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Prograis vs Taylor: Both fighters feel they have style advantage

The two 140-pound titleholders clash on Oct. 26.

Muhammad Ali Trophy Semi-Finals - World Boxing Super Series Fight Night Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images
Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

Scotland’s Josh Taylor is just under three weeks away from his 140-pound showdown with Regis Prograis, which is a title unification and the finals of the World Boxing Super Series tournament, live on DAZN from London.

Taylor (15-0, 12 KO) believes that his his size advantage will be part of what tells the story on Oct. 26:

“This fight proves who the true No. 1 is. I believe it is myself, he believes it is him. I do believe we are the two best in the division. He likes to blow smoke up his own behind, and believe his own hype. I let him do his talking. I do my talking in the ring, so we’ll see on the night. I am too big for him, too tall for him, too quick for him. Size will be a telling factor in this fight.”

Taylor, 28, will have some advantages physically against Prograis (24-0, 20 KO). He’s taller, at 5’10” to Prograis’ 5’8”, and he’s got a slightly longer reach, 69½” to Prograis’ 67”. Or at least those are the official listed measurements for the two.

Prograis, 30, believes his style — and ability to fight in different ways — will give him the edge:

“I’m super-confident, there’s no way he can beat me, it’s not being cocky or arrogant, it’s just how I feel. All his 15 fights look the same, all mine look different. My style will prove to be the better one, I can do so many different things and he does get hit a lot.”

Both guys have a reasonable enough stance here, really, and speaking of stances, they’re also both southpaws, so that won’t be the advantage it sometimes can be for a high-level fighter.

Prograis is bringing the WBA belt and Taylor the IBF. It figures to be a good fight along with being significant, and is one of the best on the schedule right now. At worst, it’s No. 2 vs No. 3 in a very good division, and that’s if you’re in the minority that consider WBC/WBO titleholder Jose Ramirez the true No. 1 guy in the division right now.

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