By Miguel Maravilla at ringside
In a clash for the vacant WBC super lightweight title, Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs) scored an explosive eleventh round KO over Jose “Chon” Zepeda (35-3, 27 KOs) on Saturday night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Progress took over in round two and finally blasted Zepeda to the canvas in round eleven to end it. Judges had Prograis ahead 98-92, 98-92 and 97-93 entering the eleventh.
From the opening bell, neither fighter wasted any time. Prograis and Zepeda landed stiff jabs and Zepeda connected with a solid left. Prograis stuck the jab as Zepeda countered to start the second, as the fight evolved into a fast-paced chess match. To begin the third, Prograis connected during a wild exchange. The round heated up with Prograis and Zepeda trading heavy leather. In the fourth, Zepeda and Prograisboth worked patiently off the jab, then got into a heated exchange where Zepeda suffered a cut over his right eye.
Prograis attacked and targeted Zepeda’s cut in round five, later in the round Zepeda connected with a huge left hook to the liver and shortly after followed up with a big left hook upstairs. At the halfway point in the sixth, Prograis’ nose looked busted as Zepeda boxed and popped the jab. Halfway through the seventh round, Prograis and Zepeda stuck the jab but neither shyed away towards the end of the round letting their hands go. Working off the jab, Zepeda and Prograis appeared to be waiting to unload as they patiently waited for the right moment, in the final seconds of the round they exchanged.
On the offensive in the ninth, Prograis appeared poised and busy letting the jab go, popping Zepeda and following up with power shots as he backed up and pinned up Zepeda, but Zepeda did not hold back in closing the round. Late in the tenth, Prograis attacked and went right at a fading Zepeda but that did not keep Zepeda from fighting gamely as he stood in and exchanged with Prograis drawing everyone in attendance to their feet.
However, in the eleventh, Prograis closed the show. He attacked and backed Zepeda to the ropes, chopping him down as referee Ray Corona stepped in to stop the fight at :59 =of the eleventh round.
Prograis is now a two-time world 154lb champion.
What a fight Prograis a beast luv to see him a Josh Taylor or Cantrell fight he’s top dog at 140
Taylor in 2! Prograis overrated and loses first title defense.
Take all of your money and bet on this. You will be broke and living on the streets.
not, particularly, impressive! ramirez, or teofimo will outclass him. teo might ko him. josh would outwork him, again and catterall could, too!
congrats to prograis but like other have mentioned hes not the to dog at 140
Really good fight!!!! Forget about what’s next for Regis! Give him his flowers and let him enjoy this victory against a dangerous opponent!!! Did somebody say Teo? Please!!! Regis is too much of a dog!
Good for Prograis.
Hopefully he lands a bigger fight for a lot of money
Nice win for Prograis, and I hope his mama makes some gumbo for him.
Prograis definitely has deeper challenges at 140, so he better stay focused for the remaining top guns. Prograis’ defensive rhythm is nice to see, but a fighter with effective (or raw) aggression, good punch volume and a nasty streak (Taylor) can cause fits.
I hope to see a Taylor vs. Prograis rematch.
I already knew that Prograis was the best at 140, but tonight he proved it.
Zepeda surprised Prograis with his speed and quickness in the first round. Regis took over in the second and kept up his attack till the end.
The big difference between the two is that Zepeda doesn’t move his head while Regis moves his body and head continuously. He’s also got a great chin. Zepeda gave a spirited effort and demonstrated his toughness but Prograis was just too much for him.
Taylor outworked Prograis in the middle rounds of their fight, which was the difference in the fight. Prograis needs to stay active in each round and let his hands go often if they ever do meet in a rematch. Taylor looked ordinary in his fight against Catterall and may have seen his best days at 140 lbs. He may move up to welterweight sooner rather than later.
Regis is one of the best, if not the best 140 lb fighter today. I hope he gets big fights in the next couple of years so he can make some money. He deserves it.
Bullshit stoppage by referee, your supposed to count to ten and give the fighter a chance to get up not stop the fight just because the fighter gets knocked down, in the old days the ref would of gotten a beating and the crowd would of riot on a stoppage like that, inexperienced ref. Xander Zayas knocks out this chump Regis .
You do see a lot of these stoppages without a count-agree that fighters should be given the chance to beat the count.
prograi goes without saying good good boxer but there are many beside the rematch of all people jack caterall vs taylor..
Well done Regis ! Great performance can’t wait to watch you fight again.
Congrats on the win Cajun. We know it’s you posting here. How are you feeling? I called you by TKO between mid to late rounds.
Progress took over
I was impressed with Prograis body and head movement, it made it difficult for Zepeda to punch him.