Taylor defeats Prograis-unifes 140 belts
The main event in the o2 Arena didn’t disappoint at all as Josh Taylor wins a terrific contest by majority decision over Regis Prograis Saturday night to unify the IBF and WBA Super Lightweight titles.
The scoring by the three judges was 114-114 even, and 115-113, 117-112, in favor of Taylor, who also to claim the straps is the winner of the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the World Boxing Super Series Final at 140 pounds.
This fight was one that was the most anticipated by a lot of boxing fans, and the sold-out backdrop of London for the stage was a good one. It had intense back and forth throughout the match, with Taylor being able to land more effective shots throughout most of the fight, while Prograis was able to get inside early and do the same.
In the end, the judges favored the boxing of Taylor over the shots and aggression of Prograis.
Scorecards: 114-114, 115-113, 117-112 to the winner by majority decision… @JoshTaylorBoxer! ????????
? IBF
? WBA
? Ring Magazine
? @WBSuperSeriesSuper-Lightweight King ?#PrograisTaylor #AliTrophy pic.twitter.com/RoFR2SEm8l
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) October 26, 2019
The turning point in this fight that was closer on the scorecards than what the broadcasters calling it had, was the fact that many swing rounds could’ve gone to either fighter . In this case, they swung for Taylor.
Taylor, now 16-0, speaking after the fight shown the effects of a fierce battle as his right eye had a cut and was completely shut.
“I believe so yeah,” Taylor said to Sky Sports in response to his putting out his best performance. “I mean that was a walk in the park, wasn’t it?” he added jokingly, showing the effects of a punishing match against Prograis.
“Ramirez, where you at? Let’s do it!” Taylor said after the fight in response to a unification bout with the belt holder of the 140-pound belts.
Prograis losing for the first time (24-1) was humble in defeat and was looking forward to a possible rematch.
“The better man won tonight, so that’s cool,” Prograis said in gracious defeat.
We’ll see where Taylor goes from here, but a match up for all the belts with Ramirez would be one to mark on the calendar when it happens.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
