Regis Prograis will punch his way into the World Boxing Super Series
Regis Prograis burst onto the boxing scene in 2017. He looks to build on his success by going through Juan Velasco into the World Boxing Super Series.
Regis Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) is a boxing anomaly. He’s been a professional boxer since 2012, but it took five years for him to show up on everyone’s radar. Now, he might be poised to become the best super lightweight in the world.
Prograis has a compelling backstory. He compiled an impressive amateur record of 87-7, and compiled several accolades including a run at the 2012 Olympic trials. His amateur accomplishments were good, not great, which is why he flew under the radar for so long.
Prograis is a New Orleans native who had his life altered by hurricane Katrina like so many others. The 2005 natural disaster forced Prograis to leave his home, and he started a new life in Houston. On Saturday, July 14, Prograis returns home to fight as a professional in New Orleans for the first time. He defends his interim WBC super lightweight title against undefeated Juan Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs).
To say that Prograis is excited to be fighting in front of his home crowd is an understatement.
Prograis told ESPN in May, “I’m thrilled and honored to be fighting back home in New Orleans.”
Prograis added, “For the last couple of years, everywhere I’ve went people have asked, ‘When are you fighting at home?’ I’m beyond excited that we can make this happen. The people of New Orleans have supported me from day one, and I love being from here and having the opportunity for the world to see me fight at home.”
The winner of Prograis/Velasco will earn a spot in the World Boxing Super Series 140-pound tournament. The tournament hasn’t been officially announced, but numerous reports state that there is a strong collection of boxers gearing up for the tournament.
Possible boxers tabbed for the tournament include Kiryl Relikh, Ivan Baranchyk and rising superstar Ryan Martin. Other men could work themselves into the depths of the tournament by beating the previously mentioned boxers.
The World Boxing Super Series made waves with its highly competitive super middleweight and cruiserweight tournaments. The super lightweight tournament could be even more alluring.
Prograis is on the verge of superstar status. His most impressive victory came in March against Julius Indongo. Prograis stopped Indongo by TKO in the second round. He ran through and over Indongo in the fight, sending Indongo to the canvas a total of four times in less than six minutes of action.
Prograis’ victory over the former champion Indongo was more destructive than Terence Crawford’s third-round knockout of Indongo in 2017. Crawford put Indongo down twice in that fight.
Prograis’ opponent Velesaco has an undefeated record but lacks any notable wins. All but two of Velasco’s 20 bouts have been in his home country Argentina. This is Velasco’s second time fighting in the U.S. Fighting in front of Prograis’ hometown is a daunting task for Velasco.
The one thing Velasco has going for him is size. He’s fought mostly as a welterweight or heavier. He’s only weighed in at or below the 140-pound limit once. It will be interesting to see if his power stands out at a lighter weight.
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Regardless of Velasco’s size, Prograis should win this bout. His amateur pedigree and knockout power should overwhelm Velasco.
This is a hard fight to handicap. Velasco has never been tested and there is limited video available on him. Both men have ability but also have flaws.
Velasco has a strong jab, but there are holes in his defense. When attacked, he backs up straight and shells into a high guard to absorb punches. He makes no attempt to move his upper body and dodge punches. That could be a costly mistake against Prograis.
Prograis has power in both hands as he demonstrated against Indongo. He floored Indongo with a lead right to the body and several lefts to the head. His southpaw stance is problematic for the orthodox Velasco.
Prograis biggest weakness is his footwork. He walks his opponent down but has a tendency to follow instead of cut off the ring. He hasn’t fought a skilled enough boxer to make him pay for this mistake and Velasco is no different.
Prograis sometimes crosses his feet when advancing. This makes him vulnerable to an attack. He’s also off balance at times which makes him fall forward to the point where he momentarily has his left leg forward in an orthodox stance. These are problems that a boxing tactician could capitalize on. Velasco isn’t a tactician, but he’s an unknown quantity which makes him dangerous.
Neither man has gone 12 rounds before, but they say there’s a first for everything. However, I don’t think this fight will be that first for either man. Velasco’s defensive liabilities make it likely that he doesn’t go the distance with Prograis, who should stop him in the second half of the fight.
Prograis is a massive betting favorite. The Sports Book Review has Prograis listed at -4972 odds and Velasco at +2548. These odds are pretty steep, and Velasco should put up more of a fight than oddsmakers are giving him credit for.
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This fight will be slugfest until Prograis breaks down Velasco. Prograis will impress his hometown fans and those watching at home. He’s got a great opportunity in front of him with the World Boxing Super Series looming. He won’t let it away.