Regis Prograis Survives War with Joseph Diaz Jr. in Potential Fight of the Year
Regis Prograis may have entered Saturday night’s bout as a heavy favorite, but Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. gave him all he could handle—and then some.
In what’s already being called a possible Fight of the Year, the 36-year-old former champion from New Orleans started the match with steady jabs and body shots, controlling distance early. But Diaz found his moment in the first round, landing a sharp uppercut and a follow-up left that sent Prograis staggering. With the crowd on their feet, Diaz poured on the pressure, landing 29 power punches in that round alone. Prograis, hurt and reeling, held on until the bell.
“Once you get that first punch, it wakes you up,” Prograis said post-fight. “That’s what happened.”
Still shaky to start the second, Prograis used his jab to stay afloat. But once again, Diaz found a gap in a clinch and caught him, leaving the New Orleans fighter wobbling by the end of the round.
Prograis began regaining control in the third, snapping Diaz’s head back with clean jabs. But Diaz kept pressing, landing hard lefts upstairs and showing grit despite taking shots to the body.
In the fourth, the two traded punches at a furious pace. A head clash caused a cut under Diaz’s left eye, which was ruled accidental. The ringside doctor allowed the fight to continue, and neither man let up.
Prograis found a rhythm in the fifth, landing flush shots and opening up the cut even more, but also dropped his hands at times—leaving himself open for Diaz’s counter lefts.
In the sixth, Prograis looked sharp early with crisp combos, but Diaz stormed back, landing a counter left and a big right that rocked Prograis again. The crowd in Chicago responded with roaring energy as the round ended in a wild exchange.
The later rounds stayed just as intense. Both men landed clean shots—Prograis with his jab and straight lefts, Diaz with hooks to the head and body. Diaz’s face was bloodied, Prograis looked tired, but neither backed down.
By the ninth, Diaz landed several clean right hooks, and Prograis answered with his jab, both digging deep into whatever they had left. It felt like both fighters were tapping into their younger selves.
They closed strong in the 10th, with Prograis pumping his jab and Diaz swinging big lefts and rights. Though Diaz didn’t have the power to put Prograis away, he proved he still belongs on the big stage.
“JoJo was way tougher than I thought,” Prograis admitted. “Man, JoJo is for real.”
Diaz, now 34-8 (15 KOs), may not have pulled off the upset, but his performance was one of his best in years.
