Prograis Drops, Wins Split Decision Against Zorrilla

Regis Prograis (29-1, 24 KOs) successfully defended his WBC super lightweight title by dropping and claiming a split decision against Danielito Zorrilla (17-2, 13 KOs). The bout headlined the Matchroom Boxing card held at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. One judge scored the contest 114-113 for Zorrilla. The other two judges scored the bout 118-109 and 117-110 for Prograis. It was a fight where despite a knockdown in round three, not much else happened.

AND STILL 🥇

Regis Prograis defeats Danielito Zorrilla via SD and successfully defends his title 💪#PrograisZorrilla pic.twitter.com/8LXJDnadZF

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) June 18, 2023

Originally, Prograis was meant to face Australia’s Liam Paro. With a month to go before fight night, Paro had to pull out due to an injury. A new opponent was sought for Prograis with some believing that Arnold Barboza Jr. would get the call. When that fight could not be worked out, Zorrilla wound up receiving the call.

Prograis vs. Zorrilla recap

In the first round, both fighters fought with caution. However, they began trading shots in the final 30 seconds. Zorrilla arguably scored a knockdown but it was ruled a slip after both men fell to the canvas.

Round two saw both fighters continuing to exert caution. For most of the bout, Zorrilla remained on the backfoot while Prograis would push forward, but not very aggressively.

With two minutes remaining in the third round, Prograis dropped Zorrilla. Prograis aggressively pursued Zorrilla, landing hard shots to the body. Despite this, Zorrilla was able to remain on his feet and see out the round.

Following the knockdown, not much of significance was landed by either man. Zorrilla remained on the backfoot for almost the entire fight and was not very active. Aside from the knockdown, Prograis struggled to find his range despite pressing forward.

When the final bell rang, both men celebrated as though they won. Nevertheless, it was Prograis who had his hand raised in the end as he claimed a split decision victory over Zorrilla.

“He ran around the whole time…he tried to survive and it was kinda hard to get to him,” Prograis said to DAZN after the bout. “When you come back for hometown (New Orleans) fights, it makes you so nervous. In my hotel room I was nervous. Normally, I stay in my hotel room the whole time, but this time I went out. The hometown fights are the worst.”

Focus will now turn towards who Prograis may face next. Bill Haney was in attendance and with his son, undisputed 135 lb. champ Devin Haney now a promotional free agent, a fight between the two would not be hard to organize. The next few months should provide clarity as to the direction in which Prograis’ career will head.