Josh Taylor (16-0) is the new unified champion in the super lightweight division, following his Saturday night victory over Regis Prograis (24-1).
The WBA “Super” and IBF champ defeated his American rival via MD (117-112, 115-113 and 114-114), as there were a lot of fans and pundits saying that Taylor got the home treatment.
The refs reaction to the last judges score 😂😂😂 #PrograisTaylor pic.twitter.com/scrKNVXrTx
— Mike Hill (@Mike_Wolf23) October 26, 2019
The fight was also a World Boxing Super Series final in the super-lightweight tournament and Scottish fighter claimed his first-ever Muhammed Ali trophy.
The fight took place at the O2 Arena in London, as the majority of fans were, of course, backing the 28-year-old Taylor. It was a pretty solid fight from start to finish. “The Tartan Tornado” was the one dictating the pace of the fight, as he was clearly the better fighter from round 3 to 7. His jab was working perfectly, as Prograis was obviously too concerned with the straight left hand that the southpaw Brit was launching.
The 30-year-old Prograis finished the fight much better, but according to two of the judges it was too little, too late. Prograis started to look for the openings in Taylor’s defense and landed some brutal left hooks that shut down Taylor’s eye. The American was also targeting the body on the inside and Taylor was the one moving back in the last 4 rounds.
Still, it was probably the right choice to give the victory to Taylor, but one thing is clear – a rematch is absolutely needed. Both boxers demonstrated they’re not afraid to get hit and to stand tall, as both southpaws drastically elevated their names in the P4P rankings.
