by Cliff Rold

A lot of people think they already know where the final is headed at 140 lb. for the World Boxing Super Series.

Regis Prograis-Josh Taylor feels like the destination, but the road hasn’t been traveled yet. Prograis heads into the semi-final leg in pursuit of his first major title as a professional. Defending WBA titlist Kiryl Relikh isn’t going to make it easy.

He’ll be there to win too. It’s all he’s ever done even if luck wasn’t always on his side. 

Relikh hasn’t been anyone’s easy out. In his first title shot, he was much closer than the official scores to upsetting Ricky Burns in Scotland. In his next fight, a second loss in a row, Relikh got the short end of a hotly disputed decision against Rances Barthelemy. He responded by dominating the Cuban in the rematch to win the title he’ll carry into Louisiana on Saturday (DAZN, 8 PM EST).

Let’s get into it.

Stats and Stakes

Regis Prograis

Age: 30

Title/Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’8

Weight: 139 ¾ lbs.

Stance: Southpaw

Hails from: New Orleans, Louisiana

Record: 23-0, 19 KO

Rankings: #1 (TBRB, Ring), #2 (ESPN, Boxing Monthly, BoxRec)

Record in Major Title Fights: 1sttitle opportunity (1-0, 1 KO in interim title fights)

Last Five Opponents: 98-8 (.925)

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: Julius Indongo TKO2; Terry Flanagan UD12

Vs.

Kiryl Relikh

Age: 29

Titles: WBA Super Lightweight (2018-Present, 1 Defense)

Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’9 ½

Weight: 140 lbs.

Stance: Orthodox

Hails from: Minsk, Belarus

Record: 23-2, 19 KO

Rankings: #4 (TBRB, Ring), #5 (ESPN, Boxing Monthly), #10 (BoxRec)

Record in Major Title Fights: 2-1

Last Five Opponents: 141-13-1 (.913)

Current/Former World Champions Faced: Ricky Burns L12; Rances Barthelemy L12, UD12; Eduard Troyanovsky UD12

The Pick: Going with the short form, let’s skip straight to the pick. This is far from a forgone conclusion. Relikh fights hard and brings some heavy hands together in combination. He’s not as quick or athletic as Prograis but he is probably the most dangerous professional the home state challenger has faced to date. If Relikh can get home some of the awkward lead lefts he sometimes throws, and force Prograis to the ropes, this could be close. The feeling though is Prograis is a little too slick and quick and he’ll make Relikh pay when he misses. Relikh is the sort of fighter Prograis will be better for having faced after what should be at least a clear decision win. 

Additional Picks

Nonito Donaire Dec. Stephon Young

Robert Easter Dec. Rances Barthelemy

Rold Picks 2019: 21-8 (including Estrada-Sor Rungvisai and Roman-Doheny)

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com