In a sport so notorious for making fans wait for big fights to eventually -- if at all -- get made, what has taken place within the junior welterweight division this calendar year has been nothing but a breath of fresh air.
In July, Jose Ramirez stopped fellow unbeaten champion Maurice Hooker to unify the WBC and WBO titles at 140 pounds in a fight that was difficult to make considering each boxer is tied to a competing network. On Saturday, at the O2 Arena in London, the other two recognized champions within the division will do the same in the final of the World Boxing Super Series tournament (2 p.m. ET, DAZN).
Regis Prograis (24-0, 20 KOs) will put his WBA title on the line against Scotland native and IBF champion Josh Taylor (15-0, 12 KOs) in not just one of the best fights on paper of 2019, but one that will take us one step closer to undisputed clarity within the division.
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Given the styles and personalities of both fighters, this junior welterweight showdown is nothing but a dream. And with all due respect to Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) and the noble charity work he does surrounding his fights, the winner of Prograis-Taylor has a legitimate shot to become the face of a reloaded division and a future star in the making across the sport.
"I am fully confident going in to this fight," Taylor said. "I am bigger than him, stronger, quicker and punch just as hard. I can beat him in every department. If he comes and tries to walk me down than I believe that he will walk into a shot and I will get him out of there. If not, I can outbox him for the full 12 rounds."
At its core, this fight is a classic pairing between the puncher in Prograis, a 30-year-old native of New Orleans, and the boxer in the 28-year-old Taylor. Yet the "Tartan Tornado" is also no stranger to letting his hands go from his tall frame and (as evidenced above) has no shortage of confidence.
It's a wonder, however, just how confident and comfortable Taylor should be inside the ring against a fighter as dangerous as Prograis. Even though Taylor bit down hard to outpoint then-unbeaten Ivan Baranchyk to claim his first world title in May, he was forced to weather the storm to get there.
Prograis owns knockout wins over former unified champion Julius Indongo and Kiryl Relikh, whom he claimed his WBA title from in April. He also outpointed the difficult Terry Flanagan last October and remains one of boxing's most explosive and best-kept secrets thanks to his stalking style.
"Everybody that I have fought was supposed to be an even, 50-50 fight but I dominated," Prograis said. "[Taylor] is taller and longer than me but the tale of the tape doesn't matter to me. You can't determine my hook by the tale of the tape or my boxing IQ. I don't just want to repeat what he said but I really cannot see how he can beat me. I am not being cocky or arrogant, but I just can't see it.
"[Taylor] has been hurt in his last fight and he was dropped, too. The past is the past and this is going to be me and him and I think he will bring his A game like I will. This is going to be one hell of a fight."
Taylor owns stoppage wins himself against the likes of Ohara Davies, Miguel Vazquez and Ryan Martin, in addition to an impressive decision win over former champion Viktor Postol in 2018.
A pair of veteran heavyweights collide in the co-main event as Dereck Chisora takes on David Price. Chisora (31-9, 22 KOs) was originally expected to take on Joseph Parker before he withdrew with injury. The 35-year-old Brit is looking to get into the title picture once again with four wins in his last five fights -- the lone loss coming by 11th round TKO to Dillian Whyte in December 2018.
Price, meanwhile, is riding a three-fight winning streak after suffering a devastating knockout against Alexander Povtekin and tearing his biceps against Sergey Kuzmin just six months later.
Also on the main card is a lightweight showdown between Lee Selby and Ricky Burns. Selby is coming off a decision win earlier in 2019 after suffering a split decision loss to divisional champ Josh Warrington.
Fight card
| Fight | Weightclass |
|---|---|
Regis Prograis (c) -170 vs. Josh Taylor (c) +140 | Junior welterweight unification |
Dereck Chisora -400 vs. David Price +300 | Heavyweight |
Lee Selby -175 vs. Ricky Burns +150 | Lightweight |
Prediction
Trying to make sense of a fight that is this close on paper is a difficult task. Although Prograis remains a slight betting favorite, Taylor will have the benefit of fighting at home in the United Kingdom which could put the onus on Prograis to keep matters out of the judges hands.
The key question to consider is whether or not Prograis is on the verge of taking his game to the next level against likely the toughest challenge of his career. Imagining him walking down Taylor and exploding to a knockout finish isn't out of the question given the arc of his career up to this point and the potential vulnerability that lingers within Taylor. But it's far from a given considering how close they match up on paper.
Taylor's jab will be the key to his success offensively and a means to keep his fellow southpaw at bay. But he'll need to move his head consistently and gain Prograis' respect early on to keep the fight more on technical terms and avoid a shootout.
The flip side to the unanswered questions about Prograis' potential greatness is whether Taylor is merely a flashier version of a stereotypical U.K. fighter who can hold his own on the domestic level only to get solved when he steps up to the top shelf of the elite level within his division. Betting on Taylor, even with the potential of home cooking, requires explicit trust in his backbone and chin just as well as his skills.
As long as Prograis can close distance in the same manner he has been able to up to this point and let his hands go, he has given every indication that he has the dog on the inside to find out how great he can be overall.
Pick: Prograis via TKO9
