Three Punch Combo: Two Fighters Poised for a Rebound, Friday Fireworks and More

THREE PUNCH COMBO — Often times in boxing we see fighters learn more from their first loss than any of their previous victories. This just proved to be the case once again when we saw Anthony Joshua execute a smart, calculated strategy in out-boxing Andy Ruiz Jr. Joshua not only avenged his loss to Ruiz but added more dimensions to his game which will only help him down the road.

With this in mind, here’s a look at two fighters coming off losses in 2019 who are poised to rebound in 2020.

Regis Prograis (24-1, 20 KO’s)

Prograis is the most obvious name to have a bounce-back year. Before his twelve round decision loss to Josh Taylor in the WBSS 140-pound finals in October, Prograis was considered by many to be the top talent at 140 and on the cusp of entering the top 10 pound for pound rankings.

Prograis is immensely talented. He has that rare gift of possessing both blazing fast hands and one punch power in both fists. On his way up the ladder, he was overwhelming quality opponents with this rare gift of speed and power. It is easy to see why he was considered the favorite when he entered the eight-man 140-pound WBSS tournament.

So, what happened against Taylor? For one, Prograis found himself in a fight for the first time in his career. And he responded like a fighter. But that may have been a mistake. Prograis’ best chance to beat Taylor would have been to use his legs and speed advantage fighting from the outside. Instead, he often stood in the pocket and gave Taylor, a strong fighter, ample opportunities to land.

Prograis will learn from this and become a better overall boxer. Look for him to return sometime in the first half of 2020 with what will probably be a confidence-building fight. Keep in mind he is more or less a television network free agent and this should help him secure a big fight toward the end of 2020. I suspect that when Prograis does land that big fight we see a much-improved version from what we saw against Taylor.

Oscar Rivas (26-1, 18 KO’s)

Rivas started the year with a bang with an upset knockout victory against heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings. That win secured him a bigger showdown against one of the division’s top contenders in Dillian Whyte. Though Rivas fell short, there is plenty of optimism for him entering 2020.

Rivas is a strong, heavy-handed heavyweight with some athleticism. He is a pressure fighter but not a volume puncher. In his fight against Jennings, Rivas nearly got out-hustled by an opponent who also is not a volume puncher. But Rivas rescued that fight in the twelfth round when he came out firing and showed just what he can do when he moves his hands with a little frequency.

It was a similar story against Whyte. Rivas was out-hustled for the most part but once again almost rallied for a knockout win. But this time, he wasn’t able to finish his opponent and suffered the first setback of his career.

I believe Rivas came into the Whyte fight believing that his pressure would wear down Whyte late, much as it did Jennings. Rivas figured he wouldn’t have to throw much early and just save his energy for the knockout flurry.

Going forward, I suspect we see Rivas start moving his hands with more frequency early in fights while continuing with the pressure style. He is going to learn from this loss to Whyte that he needs to be more active. And by doing so, he is going to become one dangerous heavyweight to deal with in 2020.

Under The Radar Fight

On Friday there is a fight on the docket that I think has the potential to be a late entrant for Fight of the Year.

As part of the DAZN card from Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ that will be headlined by Daniel Jacobs (35-3, 29 KO’s) vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (51-3-1, 33 KO’s) we will see a battle for the recently vacated WBC flyweight title between Mexico’s Julio Cesar Martinez (14-1, 11 KO’s) and Nicaragua’s Cristofer Rosales (29-4, 20 KO’s). Given the styles of these two combatants, fireworks are basically guaranteed.

Martinez is coming off a controversial no-contest in August when he challenged then WBC flyweight champion Charlie Edwards. Martinez was completely dominant in that fight and seemed on his way to a knockout victory. But when a hurting Edwards took a knee in round three, Martinez hit him while down with a vicious body shot. Edwards was unable to continue and after much discussion the fight was ruled a no-contest.

Martinez knows only one way to fight and that is coming forward applying pressure while winging away with power shots. And he will throw punches in heavy volume. He just doesn’t seem to care about defense and is more than willing to take a few shots to get in his own.

Rosales is a former WBC flyweight champion who lost his title by twelve round unanimous decision to the aforementioned Edwards last December. After a bounce-back knockout win against journeyman Eliecer Quezada in August, Rosales looks to regain his flyweight title belt.

Rosales, a natural boxer-puncher who will look to work combinations behind the left jab, has a few more dimensions to his game than Martinez. But like Martinez, he is a volume puncher who will not hesitate to let those combinations fly. In addition, Rosales, like Martinez, is not afraid to exchange with his opponents, and when he does he will stand straight up on the inside making him an inviting target to hit.

As far as how this fight will play out, well it is not rocket science. We have two heavy handed, high volume punchers who are not afraid to let their hands go and not afraid to get in exchanges even if it means they will get hit a lot. Yeah, this is going to be fun to watch.

What’s Next For Michael Conlan?

After securing his revenge victory over former amateur nemesis Vladimir Nikitin (3-1) with a wide ten round decision, rising featherweight contender Michael Conlan (13-0, 7 KO’s) was tightlipped about his immediate future. Assuming the cut he sustained in this fight heals in time, it is logical to assume he will be back in the ring sometime around St. Patrick’s Day. But who will his promoter Top Rank match him against?

Conlan is clearly being moved towards a featherweight title shot either towards the end of 2020 or the first part of 2021. He is ranked number 1 by the WBO, but I don’t think Top Rank will be putting him in the ring anytime soon with that organization’s champion, Shakur Stevenson.

Instead, I suspect Top Rank may angle for Conlan to get a shot at a WBA belt at featherweight. Conlan is currently ranked third by that organization. And just below him in the WBA rankings is a former featherweight belt-holder in Jesus Rojas (27-3-2, 20 KO’s). I suspect this will be Conlan’s next opponent.

Rojas is a come forward, pressure fighter, but he is not overly athletic, is not an especially big puncher, and defensively he is very flawed. Basically, he is the perfect opponent for Conlan to shine against while vaulting up higher in the rankings toward that eventual title shot.

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