Kiryl Relikh vs Regis Prograis Preview April 27th
The World Boxing Super Series returns to action in Lafayette, Louisiana this Saturday, April 27th as Kiryl Relikh of Belarus puts his WBA World Super Junior Welterweight Title on the line against WBC Diamond Champion Regis Prograis of New Orleans in a unification match. Relikh defended his title in the Super Series last October when he beat Eduard Troyanovsky by unanimous decision. Prograis also defended his belt in October with a unanimous decision over former world champion Terry Flanagan. The bout will be broadcast live on DAZN in North America and on Sky TV in the UK.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Relikh vs Prograis Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Kiryl Relikh +698
- Regis Prograis -1023
My Pick
Relikh won the vacant title in March of 2018 by beating Rances Barthelemy via unanimous decision in a rematch of their fight 10 months earlier which saw Barthelemy take a unanimous decision. The 29-year-old Relikh will climb into the ring with a record of 23-2 along with 19 Kos. He’s just over 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 67.5-inch reach and is definitely a heavy puncher with a knockout ratio of 76 per cent. In addition, his stoppage wins usually don’t last very long as he’s fought just 109 rounds since turning pro back in 2011.
However, he’s gone the distance in his last four contests. He’s fought a few times in western Europe, including a couple of times in the UK, but his earlier opponents are basically unknown by the average boxing fan. Relikh stepped up in class in October, 2016 when he took on WBA Super Lightweight Champion Ricky Burns and lost a unanimous decision. He then lost his second bout in a row and second of his career when Barthelemy decisioned him. But he avenged that loss and took the title in his next fight.
Relikh likes to put the pressure on his opponents and move forward. He’s also a boxer who likes to work his opponents’ body. He’s got a pretty solid chin, but has been dropped before as Barthelemy had him down in their first fight. As for Prograis, he has a perfect record of 23-0 with 19 Kos. The 30-year-old won the interim WBC Super Lightweight Title when he stopped Julius Indongo in the second round in March, 2018 and then defended it against Juan Velasco with an eighth-round stoppage.
He had a fine amateur career and has also won the NABF Junior Super Lightweight Title and NABF Super Lightweight crown since turning pro in 2012 and has boxed a total of 92 rounds since then. Prograis stands 5-feet-8-inches tall and possesses a 67-inch reach which puts him about an inch shorter than Relikh with basically the same reach. The most noticeable thing about Prograis is obviously his 19 knockouts Kos in his 23 victories and that translates into a current knockout ratio of 83 per cent.
The southpaw is a dangerous puncher who isn’t really interested in hearing what the judges have to say about his fights. Along with beating Indongo and Velasco, Prograis also has victories over the likes of Joel Diaz Jr., Luis Eduardo Florez, Aaron Herrera, Abel Ramos and Hector Velazquez. He certainly hasn’t been taking on a steady stream of top contenders, but did step up in class in his last few fights and will be doing so again against Relikh.
Prediction…
Both boxers have good power, but it hasn’t been evident lately. There’s a chance this fight goes the distance and if it does it should be relatively close with Prograis having the slight edge in boxing skills. It might not be the most exciting fight of the year unless they decide to swing for the fences. I’ll go with Prograis in a close contest.
Prograis a bit stronger and quicker.
Play: Prograis -1023 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Kiryl Relikh betting • Regis Prograis betting