williams: For sure. It’s about returning the energy. A lot of people don’t know about things that go on behind the scenes. Regis has been there to support me through things the public don’t see. So, it’s about providing value to him. The energy is reciprocated. It’s a movie being played out in real time. It’s beautiful that we can document these things and share them with the world. A lot of people want to just show you their highlights but with this book, you will see moments in his life where his back was against the wall, as a man, child, boxer, even while he was successful, he went through adversities that other people don’t know about yet. 

Zenger: Give us a timeline for the book release. 

Williams: God has been guiding us through this whole book. The book was going to start out and be more about his parents. It evolved over time to become, “Stories & Lessons.” It feels like higher powers guided us. Presale will be available within the next few weeks, and the book will probably be released on his birthday in late January. I’m confident with the outcome of the fight, so I think the fight result will be the closing chapter of this book. I think this is the first of many. 

Zenger: Without giving it away, do you feel there will be a part of this book that people will be surprised to learn something they didn’t know about Regis? 

Williams: Ah man, this book emotionally grabs you from the first chapter. That’s the biggest thing because you know what type of journey you’re about to go on. I’m not stingy with my work or knowledge, so I do want to tell people without giving it away, but the biggest thing is the first chapter. It emotionally connects the reader on the journey throughout. 

Zenger: If you had to describe your friendship with Regis, what sticks out? 

Williams: The support. He supported me before I had a best-selling book. This was when I was doing the podcast. Then he was supportive of my books before he became a world champion. We know what I bring to the literary world, he’s an avid reader, and always wanted to become an author. So now, I have the opportunity to provide value to him. This is a legacy move for both of us. Your vibe attracts your tribe. Everybody around him is like-minded people. 

Zenger: Congratulations, 100 books published through your publishing company. You cover a lot of ground in terms of demographic and genres. Any genre you won’t cover and is there a genre you’d like to cover? 

Williams: You can imagine I get inquiries every day. If your book lack’s purpose, if you just want to release a book to become famous or to make money, I don’t work with those types of clients. I’m not judging them, but that’s not what I’m in it for. I have to be emotionally connected to a book. I don’t like tell-all books. Leave me out the drama. I live a peaceful life. In terms of genres, I do want to tap into, I just want to keep expanding my reach and amplifying the culture that’s been suppressed for so long. Even when you think about Regis book. Think about if Joe Louis had a childhood friend capturing his book. What separates this book from other boxing books is how personable it is and how it reaches people in everyday life. You don’t have to be a fan of boxing. I’m open to all positive genres and people with powerful messages. 

Zenger: How will Prograis-Haney end? 

Williams: Regis knockout in round seven. An overhand left, he’s going to look up and don’t know what happened to him.