FIGHT PREVIEW: REGIS PROGRAIS VS. JOSE "CHON" ZEPEDA
Forgive me father, for I have sinned. This is my confession.
I’ve been down on the sport of boxing lately. The politics and bullshit have never
been more glaring than present time. The inability to finalize Spence vs Crawford
crossed over to mainstream news outlets and had me reeling as if I’d just received
a Miguel Cotto liver punch! (Salud Manny!)
(Also, hate to break it to you, the Tank Davis vs Ryan Garcia fight has about as
much chance as you do being Gisele Bundchens rebound guy.)
So while the sport of boxing continues to shoot itself in the foot, every so often,
the stars align to deliver hardcore boxing fans a GEM! On November 26 th , the
highly anticipated WBC Super Lightweight Championship fight, between #1
Ranked Jose ‘Chon’ Zepeda (35-2, 27 KOs) and #2 Ranked Regis ‘Rougarou’
Prograis (27-1, 23 KO’s, will take place live from ‘The War Grounds’, Dignity Health
Sports Park in Carson, CA.
A GEM!!!
But before we get there, lets take a good hard look at both fighters. Ladies and
gentlemen, the return of:
The Fighters Meeting!!
Jose “Chon” Zepeda
From: Long Beach, California
Record: 35-2 with 27 KO’s Height: 5’8’’
Reach: 70.5” Stance: Southpaw
STRENGTHS
LEFT HOOK: Zepedas biggest strength is his left hook! Any variation of it.
To the body, to the head but also LETHAL as a counter punch. The counter
left hook is what got him back in the fight against Baranchyk and was also
the punch that eventually finished him.
TEXTBOOK: When people say “work off the jab” that’s Zepeda. Jabs, then
throws a cross. Jabs then uppercut. Jabs then body shot. Textbook
definition of working off the jab.
TRAP SETTER: Sets great traps! Ask Josue Vargas. Will sit back and look
to counter or will throw a feeler bait jab and follow it up with the overhand
left. Also set a good trap that finished Baranchyk.
Heart: All you need to see, is his fight against Baranchyk. Zepeda will not
be an easy out. He has that Mexican style coursing through his veins!
When hit, he immediately wants to return fire!
WEAKNESSES
Guard After Punching: MAJOR HOLE!
Zepeda tends to pull straight back with his hands extended. Big no no!! Not only
that, but he has a bad habit of throwing his jab then keeping it low. That made his
fight vs Hank Lundy much harder than it needed to be. Took a lot of unnecessary
left hands from Hank Lundy. Not ideal when up against a talent such as Regis.
DEFENDING THE LEFT HOOK: Baranchyk landed the left hook almost
immediately! As soon as the bell rang! Baranchyk landed 3 of them before
he connected on a right hand that dropped Zepeda. It was the left hands
that scored the damage. He beat the count but ate two more left hands and
suffered another knockdown. HE HAS TO BRING HIS RIGHT HAND UP
AFTER JABBING!
STATIONARY TARGET: Zepeda has very little head and hip movement.
From the feet up to the waist he’s good. Solid footwork. But his hips and
head stay much too stationary for my liking. Also has a horrible habit of
walking back when he should tie up. Big no no against heavy punchers.
Sometimes when the exchanges start and Zepeda puts himself out of
position. He’ll walk backwards instead of tying up.
Regis “Rougarou” Prograis
From: New Orleans, Louisiana
Record: 27-1 with 23 KO’s Height: 5’8’’
Reach: 67” Stance: Southpaw
STRENGTHS
FAMILIARITY: Regis has plenty of experience against fellow Southpaws. Zepeda
will be his 4 th out of his last 5 fights against a southpaw. (McKenna, Redkach and
Josh Taylor)
Versatile: Regis has multiple styles of fighting. He can be aggressive like he was
against McKenna or a cautious boxer-puncher like when he fought Redkach. Regis
possesses a vast array of fighting styles.
DEFENSE: Incredible defense! Very high guard. Hip and head movement in sync.
Great anticipation of incoming punches. Mongoose style.
FAST AND POWERFUL: Very fast hands. Every punch is quick. Jab is
blazing. Hooks are lazers. Uppercuts are rockets! Also has dynamite power
in both hands! Regis has 23 knockouts in 27 fights. His power is
dangerous!
COMBINATION PUNCHER: What makes Regis a nightmare, is that on top of
his fast hands and power, he’s also a great combination puncher. Once Regis
starts feeling himself, the punches come in bunches!
WEAKNESSES
PRESSURE:
Bully the Bully!!! Regis is extremely uncomfortable when being pressured or
fighting on the inside. Josh Taylor won the fight by basically standing in front of
Regis and fighting inside. Roughing Regis up. McKenna had his best round in the
5th when he let his hands go and turned it into a phone booth fight. After that
Prograis decided to fight off the back foot in Round 6.
DEFENDING THE JAB:
Josh Taylors long stiff jab gave Regis fits. Yes, Josh Taylor was an undisputed
champion, but Zepeda is world class himself! Taylor has a 69.5” reach. Zepeda has
an even longer reach at 70.5”!! Zepeda like Taylor works off the jab incredibly
well. If Zepedas jab is on point, Regis might have to resort to Plan B sooner than
later.
COUNTER PUNCHING:
For someone as well rounded as Regis, it was surprising to notice that his counter
punching leaves a lot to be desired. Below average. In his defense, the man has 23
knockouts out of 27 fights so not a lot of need to counter punch. But at the elite
world class level, every aspect counts. Zepeda is a very good counter puncher!
Zepeda wins if: He jabs, jabs and jabs some more. Take a page from Josh
Taylor. Use that long reach to keep Regis at bay. Once the jab is established work
off it. Mix it up inside every now and then. Tie up and reset. Work the body to
take away some of Regis mobility. Don’t get lazy on defense. Bank some rounds in
the bag and head back to the jab. Force Regis to take risks. He may be susceptible
to a counter left hook.
Regis wins if: He lands the overhand left early. Force Zepeda to prove he can
defend it. Unlike in his previous fights. Stay elusive defensively throughout the
duration with the constant head and hip movement. Regis can comfortably box
his way to a victory if he avoids any traps Zepeda sets.
THE PICK:
I’ll always keep it real. My mind and my wallet say bet on Regis Prograis to win by
knockout. BUT…. Being the proud and loyal Mexican-American, I will always ride
with La Raza. Make no mistake about it, Zepeda CAN win this fight, he just has to
try a little harder than Regis does.
Zepeda by Majority Decision.
Viva Mexico!
Article Written By:
Hopper Dominguez
@ManuelDStayTru on Twitter
@ghopper12 on Instagram