The call-outs were getting mundane and flat-out annoying.

Whether he turned on his television, glanced at his phone, or attempted to watch a YouTube video, the chances are Richardson Hitchins was calling Regis Prograis out.

Pride began to set in at times but Prograis placed it aside and mostly ignored it. Scared? Far from it but at the time, Prograis held the WBC 140-pound title. Hitchins meanwhile, was still making his way up the ladder. Fast forward to 2025 and things are now incredibly different.

Prograis is in the midst of his first two-fight losing streak and no longer holds a belt, nor leverage in an ever-changing division. Hitchins won the IBF crown in December and made a first successful defence last month in his New York hometown. Now the tables have turned, a matchup between the pair makes all the sense in the world to the 36-year-old.

"He ain’t have something for me [then]," Prograis told The Ring recently. "Now he's got something for me."

Hitchins has a wealth of options and in all likelihood, they no longer involve Prograis. After his eighth-round stoppage win over George Kambosos Jr, he doubled down on a desire to box former two-division champion Devin Haney or current WBO titleholder Teofimo Lopez.

While he sifts through several names, Prograis will attempt to make a fight between them more marketable after recovering from a shoulder injury which shelved his proposed February 15 return. Six months later, he's set to return on August 2 as part of the Oscar Duarte-Kenneth Sims undercard in Chicago, against a yet-to-be-named opponent.

Provided he wins well, Rougarou believes a matchup between him and Hitchins becomes increasingly realistic. As for how he views the current champion, the 12-year veteran is yet to be impressed by what he's seen.

"He's okay I guess, a C fighter," Prograis continued. "I think he's very high on himself, he's a world champion but i don't think you can say he's the best at 140. He's an okay fighter."