Regis Prograis, Tim Tszyu set for ring returns

FIGHT WEEK

Regis Prograis will defend his 140-pound title towards Danielito Zorrilla on Saturday in New Orleans In the meantime, in Australia, Tim Tszyu will return towards Carlos Ocampo.

REGIS PROGRAIS (28-1, 24 KOs) vs. DANIELITO ZORRILLA (17-1, 13 KOs)

Date: Saturday, June 17
Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (most important occasion later in present)
The place: Smoothie King Heart, New Orleans
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Junior welterweight (140 kilos)
At stake: Prograis’ WBC title
Odds: Prograis 10-1 favourite (common of a number of shops)
Additionally on the cardboard: Shakhram Giyasov vs. Harold Calderon, welterweights; Justis Huni vs. Andrew Tabiti, heavyweights; Ramla Ali vs. Julissa Alejandra Guzman, junior featherweights
Prediction: Prograis UD
Background: The gifted Prograis misplaced his WBA 140-pound belt and appreciable momentum to Josh Taylor by a majority resolution in a title-unification bout in 2019 however rebounded to win his final 4 fights, together with an Eleventh-round knockout of Jose Zepeda to win the vacant WBC title in November. The 34-year-old from New Orleans might now be on a collision course with Teofimo Lopez, who outpointed Taylor to take the Scot’s WBO belt this previous Saturday. In fact, Prograis should get previous the unranked Zorrilla first. The 29-year-old Puerto Rican, an excellent boxer-puncher, delivered high quality victories over Ruslan Madiyev and Pablo Cesar Cano in 2021 however then misplaced a transparent resolution to unbeaten Arnold Barboza Jr. final July, stemming his momentum. He bounced again with a first-round knockout of journeyman Aristides Quintero in March. Prograis had been scheduled to face Liam Paro however Paro pulled out due to an harm just a few weeks in the past.

TIM TSZYU (22-0, 16 KOs) VS. CARLOS OCAMPO (35-2, 23 KOs)

Date: Saturday, June 17 (Sunday in Australia)
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (12 p.m. AEST) (most important occasion later in present)
The place: Gold Coast Conference Centre, Broadbeach, Australia
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Junior middleweight (154 kilos)
At stake: No main titles
Odds: Tszyu 6½-1 favourite (common of a number of shops)

Additionally on the cardboard: Ra’eese Aleem vs. Sam Goodman, junior featherweights; Justin Frost vs. Hassan Hamdan, junior welterweights
Prediction: Tszyu KO 9

Background: Tszyu hasn’t had the very best stretch of his profession. First, his Jan. 28 battle with undisputed 154-pound titleholder Jermell Charlo was postponed after Charlo broke his hand in sparring. And, second, he suffered a canine chew to his proper foreman just a few weeks in the past that required surgical procedure to restore and threatened his assembly with Campo. Issues seem like OK now, although. Tszyu is assured the battle with Charlo will happen within the fall. And he has been cleared to undergo with the Ocampo battle. The son of Corridor of Famer Kostya Tszyu is coming off spectacular back-to-back victories over gifted Individuals, outpointing Terrell Gausha in March of final yr and stopping former champ Tony Harrison in 9 rounds this previous March. Ocampo is a stable, well-schooled veteran. Nonetheless, the Mexican fell flat in his two largest fights. He was stopped by a physique shot towards titleholder Errol Spence Jr. within the first spherical in 2018. The Ensenada fighter then received 12 consecutive fights (all however two in Mexico) to earn a gathering with prime contender Sebastian Fundora solely to lose a large resolution final October. He final fought on March 25 in Guadalajara, stopping Mauricio Gutierrez Castor in 5 rounds.

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

TUESDAY

Mizuki Hiruta vs. Casey Morton, junior bantamweights (for Hiruta’s WBO title), Tokyo (no TV in U.S.)

WEDNESDAY

Katsuma Akitsugi vs. Franklin Gonzalez, junior featherweights, Plant Metropolis, Florida (ProBox TV)

FRIDAY

Sivenathi Nontshinga vs. Regie Suganob, junior flyweights (for Nontshinga’s IBF title), East London, South Africa (no TV in U.S.)
Nico Hernandez vs. Ernesto Irias, flyweights, Augusta, Georgia (FITE+)