Was Julius Indongo that bad Saturday night on Showtime? Or was Regis Prograis that good?
As often is the case in a fight like this, where Prograis wiped out Indongo in two rounds, it’s a little of both, but probably more the former.
Indongo was coming off a knockout loss to the former junior welterweight king, Terence Crawford, and he looked like a guy who can’t take a punch anymore. His balance was terrible, and he was stumbling into the ropes off mere jabs repeatedly.
Now, they were nice jabs from Prograis. Give the kid credit: He showed no fear against an opponent who really just had punching power to offer, and Indongo was swinging for the fences. Prograis got something out of that, though, because he forced Indongo to neutralize some of his power by moving backwards. He also weakened Indongo with good body work.
In the 2nd round, Prograis decked Indongo three times with powerful left hands, and that was that.
The 140-pound division is a bit of a puzzle. Mikey Garcia is clearly the best fighter, but he’s only had one fight at junior welterweight. From there it’s harder to figure. But Prograis belongs near the top now, too, in a weight class where nobody’s carved out a clear place.
