Regis Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) lucked out with the scoring on Saturday night, winning a questionable 10-round unanimous decision over Joseph “JoJo” Diaz (34-7, 15 KOs) in a welterweight fight in Chicago, Illinois.
(Credit: Golden Boy/Cris Esqueda)
Prograis, 36, could have easily lost the fight, as the former IBF 130-lb champion Diaz had him hurt on six of the 10 rounds. That should have been enough for ‘JoJo’ to win a decision, but not with the judges working the fight. They gave it to Regis by the scores 98-92, 96-94, and 96-94.
In round four, Diaz suffered a cut over his left eye from a clash of heads. The referee frequently had the ringside doctor examining Diaz’s cut before the start of the rounds, despite it not looking like a bad one. The amount of blood was what had the referee so concerned.
Diaz was fortunate not to be penalized a point in round four when he hit Prograis while he was down after he’d slipped on the canvas.
Prograis Needs Improvement After Win
“He’s real tough, and he came to fight. We went 10 rounds — 10 hard rounds — and that’s something I definitely needed in my bag,” said Prograis.
I doubt that Prograis is serious about needing to absorb the amount of punishment that he sustained against a fighter who isn’t a serious puncher. Diaz started his career at 126, and he’s not carried his power up to 140. Prograis’ punch resistance has abandoned him in his last three fights now.
“For me, I want to get back to being a champion. I want the big money. Big money or a world championship — that’s what I want next,” said Prograis.
The way that Prograis fought tonight, he’s not going to beat any of the champions in the light welterweight division. If that’s the division he’s going to be fighting in, he’s not going to win the belt against any of the champions.