After the fight: Regis Prograis makes a statement

Regis Prograis proved to be the better fighter as he stopped Jose Zepeda in the eleventh round during their WBC super lightweight championship fight.

Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA, was the venue that hosted the battle for the vacant WBC super lightweight title. Regis Prograis (28-1) faced Jose Zepeda (35-3) in a matchup that fans were highly anticipating throughout the week, even if it was after a major holiday like Thanksgiving. MarvNation was hosting its first PPV event, and there were some unknowns with the production of the event. Regardless, the two fighters met in the center of the ring with the crowd chanting “Chon” for Zepeda.

The interesting part in all of this is that when the bell rang to start the fight, Prograis was a hair too slow when it came to his counter attack and it seemed like Zepeda was going to have his way. Once the fight entered round two, Prograis turned up the volume on his head movement and counterattacks. When you see Zepeda during rounds two and three, he has this look on his face like, “oh, oh.” Prograis was starting to pump that jab, making it almost impossible for Zepeda to hit him. As they entered the middle rounds, there was concern from Zepeda’s corner as they knew he was losing the fight. By this time, Prograis was in rhythm, and there was no stopping him. He kept landing the jab at will and connecting with this looping left hook to the top of the head of Zepeda. This is a style that, most recently, Gennadiy ‘GGG” Golovkin made famous.

When entering round eleven, you can tell that Zepeda is ready to go, but his warrior’s heart wouldn’t allow him to call it a night. He wanted to go down fighting, and that he did. Prograis landed one of those looping left hooks, but this time, Zepeda couldn’t hang on and fell to the canvas after a flurry of punches. The referee immediately called the fight, and Prograis won by eleventh-round knockout. Prograis showed that at 33 years old, he could still fight at a high level and against the best in the division.

Regis Prograis earned an impressive knockout victory over Jose Zepeda at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA.

So, what is next for Prograis? He has options which is a good thing. Prograis mentioned throughout fight week that he wants another crack at Josh Taylor, who handed him his first professional loss. Taylor has to first get by Jack Catterall, which won’t be easy as many thought Catterall should have gotten the decision in their first fight. There is also the fight with Jose Ramirez, which was a matchup that should have happened years ago but now may be the time to do that one. Teofimo Lopez, Arnold Barboza, and Ryan Garcia are notable names in that division as well. If I had to guess, the Ramirez fight gets made next, as that one has marinated for far too long.

Regardless of the opponent, Prograis showed that he belongs in these big fights, and his promoter (Probellum) needs to strike while the iron is still hot. One thing is for sure; whichever fight is next for Prograis, it will not disappoint.