Regis Prograis 24 (20 KOs)-0-0 takes on also undefeated Josh Taylor 15 (12 KOs)-0- for the IBF and WBA Light-Welterweight titles and the Muhammed Ai trophy at the O2 Arena London on Saturday 26th October in the final of the World Boxing Super Series broadcasted on Sky Sport Box Office in the UK.
Have you ever have those moments when you’re looking at the menu at like a really fancy restaurant, the type of restaurant when you see words like “extract” and “emulsion” on the menu, when you take a look at the expertly crafted seasonal ingredients and just think “damn I wish there was just some really greasy burger here” because that is basically the choice for boxing fans this Saturday at the O2.
Let’s start with the artisan side then, with Prograis vs Taylor, two fighters at their absolute peak and at the top of the sport, but two fighters that I’ll be honest I knew of more than I really knew. The 140-pound division just doesn’t quite have the star power of the the welterweights so to me it’s a division that almost passes me by, but to be honest I was really impressed by both guys when I sat down to give them both a watch.
Prograis Taylor is a really interesting fight to try and predict because of the versatility of both. Both can box coming forward and going backwards, both are southpaws and both make good use of counter punches. There are differences however, for instance when I see a Josh Taylor fight I see fire in his eyes, I see real venom in the shots and I see the Scotsman looking to hurt his opponent, but with Prograis I see a master boxer smooth as silk, and the knockouts come more from the timing than the power of the shot.
If you’ve never seen Prograis fight I’d probably say he fights like a Tank Davis with a greater emphasis on volume rather than power. The thing that really sets him apart though is his balance and upper body movement, it basically allows him to fight at his own pace all of the time. What he tends to do is pop a jab and bring the right hand down low Rigo style, which invites a jab from the opponent and then counters that via his own left, either up top or down below. Prograis is a very much a keen user of body punches despite being in that ultra smooth vein, a trait shared with Taylor.
If I were to say Prograis fights like Tank, I’d say Taylor fights more like Spence. I’m surprised the similarity hasn’t been brought up before to be honest, because when I finally went to the effort to sit down and watch a load of his fights I saw so many similarities. The double jab straight left to the body, and the left counter uppercut on the inside being the obvious two.
Taylor also loves a right hook. Very often he’ll do a little feint with the left hand to just switch his weight to his right and throw a power right hook, and being so fired up you better expect him liking it up close on the inside, with body shots and that right hook being his favourite.
If I’ve explained myself vaguely well you’ll be expecting that the fight will most likely hinge on what sort of pace the fight is set at. To me Prograis is the more defensively sound of the two, Prograis can roll and slip all day, and Taylor despite fighting on the inside is definitely hittable and not quite as slick as the American with often holding a bit of a static high guard. You’d think that Taylor’s gameplan would be box the shorter fighter for 3 to 4 rounds and then start turning up the heat from that point on and try and overwhelm the American so Prograis doesn’t have the space to box as he likes.
Do I think he can do it? I really don’t know, on an instinct basis I say Prograis wins on points, I think the head movement and counter lefts from Prograis will be enough to keep Taylor honest to stop just walking in for the majority of the fight. Taylor should come on stronger late just due to the pressure and that sharpness from Prograis losing a bit of its luster down the stretch but I think he’ll stick it out for a close unanimous decision win.
Moving onto the greasy burger fight, remember from that analogy way back, you’ve got Derek Chisora 31 (22)- 9 (3 KOs)-0 and David Price 25 (20 KOs)-6 (6 KOs)-0, a fight between two fighters arguably not even in the top 10 of the heavyweight division almost overshadowing a unification fight, and to be honest if boxing is entertainment then you shouldn’t be surprised.
I’m not going to be all analytic here to what’s going to happen, someone’s getting knocked out, probably badly, and that’s why people are tuning in. It’s one thing boxing Dave Allen, it’s another boxing Derek Chisora, so will David Price’s mental game hold up? Honestly I think it will, but I just think that the body shots and general pressure will gas Price out, in what will be a great fight to watch. I actually think it’ll be one of those fights when neither fighter is really a loser, and for these two fighters who seem to have made careers out of being fan favourites that shouldn’t be a very bold prediction at all.
Also, former world champions Ricky Burns 43 (16 KOs)-7 (0 KOs)-1 takes on Wales’s Lee Selby 27 (9 KOs)-2 (0 KOs)-0. With Lawrence Okolie 13 (10 KOs)-0-0 looking to take the EBU Cruiserweight title from Dominic Ingle trained Belgian Yves Ngabu 20 (14 KOs)-0-0.