Regis Prograis has a new promoter, a new plan and a new reason to feel optimistic. Part of that plan, of course, involves defending his junior welterweight title Saturday against a potentially dangerous puncher in Danielito Zorrilla, a necessity if Prograis wants to earn more lucrative fights in the future. Here’s everything you need to know about Regis Prograis vs. Danielito Zorrilla, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.
Prograis signed a three-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing last month, eschewing a more lucrative offer from Top Rank, and for a 140-pounder who’s had a difficult time lately landing important, career-defining matches, he said he feels optimistic about his current career trajectory.
A potential unification fight against the dangerous Subriel Matias is potentially on the horizon, and other names that could propel him forward include Jack Catterall, Rolly Romero or perhaps a rematch with Josh Taylor, the source of Prograis’ only career defeat.
For now, though, he’s put his attention on Zorrilla, who is a somewhat recent replacement for Prograis’ original opponent, Liam Paro.
“It’s not hard to focus because when you fight someone that people say is lesser than you, those are the dangerous fights and the hard ones,” he said. “You don’t know what they have got, and you need to perform against them. People do pull off upsets.
“I’m not looking past him, but you have in your mind that there’s massive fights out there. But I know that I won’t get to them unless I take care of my business on Saturday. So, until then, I don’t think about anyone else because you might not get there.”
The biggest moment of Zorrilla’s career came 11 months ago when he lost a unanimous decision to Arnold Barboza Jr. But Zorrilla has pop in his punches, and though Prograis has a good chin, Zorrilla wants to make sure that he takes his experiences from the Barboza fight into the matchup vs. Prograis.
“I consider him to be one of the best. I’m one of the best also, and we’re going to see what happens, what develops in this fight on Saturday night,” Zorilla told iFL TV. “I think, like any boxer, you learn from your mistakes, and this is no different. I’ve learned from my mistakes, and you’ll see what I’ve learned.”
Here’s more info on the Regis Prograis vs. Danielito Zorrilla showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on DAZN beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Regis Prograis vs. Danielito Zorrilla odds
Unsurprisingly, Prograis is the huge betting favorite at -1400 (bet $1,400 to win $100). Zorrilla, meanwhile, is the +800 underdog (win $800 on a $100 wager), so if you think Zorrilla would beat Prograis at least 12 times out of 100, there might be some value in his money line. There’s a good chance Prograis will win by stoppage, but if you want to take some risk for some value, I might go with Prograis to win by decision at +450. For what it’s worth, a Zorrilla win by decision, which seems more likely than a stoppage, is +2500.
Regis Prograis vs. Danielito Zorrilla records
After losing to Josh Taylor in 2019, Prograis’ next three opponents were mediocre at best, and it felt like it took him a long time to return to form. Last July, though, Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs) knocked out Jose Zepeda, clearly his best opponent since Taylor. Now, it feels like Prograis is unquestionably one of the top-three fighters at 140 pounds.
While Zorrilla (17-1, 13 KOs) lost his biggest fight to Barbosa, he has won five of his last seven by stoppage, including a second-round knockout of Pablo Cesar Cano, a two-time world title challenge and certainly the biggest name on his resume.
Regis Prograis vs. Danielito Zorrilla prediction
Though he only fought once in both 2020 and 2021, Prograis was twice as active in 2022, and his game should be on point. Zorrilla shouldn’t be super dangerous to Prograis, who will out-work and out-power his opponent. Prograis’ four-fight stoppage streak might come to an end, but he’ll have more than enough points to pick up the victory by decision, somewhere in the 118-110 range.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshkatzowitz/2023/06/17/regis-prograis-vs-danielito-zorrilla-odds-records-prediction/