Regis Prograis and Josh Taylor are already 'in fight mode'

Josh Taylor took one look at Regis Prograis, then turned away with a smile that was part contempt and part relief.

“I’m sick of the sight of him,’’ Taylor said Thursday at the final news conference in London.

Sick enough to be happy at knowing that his next look at Prograis will be followed by an opening bell in a junior welterweight title-unification bout Saturday night at O2 Arena in London on DAZN.

There’s been an unmistakable buzz building for the intriguing bout. It’s not often two of the best in any division meet. There’s a theory that the best fights have to marinate.

But you can toss that old-school pitch out with some of the other promotional recipes that leave too many potential classics sitting on the shelf beyond their due date.

Depending on the ratings, Prograis (24-0, 20 knockouts) and Taylor (15-0, 12 KOs) are at the top of the 140-pound division in a three-way mix that includes Jose Ramirez.  Take your pick. The beauty about Saturday’s World Boxing Super Series final is that the fight itself will make this pick.

No speculation or marinade necessary. No wonder there’s a buzz.

Prograis’ back story has helped push the promotion. A New Orleans native, he emerged from Hurricane Katrina as a fighter. He’s appeared in a film with Cuba Gooding Jr. He has a story to tell. He was also the guy wearing sunglasses at the news conference.

“Take your glasses off,’’ Taylor yelled.

He did, but only to reveal intense eyes that need no interpretation.

“When I hit you, I hurt you,’’ said Prograis, who has scored stoppages in seven of his last eight fights.

But Taylor is skeptical. He said Prograis’ record is padded. The fighter from Edinburgh, Scotland said Prograis has been fighting “binmen.’’

“I can’t understand you,’’ Prograis said in an apparent reference to Taylor’s Scottish accent.

But no translation was necessary. Taylor thinks there’s lots of trash in Prograis’ unbeaten record.

“I don’t think it’s about tiny percentages – I’m quite a bit better than him in every department,’’ Taylor said. “… Speed, power, timing, skill. I do it all better than him. He hasn’t been tested, he hasn’t been hit by anyone. He hasn’t fought anybody with the desire that I’ve got, or the skill-set that I’ve got.

“He’s not under my skin. I’m ready to fight. My mind-set is starting to change now. I’m in fight mode.’’