LAFAYETTE, La. -- Boxing fans love tournaments. They force certain fights to happen and when there are multiple title holders in a tournament they force unification bouts. In an era where it seems like the best rarely fight the best, tournaments are a welcomed change. In the cruiserweight division the World Boxing Super Series crowned an undisputed champion in Oleksandr Usyk. While the current junior welterweight version of the tournament won't crown an undisputed champion, it will clear things up as to who is the best in the division. On April 27, streaming live on DAZN, WBA champion Kiryl Relikh will take on Regis Prograis with the winner heading to the WBSS finals against the winner of the fight between IBF champion Ivan Baranchyk and challenger Josh Taylor.
Relikh (23-2, 19 KOs) has a nice up and down jab and he loves to feint. At times those feints serve him well but at other times they seem meaningless and half-hearted. Relikh is interesting in that he's like a pitcher who is great at changing speeds. At times he will throw slow, lazy looking punches only to crank up the speed and land a few hard power shots. On the inside he really lets to let his left hook and right hand go and will dig both to the body. On the outside he isn't as busy but his skills and patience can frustrate opponents.
Most of Relikh's fights have taken place in the Belarus city of Minsk. Minsk isn't exactly a hotbed of boxing and is probably best known as the place where Hank Azaria's character on Friends moved to for work, leaving Phoebe heartbroken. Relikh didn't face many good opponents in Belarus and when he took his first true step up fight, against Ricky Burns, he lost. He followed up that loss with a loss to Rances Barthelemy but beat him in their rematch almost a year later. That win over Barthelemy and a win over Eduard Troyanovsky are really his only notable wins despite being the WBA champion. Prograis is a better fighter than Burns, Barthelemy, or Troyanovsky so this will be a very tough test for Relikh.
Most people recognize Prograis (23-0, 19 KOs) as the best junior welterweight in the sport. The southpaw works behind a crisp jab and can knock you out with either hand. Prograis has quick hands and top of his power and he puts his combinations together beautifully. He always seems to be in the proper position to land his power punches and does a nice job of altering his attack upstairs and to the body. Often Prograis will start breaking opponents down with right hooks and uppercuts, only to finish them with a dangerous left hand that explodes like a piston. Prograis is far from just a slugger though and has plenty of skills to go along with his heavy hands.
Prograis made a name for himself fighting on Showtime's prospect-heavy ShoBox: The New Generation. His last four opponents had a combined record of 98-2 and all Prograis did in those four fights was score three knockouts and one wide unanimous decision. Those wins came over Joel Diaz Jr., Julius Indongo, Juan Jose Velasco, and Terry Flanagan. He's currently recognized as the WBC Diamond champion and while that has a nice ring to it, it's Jose Ramirez who holds the WBC standard strap. Against Relikh, Prograis will be looking to move on to the finals of the WBSS and also pick up Relikh's WBA title belt.
Fans should see a nice mix of skills and power in this fight. Both Relikh and Prograis can box and punch, although it's Prograis who has the advantage in both categories. Look for Relikh to try and bother Prograis with his feinting and changing of speeds. While he could find some success with that early, he could be in trouble once Prograis figures him out. Prograis could spend the first few rounds getting used to Relikh's style before mounting a serious attack of his own. It wouldn't be shocking to see Prograis really take over in the middle rounds and start to put a hurting on the champion.
PREDICTION: Kiryl Relikh is a good fighter. He can box and he can punch but he doesn't do either of those things as well as Regis Prograis does. While Relikh has been dropped before he has never been stopped. That will change when he steps in the ring against Prograis and the challenger will get the job done via 10th round stoppage.
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| Relikh digging a shot to the body of Rances Barthelemy |
Most of Relikh's fights have taken place in the Belarus city of Minsk. Minsk isn't exactly a hotbed of boxing and is probably best known as the place where Hank Azaria's character on Friends moved to for work, leaving Phoebe heartbroken. Relikh didn't face many good opponents in Belarus and when he took his first true step up fight, against Ricky Burns, he lost. He followed up that loss with a loss to Rances Barthelemy but beat him in their rematch almost a year later. That win over Barthelemy and a win over Eduard Troyanovsky are really his only notable wins despite being the WBA champion. Prograis is a better fighter than Burns, Barthelemy, or Troyanovsky so this will be a very tough test for Relikh.
Most people recognize Prograis (23-0, 19 KOs) as the best junior welterweight in the sport. The southpaw works behind a crisp jab and can knock you out with either hand. Prograis has quick hands and top of his power and he puts his combinations together beautifully. He always seems to be in the proper position to land his power punches and does a nice job of altering his attack upstairs and to the body. Often Prograis will start breaking opponents down with right hooks and uppercuts, only to finish them with a dangerous left hand that explodes like a piston. Prograis is far from just a slugger though and has plenty of skills to go along with his heavy hands.
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| Prograis entering the ring in his familiar Rougarou mask |
Fans should see a nice mix of skills and power in this fight. Both Relikh and Prograis can box and punch, although it's Prograis who has the advantage in both categories. Look for Relikh to try and bother Prograis with his feinting and changing of speeds. While he could find some success with that early, he could be in trouble once Prograis figures him out. Prograis could spend the first few rounds getting used to Relikh's style before mounting a serious attack of his own. It wouldn't be shocking to see Prograis really take over in the middle rounds and start to put a hurting on the champion.
PREDICTION: Kiryl Relikh is a good fighter. He can box and he can punch but he doesn't do either of those things as well as Regis Prograis does. While Relikh has been dropped before he has never been stopped. That will change when he steps in the ring against Prograis and the challenger will get the job done via 10th round stoppage.
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