Regis Prograis vs Jo Jo Diaz preview and prediction: Who has more left?
Careers are on the line
Regis Prograis vs Jo Jo Diaz will face off this Saturday in a loser-must-retire bout in Chicago.
Both former world champions, Prograis and Diaz, were once regarded as the top fighters in their respective weight divisions.
Prograis, a two-time super lightweight champion, held the WBA title in 2019 and the WBC strap from 2022 to 2023, besides challenging Josh Taylor in the final of the super six boxing series and losing a close majority decision.
Meanwhile, Diaz captured the IBF super featherweight championship after defeating Tevin Farmer via unanimous decision in 2020.
However, since reaching the pinnacle of professional boxing, both men have looked drastically past their best in the last few years.
Regis ‘Rougarou’ Prograis is coming off two consecutive losses to Devin Haney and Jack Catterall and a controversial split-decision win over Danielito Zorrilla, while Diaz has three losses in his last five fights, beating an obscure opponent in Jorge Luis Valencia Diaz in June.
Therefore, what would have been an enticing contest between two formidable fighters is now more of a fight to see who needs to hang up the gloves and who has what it takes to get another shot at the elite level.
Prograis, 34, is the naturally bigger man, having weighed in as high as 151 pounds before campaigning at 140 for the majority of his career.
The Louisiana native is also listed as the taller man at five foot eight, and with a knockout percentage of over 80%, it’s clear he is the bigger puncher, albeit not scoring a KO since 2022 in the eleventh round against Jose Zepeda.
Diaz, 32, has fought as low as 121 lbs and has never been a puncher, which is evident by his knockout percentage of 44 percent and the fact that he hasn’t won by stoppage since 2019 against Freddy Fonseca.
Nevertheless, Diaz has always been a skillful boxer, and it's possible he could outbox an aging Prograis to a decision.
Both men are Southpaws, but it's Diaz who is the slicker of the two with his head movements and ability to counterpunch.
Prograis, even in his prime, was not a masterful technician, yet he knew how to land his big left hand and let his hands go once his opponent was hurt.
Notably, Devin Haney is a common opponent for both, with Diaz proving more competitive than Prograis, who lost every round on the judge’s scorecards.
Regardless, Prograis is the bookies' strong favourite to emerge victorious, and his natural size and power could be the difference against the smaller Diaz.
Furthermore, despite being four years older than Diaz, Prograis has looked slightly fresher than Diaz in his last few bouts, especially after dropping Jack Catterall in the fifth round last October.
