By: Ken Hissner
Lou DiBella’s DiBella Entertainment and USA Showtime will bring you an interim World Boxing Council world Super Lightweight Title fight Friday night from Deadwood Mountain Grand, Deadwood, South Dakota.
In the Main Event a pair of southpaws will do battle with NABF Champion Regis Prograis, 20-0 (17), of Houston, TX, the WBC No. 2 contender taking on the former IBF World and WBA World Super Lightweight champion Julius “Blue Machine” Indongo, 22-1 (11), of Windhoek, Nambia, the WBC No. 8 Contender.
Prograis in his last fight in June of 2017 stopped Joel Diaz, Jr., then 23-0 at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY, knocking him down four times in the second round before it was ended by the referee. It was only his second fight of 2017 and last one. He is quite a puncher and a fan favorite.
Indongo is coming off his first career loss to then 4-Organization world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford being knocked out in 3 rounds in August of 2017. This is a tough challenge to come back on for Indongo. He also holds rankings at No. 8 in the IBF and No. 9 in the WBO.
In the co-feature Russian born Super Lightweight Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk, 17-0 (10), out of Miami, OK, where he has fought his last six fights. He takes on Russian Petr Petrov, 38-5-1 (19), out of Madrid, Spain.
Baranchyk was only 3-0 with those fights in Belarus when he came to the US and was signed by David McWater of Split-T Management. His last fourteen fights have been in the US. “I’m very excited about the fight. We think he gets the title shot when he wins,” said McWater.
In Baranchyk’s last fight he defeated Philadelphia’s Keenan “Killer” Smith, then 11-0, in July of 2017. In his previous fight in February he defeated Abel Ramos, then 17-1-2, in a USBA Super Lightweight title defense. He won that vacant title defeating Zhimin Wang, then 7-0, from China. Baranchyk’s last four wins have all been by decision.
In Petrov’s last fight in April of 2017 he lost a decision for the WBO World lightweight title to champion Terry Flanagan in the UK. In 2014 he won the ESPN Boxcino tournament at lightweight.
Heavyweights Junior Fa, 13-0 (8), of Papakura, New Zealand, takes on Craig Lewis, 14-1-1 (8), of Detroit, MI, over 8 rounds. This should be an interesting battle of young heavyweights.
This will be Fa’s third fight in the US. He holds a pair of wins in 2009 and 2012 over current WBO Champion Joseph Parker in the amateurs. In his last fight he knocked out Fred Lathan in November 2017 in the first round. Lewis had a NC with Lathan in 2014. In his last fight in August he knocked out Galen Brown, then 44-37-1 in 2 rounds.
Also on the card is Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard, 26-1 (15), of Hartford, CT, who will be taking on Jesus A. “Chuito” Valdez, 22-3-1 (11), of Sonora, MEX.
After losing in an NABF and WBO NABO featherweight title challenge to future world champion Mikey Garcia, then 24-0, in 2011 Remillard spent six years out of boxing only to come back in April of 2017 posting three wins. His last bout was a fourth round stoppage over Yardley Armenta Cruz, then 22-8. Valdez’s last fight was in September of 2017 scoring a stoppage win.
“The team has a great plan, we wanted at least 30 rounds before we step up the level of opposition we needed to work off ring rust which Matt has done and looks great. This will be his fourth fight back and he’s in the best shape of his life and is ready to fight anyone at 130 pounds after this fight,” said Seth DeRobbio (manager/agent).
This is a great lineup for Friday night and each fight could headline.