As Regis Prograis dwells over his next move, he's certain of at least one thing; that no matter boxing's pitfalls or its dangerous and often sordid nature, life without it would be something difficult to comprehend.

While the former two-time world champion sits in bumper-to-bumper traffic, he passionately sermonises to The Ring, with a hint of despair in his voice, that an in-ring career is something he wants to continue pursuing.

"I still love it," he says. "I really just feel like I'm incomplete without fighting right now. I'd be incomplete without being three-time champion, I still have a lot more. I'm definitely on the older side now, but I can still do it.

"I train every day, my body can still take it, I know one day that my body won't be able to. I speak to older fighters and do understand that one day my body won't take it anymore, but I still train every day. I was in Vegas training recently, doing the same stuff as 19 and 20-year-olds. They takin' breaks and stuff and I keep going. My durability is still there, I can take a punch, they don't affect me that much. I just love it.

"I'm at the point in life right now where I don't even know what I would do if I didn't fight. I travel a lot, I do business, I try to keep myself busy with stuff outside the ring...but I still think 'what would I do with myself?'

"You can sit on as much money as you want, but you still have to have a purpose in life and a mission, and mine is to show people how to keep going. That's what I feel my mission in life is right now.

"I'm addicted to boxing. I really wouldn't know what to do with myself without it. Eventually, travelling gets boring, I have multiple houses, a big old crazy house, but that gets boring, too. I was telling my coach that it's one hell of a thing to be able to do anything you want, anytime you want, you have unlimited options, but it's scary you still have to have a purpose and a vision. That's still boxing but one day that'll be it, and I don't know after that."

Prograis, 36, is suffering with a tale as old as time in regards to a boxer's determination and stubbornness to keep on fighting, even when it's more than arguable his best days and biggest opportunities are in the rear-view mirror.

Eight years ago, the New Orleans native began his ascent in the 140-pound division when he knocked out Joel Diaz Jr in two rounds before dishing out the exact same punishment to Julius Indongo. By the end of 2018, Prograis (29-3, 24 KOs) had entered the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS), where he met Manchester, England's Terry Flanagan in the quarter-final.

In front of his hometown fans, Prograis outpointed former WBO champion Flanagan over 12 rounds to progress to the semis where he won his first world title, the WBA strap against Kiryl Relikh, stopping him in six rounds.

He fought IBF champion Josh Taylor in the final and the pair produced a classic at London's O2 Arena. But it was Scotsman Taylor after a brutal, back-and-forth contest, who prevailed to unify the titles and win the vacant Ring belt, too. "I still believe I won that fight," he says.

Prograis became champion again three years later as he knocked out Jose Zepeda in the 11th round to win the WBC title, bookending a four-fight KO streak, following the Taylor loss, in the process.

In December 2023, however, Prograis hit the canvas for the first time in his career when Devin Haney, not known for his power-punching abilities, scored a knockdown over him en route to a wide decision victory. And 10 months later in Manchester, Prograis lost the third fight of his career against Jack Catterall, another non-puncher scoring two knockdowns over the away fighter in a UD12 victory.

Prograis hinted at retirement following the Catterall defeat, but instead had a return bout against Mexican Oscar Duarte booked for February 15, before subsequently pulling out with a shoulder injury.

The position Prograis finds himself in now is one of uncertainty. But in his downtime, he likes to read, and admits that the topic of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked with repeated head trauma, is something he's juxtaposed with being interested in.

"I read a book called 'Damage'," he says. "Tris Dixon wrote it. The crazy thing is I was reading it while I was in camp and my coach said 'stop reading that, while you're in camp you definitely shouldn't be reading that'. I stopped halfway because I didn't want to think about it.

"But I feel like it's something I'll be interested in when I'm done boxing. I want to know more about the brain and stuff, I feel like I'm different from a lot of fighters because I like to read about that stuff, and read in general. I read for hours a day.

"I do want to study [CTE] when I'm done [boxing]. I know about fighters in the past who have died, a lot of old school fighters, they're dead. It's a pattern where old school fighters are really great when they fight, then they retire and things go downhill, they lose their money, they get dementia, they're punch-drunk. That's something I never want to be, I don't want to lose everything I made.

"It's not worth being a legendary fighter over. You can be legendary then lose everything. I wanna be someone like Sugar Ray Leonard, who was great, made his money, kept his money and nothing was wrong with him after. He did it right."

If that's the case, then Prograis will have to remonstrate with himself over the coming months. He insists Golden Boy are the right promoters to be with because they keep fighters active, before admitting he's not sure if they trust his ability to stay healthy.

He also rubbishes talk that he may be British 140-pound prospect Adam Azim's next foe, stating that he'd definitely rather retire than be treated just like that, an opponent.

The junior welterweight division however, is weak, in Prograis' opinion. So the notion he could become a three-time world champion isn't ridiculous, in his mind.

"That's why I feel like I definitely will be a champion again," he adds before adding one important caveat ... "If I stay healthy."

"They're saying maybe in July or August, I don't know who against right now, but my goal is to be champion again."

Before signing off, Prograis issues one final act of defiance against the perception he may be on his way out of the sport.

"One day it'll be time to hang it up, my people will tell me. But for now, I can still take a pounding in training, my body isn't deteriorating yet. One day it won't be able to take the pounding, it won't be able to run stairs, it won't be able to swim, run sprints, or spar.

"Right now, though, it's holding up and I want to do it."