Patience pays off for Regis Prograis and Jose Zepeda

Be patient, they say.

Regis Prograis was, and finally, his patience is paying off.

On November 26th at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA, Prograis will fight Jose Zepeda for the vacant WBC junior welterweight title.

Three years ago, Prograis, then the WBA junior welterweight titleholder, dropped a hard-fought decision to Josh Taylor in the World Boxing Super Six finals.

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The bout started fast. Taylor landed a sweet combination to win the round. Prograis worked the body in round two but ate many jabs thrown by the taller Taylor. Prograis landed an uppercut but paid for it.

Taylor, the taller fighter by a couple of inches, lined him up with lefts up and down. The back-and-forth action went on for the next ten rounds. Taylor was accurate and busy, while Prograis landed the harder punches. Taylor dominated portions of the middle rounds, while Prograis rallied late. Check out the best boxing betting sites.

Taylor won the fight by majority decision. Prograis asked for a rematch. Taylor said he’d give him one.

Prograis was still waiting – when his already announced fight with Zepeda became a world title contest. One would have figured a title fight would have happened sooner, but cancellations and managerial issues had sidetracked Prograis. He stayed sharp by knocking out Tyrone McKenna and Ivan Redkach.

Zepeda has two losses on his record, both in world title contests.

The 33-year-old almost retired after seemingly losing his confidence.

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In 2020, Zepeda went to hell and back with Ivan Baranchyk. The southpaw slugger rose from the canvas four times to end matters in round five by emphatically knocking Baranchyk out.

“Both of us are in our prime,” said Zepeda several weeks ago at a press conference announcing his fight with Prograis. “This is number one vs. number two fighters in the division. Both of us have a lot of knockouts, true punching power. I’m getting ready for hell because I know it’s going to be that type of fight.”

A fired-up Zepeda flattened over confident Josue Vargas last October. Vargas had called out Zepeda on social media, suggesting he had lost a step.

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“Zepeda’s a real good fighter and I already know what he’s coming with,” said Prograis. “This is a dream come true for me because I wanted to stay at one hundred forty pounds and become a two-time world champion. My last three fights were against ‘okay’ opposition, but this is the fight to show that I’m elite. He’s a killer and I give him all the respect, but I’m going to do my thing on November twenty-six.”

“There’s not a lot of need for trash talk between us,” Zepeda said. ” We’ve both done our work in the ring, and boxing fans know what type of fight to expect.”

Both fighters pack dynamite in their fists. Prograis has starched 23 opponents, while Zepeda has sent 27 to sleep. Prograis appears to have a better chin, but Zepeda showed tremendous resiliency against Baranchyk.

The latest odds have Prograis as a slight favorite.

Good things come to those who wait.