By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten WBC Interim Super Lightweight Champion Regis Prograis of Houston, Texas will be taking on undefeated Juan Jose Velasco of Argentina in his adopted hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana this Saturday, July 14th. The 12-round bout can be seen live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes in the U.S. While fans in Canada can catch the live action on TSN 5. Prograis, a southpaw, won the interim title by stopping Julius Indongo of Namibia in the second round back in March while Velasco last fought in May and stopped Jorge Martin Garcia in the second round.
The 29-year-old Prograis looked impressive when stopping Indongo a few months ago and Joel Diaz in the second round last summer and has made a name for himself because of it. He’ll climb into the ring with a perfect record of 21-0 with 18 big Kos to his name. He had a fine amateur career and has also won the NABF Junior Super Lightweight Title and NABF Super Lightweight crown since turning pro in 2012. He’s also fought a total of 72 rounds since then. Prograis stands 5-feet-8-inches tall and possesses a 67-inch reach.
The most noticeable stat about Prograis is obviously his 18 Kos in 20 wins and that translates into a current knockout ratio of 86 per cent. He’s a dangerous puncher who isn’t really interested in hearing what the judges have to say about his fights. Along with beating Indongo and Diaz, Prograis also has victories over the likes of Luis Eduardo Florez, Aaron Herrera, Abel Ramos and Hector Velazquez. He certainly hasn’t been taking on a steady stream of top contenders, but dis step up in class in his last two fights.
The 31-year-old Velasco also owns a perfect record as he enters the bout with a mark of 20-0 along with 12 Kos. He also has pretty good power as he possesses a current knockout ratio of 60 per cent. He turned pro back in 2014 and has boxed exactly 100 rounds since then. Both his height and reach are unlisted, so we’re not sure exactly how he stacks up to Prograis in size. He’s scored numerous knockdowns along with his knockouts, so certainly appears to have enough power to give Prograis some problems if he lands something solid on his chin.
Velasco has fought the majority of his pro career in his homeland of Argentina and has won a couple of regional titles along the way. He’ll be stepping up in class against Prograis as most fans won’t recognize anybody on his list of opponents. In fact, just seven of the 20 men he’s faced so far have entered the ring with winning records. However, at the age of 31, it’s time Velasco started taking on some tougher foes if he hopes to become a world champion someday.
Prediction…
Velasco has a puncher’s chance here as he has pretty good power, but he’ll also need a solid chin if he hopes to handle Prograis’ best shots. Velasco’s lack of experience against solid opponents will also likely hurt him here. I’m expecting Prograis to retain his interim title here, but it could be an exciting fight while it lasts.
