CARSON, Calif. (Oct. 31, 2019) — IBF junior bantamweight world champion Jerwin Ancajas’ title defense against Jonathan Rodriguez has been canceled due to a visa issue with Rodriguez. The main event Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park, Miguel Berchelt’s WBC super featherweight title defense against former world champion Jason Sosa, will go on as planned.

The new co-feature will be a 10-round super lightweight tilt between 2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina and Japanese veteran Hiroki Okada.

Berchelt-Sosa and Molina-Okada will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. The entire undercard, including the return of super lightweight contender Alex Saucedo against Rod Salka, will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT

Miguel Berchelt vs. Jason Sosa, 12 rounds, Berchelt’s WBC super featherweight world title

Javier Molina vs. Hiroki Okada, 10 rounds, super lightweight

ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Alex Saucedo vs. Rod Salka, 8 rounds, super lightweight

Daniel Lewis vs. Alexis Gaytan, 8/6 rounds, super welterweight

Gor Yeritsyan vs. Shoki Sakai, 8 rounds, welterweight

Raymond Muratalla vs. Arnulfo Becerra, 6 rounds, lightweight

Ruben Rodriguez vs. Abram Martinez, 6 rounds, super lightweight

Elvis Rodriguez vs. Luis Norambuena, 6 rounds, super lightweight

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Peltz Boxing, tickets for this world championship event are priced at $125, $85, $65 and $30 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased by visiting AXS.com, charge by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and in person at the Dignity Health Sports Park Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). 

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtags #BercheltSosa and #MolinaOkada to join the conversation on social media.

CARSON, Calif. (Oct. 31, 2019) – Three days before they launch punches at Dignity Health Sports Park, WBC super featherweight world champion Miguel Berchelt and challenger Jason Sosa joined forces Wednesday afternoon for a WBC Cares event at The Rock Boxing Gym along with super lightweight contender Alex Saucedo.

A group of local children were in attendance, as the fighters showed them basic boxing techniques, signed autographs, and gave them each a ticket to Saturday’s event.

After the boxing exhibition, the fighters and the children participated in a special Día de Los Muertos celebration, where they each wrote the name of a loved one they wanted to memorialize on a giant boxing glove.

“I feel very happy,” Berchelt said. “It’s very nice for me to teach the kids how to be disciplined so they can go far in this sport.”

“It’s a great feeling to spend time with the kids and show them what we do,” Sosa said.

Said Saucedo: “A lot of them already knew how to fight, how to box. It’s awesome to come and work with them.”

Berchelt-Sosa will headline a world championship doubleheader (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), as Jerwin Ancajas will defend his IBF junior bantamweight world title against Jonathan Rodriguez in the co-feature. Saucedo will take on Rod Salka in an eight-rounder (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET) in his first bout since being knocked out by Maurice Hooker in a bid for the WBO 140-pound world title last November.

As the fighters prepare for Saturday’s outdoor fistic extravaganza, this is what they had to say.

Miguel Berchelt

“This will be the next classic in the Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry. We are two fighters who always bring excitement to the ring, and this Saturday will be no different. There are many great fights for me in the future, but I know I need 100 percent focus to beat a great former world champion like Sosa.”

“The fans who watch this fight will be the winners. When you have two warriors in the ring, great things happen. I refuse to disappoint the fans. I fight for them.”

“I had a great training camp inHermosillo, Mexico, with my trainer, Alfredo Caballero. We prepared to fight the very best version of Jason Sosa. After the fight, we can discuss the future.”

“It is no secret that Oscar Valdez is a fight I want. He is at 130 pounds now, and if we both win our next fights, let’s make it happen. There is no hesitation on my end. Lomachenko is another fight I’d gladly accept. I’m a fighter, and I want to fight the very best.”

Jason Sosa

“It is a great honor to fight for the WBC world title, and I hope to bring the belt back to Puerto Rico.”

“This fight can’t help but be a classic. I want the fans to tune in because this is boxing at its best. Berchelt and I are pure fighters, and when you have two fighters like that in the ring, special things happen.”

“You can’t help but respect a man like Berchelt who has defended his title five times. Once the bell rings, though, we will go to war.”

“I have to fight my fight. I’m a different fighter since the Lomachenko and Gamboa fights. This is a Mexico versus Puerto Rico fight, and I have to make my country proud.”

“Nobody knows what will happen until we get in the ring. It could be a Fight of the Year.”

Jerwin Ancajas

“I have been the IBF world champion for a long time, but I would like to unify the division because there are other great champions at 115 pounds. Juan Francisco Estrada, Kal Yafai and Kazuto Ioka have the other belts, so if the opportunity comes, I would love to unify.”

“I know Rodriguez is a tough fighter who won’t be intimidated. He had a great win over Felipe Orucuta in his last fight and earned a shot at the title with that performance.”

“Rodriguez has a lot of heart, and he has proven to be dangerous. Like always, I prepared for the best version of my opponent.”

Alex Saucedo

“I knew it was time to make a change after my loss to Maurice Hooker, and I spent some time with Pedro Neme in Los Angeles. It was obvious early on that he was the right person to be my new trainer. I can’t wait to show everyone the new and improved Alex Saucedo. We’ve worked on defense and head movement, but the fans will see a fighter who comes forward and gives it his all.”

“There is a great main event in Berchelt-Sosa, but my goal is to steal the show. I am not taking Rod Salka lightly, and I want the fans to go home happy. My goal is to win a world title, and my last fight was only a temporary setback.”

“There are a lot of great fights still out there for me. I took some time off, stayed in great shape and now it’s time to show everyone what I’m about.”

“Despite not fighting yet, I have had a great 2019. I had my second child, a son, and I became a United States citizen.”

ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT

Miguel Berchelt vs. Jason Sosa, 12 rounds, Berchelt’s WBC super featherweight world title

Jerwin Ancajas vs. Jonathan Rodriguez, 12 rounds, Ancajas’ IBF junior bantamweight world title 

ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Javier Molina vs. Hiroki Okada, 10 rounds, super lightweight

Alex Saucedo vs. Rod Salka, 8 rounds, super lightweight

Daniel Lewis vs. Alexis Gaytan, 8/6 rounds, super welterweight

Gor Yeritsyan vs. Shoki Sakai, 8 rounds, welterweight

Raymond Muratalla vs. Arnulfo Becerra, 6 rounds, lightweight

Ruben Rodriguez vs. Abram Martinez, 6 rounds, super lightweight

Elvis Rodriguez vs. Luis Norambuena, 6 rounds, super lightweight

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Peltz Boxing, tickets for this world championship event are priced at $125, $85, $65 and $30 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased by visiting AXS.com, charge by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and in person at the Dignity Health Sports Park Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). 

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtags #BercheltSosa and #AncajasRodriguez to join the conversation on social media.

CARSON, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2019) — The 115-pound fighting pride of the Philippines, Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas, will make the eighth defense of his IBF junior bantamweight world title against Mexican contender Jonathan Rodriguez Saturday, November 2 at Dignity Health Sports Park. Ancajas-Rodriguez will serve as the co-feature to Miguel Berchelt’s WBC super featherweight title defense versus Jason Sosa, and both fights will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) starting at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
 
The undercard will see the return of Oklahoma City’s Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo, who is looking to rebound from his first career defeat against Rod Salka in an eight-round super lightweight bout. Saucedo-Salka and the rest of the undercard will stream live on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
 
“I am looking forward to this fight because Rodriguez brings the Mexican style to his fights, and Mexican and Filipinos make the best fights,” Ancajas said. “I want to thank Top Rank, Senator Manny Pacquiao and my manager, Joven Jimenez, for their continued support. It is going to be a war, and to my Filipino fans, I look forward to putting on a show for you in Carson.”

“I plan on taking full advantage of this opportunity,” Rodriguez said. “Ancajas is a great champion, but my time is now. It is time for a new face at 115 pounds.”
 
Ancajas (31-1-1, 21 KOs) is one of boxing’s longest-reigning and most active champions, as only two current world champions (Deontay Wilder and Wanheng Menayothin) have more title defenses. The dynamic southpaw won the title in September 2016 and defended his belt three times apiece in 2017 and 2018. He last fought May 4 in Stockton, California, knocking out Ryuichi Funai in six rounds. This will be Ancajas’ fourth consecutive bout in California, but the first time he’s showcased his skills in Southern California. Rodriguez (21-1, 15 KOs) is a dangerous foe who has won five in a row since a split decision defeat spoiled his unbeaten record. He is coming off a career-best win June 7 in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, when he knocked out former two-time world title challenger Felipe Orucuta in the 10^th round.
 
Saucedo (28-1, 18 KOs), who turned 25 years old in June, burst onto the world stage in 2018. He overcame cuts and a swollen face to knock out Lenny Zappavigna in front of his hometown fans at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in a Fight of the Year contender. He returned to the Chesapeake Energy Arena last November and was knocked out in seven rounds by Maurice Hooker in a failed bid for the WBO junior welterweight world title. Saucedo regrouped and enlisted the services of a new trainer, Pedro Neme. Saucedo and Neme have been working together for the past four months and have focused on refining his defensive skills. Salka (24-5, 4 KOs) has not fought since an April 2018 knockout loss to former world champion Francisco Vargas, but before the Vargas defeat, he had won five in a row.
 
“I am excited to finally be back in the ring,” Saucedo said. “I enjoyed my time off, but the time was right to come back. I have a new team and can’t wait to show everyone the new Alex Saucedo. On November 2, I will steal the show.”
 
In other undercard bouts:

• Southern California native and 2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (20-2, 8 KOs) hopes to extend his winning streak to four versus Hiroki Okada (19-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight bout. Okada fought Ray Beltran in an ESPN-televised Fight of the Year candidate in February, losing via ninth-round knockout.
   
  “I’m pumped to be fighting an opponent like Hiroki Okada,” Molina said. “We know he’s a tough fighter, but these are the types of fights we are looking for. A win over him will get me one step closer to a world title shot, and that’s what we are aiming for. He’s coming off a loss to Beltran, so we know he’s hungry to get back in the win column. We are going to be ready for anything he brings to the table.”

• 2016 Australian Olympian Daniel Lewis (4-0, 3 KOs) will make his United States debut against Alexis Gaytan (6-4, 2 KOs) in a super welterweight bout scheduled for eight rounds.
   
• Armenian welterweight knockout sensation Gor Yeritsyan (11-0, 10 KOs) will face fellow unbeaten Damien Lopez (9-0-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder. The Freddie Roach-trained Yeritsyan has won four straight bouts via knockout.
   
• Dominican knockout artist Elvis Rodriguez (4-0-1, 4 KOs) will make his fifth ring appearance of 2019 against Chilean veteran Luis Norambuena (4-4-1, 0 KOs) in a six-rounder at super lightweight.
   
• Raymond Muratalla (8-0, 6 KOs) will fight Arnulfo Becerra (7-2, 5 KOs) in a six-rounder at lightweight.
   
• Ruben Rodriguez (9-0, 3 KOs), from Indio, California, will see action in a six-round super lightweight bout versus an opponent to be named. 

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Peltz Boxing, tickets for this world championship event are priced at $125, $85, $65 and $30 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased by visiting AXS.com, charge by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and in person at the Dignity Health Sports Park Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). 

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.
 
Use the hashtags #BercheltSosa and #AncajasRodriguez to join the conversation on social media.
 
About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.
 
Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.
 
ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com.

CARSON, Calif. (Sept. 27, 2019) —Tickets for WBC super featherweight world champion Miguel Berchelt’s title defense against former world champion Jason Sosa, Nov. 2 at Dignity Health Sports Park, are on sale now.

Berchelt (36-1, 32 KOs), the division’s longest-reigning world champion, will be making the sixth defense of the belt he won from Mexican countryman Francisco Vargas in January 2017. Former WBA super featherweight world champion Sosa (22-3-4, 16 KOs) has won three in a row since back-to-back defeats. He is seeking to become a two-time world champion in the latest chapter of the storied Mexico versus Puerto Rico fistic rivalry.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Peltz Boxing, tickets for this world championship event are priced at $125, $85, $65 and $30 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased by visiting AXS.com, charge by phone at 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849) and in person at the Dignity Health Sports Park Box Office (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT). 

Berchelt-Sosa and a world title co-feature will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. The undercard will stream on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtag #BercheltSosa join the conversation on social media.

For more information, please visit www.dignityhealthsportspark.com.About Dignity Health Sports Park

Dignity Health Sports Park is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. Managed by AEG Facilities, the $150 million, privately financed facility was developed by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. Dignity Health Sports Park features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,167-seat stadium for soccer, football and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts; a 2,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome – the VELO Sports Center – for track cycling. Dignity Health Sports Park is home to Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, the five-time MLS Cup Champions. Dignity Health Sports Park is also home of the Los Angeles Chargers, United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center, the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and EXOS, an international training center for elite and professional athletes. For additional information, please visit www.dignityhealthsportspark.com.

LAS VEGAS (Sept. 13, 2019) — Three world title bouts and a highly anticipated light heavyweight unification fight are on the docket for Top Rank’s fall schedule, which will be unveiled TODAY at 12 p.m. PT at a special kickoff press conference at the MGM Grand’s KA Theatre. The press conference will feature all eight fighters, and it will be streamed live on @ESPN through the ESPN App, available to all viewers unauthenticated.

The fall schedule will kick off October 18 with the previously announced light heavyweight unification bout between IBF champion Artur Beterbiev and WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET). The entire undercard will stream on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

“This is a tremendous lineup of fights that Top Rank is bringing to ESPN and ESPN+ in the fall,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “You have young superstars and established champions in the toughest fights of their careers. It doesn’t get better than that. When it’s all said and done, new superstars are going to emerge.”

October 26: Stevenson and Gonzalez to Battle for Featherweight World Title

Shakur Stevenson is only 22 years old and 12 fights into his pro career. For his first world title shot, he’ll return to the sight of many of his greatest amateur accomplishments. Stevenson will face Joet Gonzalez for the vacant WBO featherweight title Saturday, October 26 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada.

Stevenson and Gonzalez are the WBO’s top two contenders for the belt vacated by Oscar Valdez, who is now campaigning at 130 pounds.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Let’s Get It On Promotions and Golden Boy, Stevenson-Gonzalez and a co-feature will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The entire undercard will stream on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

“I have been working for this moment my entire life, and no one is going to stop me from becoming a world champion,” Stevenson said. “I had some of my biggest amateur moments in Reno, and I can’t wait to win my first world title there. This is my time to show the world that I am the best young fighter in boxing. The Shakur Stevenson era will officially begin on October 26.”

“It’s about time I got my world title shot,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been asking for this opportunity for a long time. Thanks to my promoter and manager, it is finally here. Shakur Stevenson has done a lot of talking. But I’ll do my talking in the ring with my fists on October 26.”

Stevenson (12-0, 7 KOs), the fighting pride of Newark, New Jersey, turned pro in April 2017 following a standout amateur career that included a 2016 Olympic silver medal for the United States. He is familiar with Reno, having won four national titles in “The Biggest Little City in the World” from 2013-2015, including his triumph at the Olympic Trials. Stevenson returned to Reno as a pro, shutting out Juan Tapia over eight rounds in February 2018 to improve to 5-0. He has fought three times thus far in 2019, including a career-best performance April 20 against former world title challenger Christopher Diaz on the Terence Crawford-Amir Khan pay-per-view undercard. He followed up the unanimous decision over Diaz with a triumphant return to Newark, where more than 5,000 fans packed the Prudential Center for his third-round stoppage over Alberto Guevara.

Gonzalez (23-0, 14 KOs) is a seven-year pro who has the edge in experience, and at 25 years old, is three years older than Stevenson. Like Stevenson, he had a storied amateur career, nearly qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics and winning a U.S. Junior Olympics title. Gonzalez has won three consecutive bouts by knockout since a split decision victory over former world title challenger Rafael Rivera. He last fought July 13 in Carson, California, capturing the WBO Global and WBA Continental America featherweight titles with a sixth-round stoppage over Manuel Avila. Immediately following the Avila bout, he expressed interest in fighting in Stevenson, and the two have since been engaged in a social media back-and-forth. The talking will stop — and the fight will start — on October 26.

November 2: Miguel Berchelt Set to Defend Super Featherweight World Title Versus Jason Sosa

WBC super featherweight world champion Miguel Berchelt will defend his world title for the sixth time against former world champion Jason Sosa in a can’t-miss battle Saturday, November 2 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Berchelt, who has won four in a row by stoppage, is the division’s longest-reigning world champion and is ranked No. 1 by both ESPN.com and Ring Magazine.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Peltz Boxing, Berchelt-Sosa and a world title co-feature will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. The undercard will stream on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

“On November 2, there will be another classic war between a Mexican and a Puerto Rican warrior,” Berchelt said. “I will prove once again that I am the best and most spectacular super featherweight in the world. This title ain’t going anywhere.”

“I can’t express how happy and grateful I am to Top Rank and Russell Peltz for once again working together to give me another shot at becoming world champion,” Sosa said. “I am training harder than ever. I want this so bad, and I am not going to let anything stop what God has planned for me. We are incredibly focused knowing the importance of this fight. Berchelt is a strong opponent, and we are not taking his talents lightly. We both throw a lot of punches so expect an action-packed fight that will be the next chapter in the Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry. It’s a rivalry that’s been ongoing for years, and I plan on making my island very proud. On November 2, I plan on becoming a two-time world champion.”

Berchelt (36-1, 32 KOs) has reigned as WBC super featherweight king since January 28, 2017, the evening he dethroned Francisco Vargas via 11^th-round knockout in a Fight of the Year contender. He has maintained his reputation as an all-action star, besting Miguel Roman and Takashi Miura in dominant title defenses. He last fought May 11 in Tucson, Arizona, battering Vargas in their rematch until Vargas retired on his stool following the sixth round. A native of Cancun, Mexico, Berchelt has won 15 consecutive bouts and hopes a win over Sosa will move him closer to a world title unification bout.

Sosa (23-3-4, 16 KOs), from Camden, New Jersey, is in the midst of a career revitalization following a two-bout skid in 2017. Sosa has reeled off three consecutive wins since a controversial decision loss to Yuriorkis Gamboa in November 2017, and he is now ranked in the top 10 by two of the major sanctioning organizations. He last fought August 10 in Philadelphia, knocking out Lydell Rhodes in seven rounds to earn his shot at the title.

November 9: Jamel Herring Set for Ballpark Title Defense Versus Lamont Roach Jr. in Fresno

Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring, the U.S. Marine veteran who upset Masayuki Ito in on Memorial Day weekend to win the WBO junior lightweight title, is set to honor his comrades by returning on Veterans Day weekend.

Herring will make his first title defense against the undefeated Lamont Roach Jr. on Saturday, November 9 at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, home of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies. This is a return engagement for Herring, who fought at Fresno’s Save Mart Center last September and had more than 1,000 active, retired and aspiring service members in the crowd cheering him on.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy, Herring-Roach and a co-feature will stream live beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN+. The undercard will stream on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

“Our camps have gone back and forth, and I’m just ready to get to work,” Herring said. “I have a great team, and Terence Crawford will also be in camp to make sure I’m at my best. Overall, the night means much more than trash-talking, since it’s the weekend of both Veterans Day and the Marine Corps birthday.

“I’m glad to be back in Fresno. I had a huge crowd supporting me last time I fought in the area. I know a victory here will lead to bigger and better things.”

“I know Jamel very well and he knows me,” Roach Jr. said. “I’m super excited, and I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life. This victory will be only the beginning of my legacy. I’m here for a reason, and I can’t wait to show the world why! I will be the WBO junior lightweight world champion on November 9.”

Herring (20-2, 10 KOs) served two tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq and captained the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team. His pro career stalled with a 1-2 skid from 2016-2017, but after signing with Top Rank and moving down to 130 pounds, he won three straight fights to earn the title shot against Ito. His September 2018 fight against John Vincent Moralde was a particularly special occasion, as dozens of Marines lined the Save Mart Center walkway as Herring made his entrance. He shut out Moralde as the ESPN-televised co-feature, and now he returns to California’s Central Valley ready to put on a clinic under the lights.

Roach (19-0-1, 7 KOs) is one of the best young fighters to emerge from the boxing hotbed of Washington, D.C. in recent years. His only hiccup as a pro — an April 2018 draw against Orlando Cruz in Cruz’s home country of Puerto Rico — was a minor speed bump in what has been an otherwise sterling run up the ranks. He is 3-0 since the Cruz fight, winning a pair of regional belts and putting forth his best performances on high-profile cards. He last fought May 4 on the Canelo Alvarez-Danny Jacobs undercard in Las Vegas, scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Jonathan Oquendo. Roach is trained by his father, Lamont Roach Sr., who has been the head man in his corner for his past five bouts.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtags #BeterbievNail, #StevensonGonzalez, #BercheltSosa and #HerringRoach to join the conversation on social media. 

WBC Jr. Lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt will defend his title against former belt holder Jason Sosa on November 2nd, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The bout will take place at the Dignity Health Sports Pavilion in Carson, California and will be televised on ESPN.

“We are finishing things up,” said Top Rank VP Carl Moretti said. “The fight is agreed to. It’s just a matter of getting the paperwork done at this point.”

“Stylistically, I think it’s a can’t-miss fight,” Moretti said. “Jason looked really good in his last fight in Philadelphia, and Berchelt always looks good. Combined that with the fight being at Dignity Health Sports Park, which has a great tradition of hosting great fights, and I think you have the making of a fight-of-the-year candidate.”

“I think it leads to a bigger fight in the first quarter of 2020 for the winner,” he said. “Either a unification fight or possibly a fight against Oscar Valdez.”

BROOKLYN (July 29, 2019) – Two-time former welterweight world champion Andre Berto suffered an injury during sparring on Saturday that resulted in a torn bicep muscle and is forced to withdraw from his bout against Miguel Cruz that was scheduled for this Saturday as part of FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.

Undefeated Polish star and Brooklyn-native Adam Kownacki will meet Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola in a 12-round heavyweight showdown in the main event and unbeaten interim WBA Light Heavyweight Champion “Sir” Marcus Browne battles former champion Jean Pascal in a 12-round bout in the co-feature. The broadcast starts at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will now feature Brooklyn’s Curtis Stevens making his 154-pound debut against Wale “Lucky Boy” Omotoso in a 10-round bout.

Berto tweaked his left bicep muscle during sparring earlier last week and tore the tendon during his final sparring session on Saturday in preparation for the Cruz bout. After an MRI revealed the extent of the injury, doctors advised Berto to withdraw from the fight and have surgery as soon as possible.

“Saturday was the last day of sparring and I was trying to finish and keep going strong,” said Berto. “I threw a left hook and I felt a squeeze and a pop. I started yelling and cursing, because I knew what happened. I’ve had injuries before. Even though it was bad, I thought it was something that I could get a cortisone shot and fight with. But the MRI showed that the tendon was torn from the bone and I need surgery as soon as possible.

“It’s devastating because I worked hard for eight weeks and I’m in dog shape. I was just ready to go. This just kills me. It’s so freaky that it happened on the last day of sparring. When I hurt it on Tuesday, I just taped it up and went back to work. The doctors say there was a slight tear on Tuesday because there was still some inflammation when I came back to spar on Thursday and Saturday. They say it would have torn during the fight.”

Berto went into his match against Jesus Soto Karass with a shoulder injury, tore muscles during the match and had to fight with one arm. He had shoulder surgery to repair torn tendons and ligaments and spent eight months recovering. He was out of the ring for 14 months.

“This injury and the surgery won’t be as bad as the shoulder,” Berto said. “The shoulder was a lot of different muscles and tendons that were torn. I had a sling on for six weeks, and I was immobilized for so long that I had frozen shoulder syndrome and I had to go through three or four weeks with therapy to just get it to moving. It took eight or nine months with the shoulder. If I do it right with this injury, I’ll be good in two or three months.”

Berto (32-5, 24 KOs) has fought some of the top welterweight champions of this generation, including Floyd Mayweather. The 35-year-old won a welterweight world title with TKO victory over Miguel Angel Rodriguez in 2008 and successfully defended it five times before losing it to Victor Ortiz in 2011. He later avenged that loss to Ortiz with a knockout victory in 2016 on FOX. Heading into the fight against Cruz, Berto was coming off a split decision victory over former welterweight champion Devon Alexander in his last fight in August on FOX.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @BrooklynBoxing, @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports and www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

Miguel Berchelt retained the WBC Super Featherweight title with a 6th round stoppage over Francisco Vargas in a rematch in Tucson, Arizona.

Berchelt beat down Vargas, until the fight was halted.

Berchelt, 130 lbs of Meridia, MEX is 37-1 with 32 knockouts. Vargas, 130 lbs of Mexico City is 25-2-2.

Emanuel Navarrete stopped Isaac Dogboe in round 12 to retain the WBO Super Bantamweight title in a rematch of a fight that Navarrete won the title.

In round six, Navarrete dropped Dogboe with a hard combination.

In round 12, Navarrete dropped Dogboe with a right hand. The fight was stopped by the corner upon Dogboe getting to his feet at 2:02.

Navarrete, 121.6 lbs of Mexico City is 27-1 with 23 knocouts. Dogboe, 121.6 lbs of Ghana is 20-2.

TUCSON –The card was dubbed Twice As Nice. Nice for the Winner. Nightmarish for the losers.

 Miguel Berchelt and Emanuel Navarrete picked up where the left off, Berchelt in a sixth-round stoppage of Francisco Vargas for the WBC’s super-featherweight title and Navarrete in a 12^th-round stoppage of Isaac Dogboe for the WBO’s super-bantamweight title Saturday night in an ESPN doubleheader at Tucson Arena.

The difference in both rematches was in the way each winner accomplished the task. The dequels left no doubt or any reason to even wonder about trilogy. Each rematch was more definitive for the victor and a lot more painful for the vanquished. The losses were punishing, so much so that each bout ended the same way.

The respective corners ended it, Vargas’ corner before the seventh round and Dogboe’s corner with 58 seconds left in the fight.

“My trainer did what he was supposed to,’’ Vargas said. “He stepped in to protect me.’’

Vargas (25-2-2, 18 KOs) pretty much said it all, for himself and Dogboe. Vargas trainer, Joel Diaz, didn’t want to see any more of the pounding that Vargas had begun to take from the stronger Berchelt (36-1, 32 KOs).

“His corner did the right thing when they kept him from taking more punishment’’ said Berchelt, who collected $600,000, $450,000 more than Vargas’ $150,000 purse, according to contract filed with the Arizona Commission.

For the emerging Berchelt, the victory created a whole host of new opportunities. He has been mentioned as a potential opponent for pound-for-pound contender Vasiliy Lomachenko. In post-fight interviews, Berchelt said he wanted a shot at the winner Masayuki Ito-Jamel Herring on May 25 for the WBO title in south Florida.

In the night’s first rematch, Navarrete (27-1, 23 KOs) took the storm out of Dogboe (20-2, 14 KOs) and administered a royal beating of the Ghana fighter who calls himself The Royal Storm. The real surprise was that Dogboe had less of a chance in the rematch than he had in losing a decision to Navarrete in December.

The bigger Navarrete controlled distance and pace. The Mexican’s power shots to the body and head left Dogboe stumbling across the canvas throughout most of the 12 rounds. In the sixth, Navarrete’s uppercut knocked Dogboe off his feet and onto the bottom rope.

If not for that rope, Dogboe might have found himself face down on a ringside table. It was scored a knockdown. Somehow, Dogboe stayed upright, but he was an unconscious man walking, walking straight into more of Navarrete’s arsenal.

By the eighth, the end looked to be inevitable. In the12th, the inevitable landed, first with more Navarrete shots that dropped Dogboe on hands and knees. Again, Dogboe got up. But this time his corner had seen enough. At 2:02 of the 12^th, it was over, leaving no doubt about Navarrete’s credentials.

“The men in this division know who I am, where I am,’’ said Navarrete, the WBO’s 122-pound super-bantamweight belt, who collected $90,000. Dogboe was guaranteed $100.000.

One thing is for sure: Dogboe said he is moving up in weight to 126 pounds. It has become too hard to make weight. Too hard, too, to beat Navarrete.

“Thanks to Navarrete,’’ said Dogboe, who also might have been saying thanks to an immediate future that won’t include another fight with the Mexican.

Mykal Fox wins decision

Maryland junior-welterweight Mykal Fox (20-1, 5 KOs) often looked as if he were about to be slam-dunked by Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (7-1, 4 KOs), who has the physical dimensions of a small forward. But Fox darted in, darted out and scored just enough to win 96-92, 95-93, 96-92 decision over Gaibnazarov, of Uzbekistan.

Carlos Castro stays unbeaten 

Phoenix junior-featherweight Carlos Castro continues to climb up in the rankings and into the conversation. It’s hard to ignore his unbeaten record, and it stayed that way with a thorough 10-round performance in a 100-89, 98-91, 100-89 decision over Mexican Mario Diaz.

Castro (23-0, 9 KOs) scored an early knockdown, employed a consistently quick jab and shook off repeated counters from Diaz (18-3, 7 KOs) in the late rounds.

“We knew it would be a tough fight,” Castro, who retained a WBC Continental belt and tightened  his grip on a ranking among the organizations’s top 10 contenders. “The goal is to fight for a world title. We’ll keep working.”

Miguel Marriaga scores stoppage

Miguel Marriaga has appeared in title fights, main events and undercards. On Saturday, it was an undercard before rematch doubleheader featuring Isaac Dogboe-Emanuel Navarrete and Miguel Berchelt-FranciscoVargas at Tucson Arena.

The Colombian lightweight (28-3, 24 KOs), who fought and lost to champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oscar Valdez Jr. in 2017, administered a painful succession of body shots, sending fellow Colombia Ruben Cervera (10-2, 9 KOs) to the canvas twice in the second. Cervera returned the favor in the third, scoring a knockdown with what looked like a push and a punch.  But Marriaga’s body blows kept coming. And kept hurting. It ended with Cervera sitting on his stool, unable to answer the bell for the fourth.

First Bell: BercheltVargas2 card underway

It didn’t take long for the card to take on the city’s identity. Tucson calls itself The Old Pueblo. That also means old school, which is what Manny Guajardo was in scoring a resilient four-round decision over Johnathan Espino.

Guajardo (5-0), a Tucson middleweight, rocked Espino early. But Espino (2-4, 2 KOs), of Escondido, Calif., came back with some counters of his own in the third and fourth. In the end, however, the momentum and the fight belonged to Guarjardo, who won a hard-fought majority decision in the second bout of an ESPN card featuring the Miguel Berchelt-Francisco Vargas rematch.

The card’s afternoon opener ended quickly. The matinee lasted a round. Mexican super-lightweight Miguel Parra (17-1-1, 11 KOs) knocked down Nicaraguan David Morales (13-11, 13 KOs) moments after the first bell at Tucson Arena. Morales got up slowly. There was no hiding the obvious. Morales trainer threw in the towel seconds before the start of the second round.

By Norm Frauenheim-

TUCSON – Miguel Berchelt has heard all of the talk. It has him fighting pound-for-pound contender Vasiliy Lomachenko one day. It has him in showdown with Tevin Farmer. There’s speculation of junior-lightweight unification bout. Berchelt’s name is everywhere, a sure sign of an emerging star.

First, however, there’s some immediate business on his agenda.

“Francisco Vargas,” Berchelt said Friday after the formal weigh-in for a an ESPN-televised rematch Saturday at Tucson Arena of his 11th-round stoppage of Vargas in January 2017. “Have to win this one for anything else to matter. Vargas is a good Mexican fighter. It will be another great, great fight between to warriors. I don’t know how it will go. But whatever way it goes, I will be the winner.”

Berchelt is expected to win the sequel. There are even some bold predictions from Berchelt’s camp that an early stoppage looms in what might be the end of Vargas’ career. But Berchelt, himself, is cautious. He remembers the last meeting, a dramatic confrontation that was among the leading contender for Fight of the Year. Berchelt recalls Vargas’ resiliency. He expects to see it again. Vargas, meanwhile, is no mood to back down

Twenty-eight months have come and gone without too many days or even hours when Francisco Vargas hasn’t thought about Berchelt and a rematch.

Berchelt is there when he awakes. Sometimes, he’s there when he sleeps.

“I have thought of nothing else, but him and a chance to fight him again,’’ Vargas said. A chance at redemption — turning nightmare into a dream — has been a lifestyle for Vargas. That chance is finally here. Vargas looked into the eyes of Berchelt Friday for the first time since he lost to the feared junior lightweight in January 2017 in a bout that was a leading contender for Fight of the Year.

Saturday night, Vargas will face him for the second time in an ESPN televised bout (10 pm. ET/7 p.m. PT) at Tucson Arena in an intriguing rematch and perhaps another Fight of the Year contender on a card that also includes a rematch of WBO super-bantamweight Emanuel Navarrete’s upset of Isaac Dogboe in December.

Vargas expects the same blood, guts and drama. Only the result will be different, he vows.

“I did a few different things for this fight,’’ Vargas (25-1-2, 18 KOs) said after both fighters were at the junior-lightweight limit of 130 pounds. Dogboe (20-1, 14 KOs) was at 121.4 pounds and Navarrete (26-1, 22 KOs) at 121.6.

“I have a few different strategies,’’ Vargas continued. “I’m sure he will do different things too. But I’ll be ready. I am ready. I’ve been getting ready ever since the last one.’’

The last one ended with Vargas bloodied and finished in an 11th round stoppage at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif. But finished did not mean forgotten. Vargas hired a new trainer, Joel Diaz, and won a couple fights, beating Stephen Smith in December 2017 and Rod Salka in April 2018. He hasn’t fought since.

“I’ve been waiting for the rematch,’’ Vargas, of Mexico City, said.

The long wait has spawned some inevitable speculation about Vargas’ chances in a second go-round against the emerging Berchelt (35-1, 31 KOs), a fellow Mexican who enters the rematch amid talk that one day he will fight pound-for-pound contender Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Berchelt doesn’t expect a changed Vargas.

“He was a very good fighter two years ago and he’s is very good fighter today,’’ Berchelt said. “I don’t know how it will end. But how ever it ends, I will be the winner.’’

Berchelt trainer Alfredo Caballero told Mexican-speaking media that the World Boxing Council’s junior-lightweight champion will finish Vargas career junior-lightweight champion will finish Vargas’ career.

“Those who are talking will have to eat their words,’’ Vargas said. “I am not the fighter they remember from a couple of years ago. My training is much more together. It’s much different. My trainers get it.

“I get it.’’

TUCSON, Ariz. (May 8, 2019) – Two world title rematches and four blood-and-guts warriors are coming to Tucson Arena Saturday evening for “Twice as Nice,” one of the year’s most highly anticipated cards (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m ET/7 p.m. PT).

In the main event, WBC super featherweight world champion Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt (35-1, 31 KOs) and Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas (25-1-2, 18 KOs) will look to repeat the thrills of their January 2017 match, won by Berchelt via 11th-round knockout. And, in the co-feature, Emanuel Navarrete (26-1, 22 KOs) will defend his WBO junior featherweight world title against Isaac Dogboe (20-1, 14 KOs), the man he defeated by unanimous decision to win the title back on Dec. 8.

After working out for the media Wednesday at Southwest Boxing Gym, this is what the fighters had to say.

Miguel Berchelt

“The people of Tucson and watching on ESPN are in for a great show. Vargas and I fought a great fight back in 2017, and our 2019 rematch will be no different. We are proud Mexican warriors who leave it all in the ring.”

“You will see the same ‘Alacran’ from the first fight with Vargas. I will enter the ring with a lot of desire to win and defend my title. I will defend this belt with everything that I have. This belt belongs to me.”

“The strategy is the same, which is to go out there to solve the problem that Vargas represents. I will leave it all in the ring. I will give all my heart to this battle.”

“Every time the ‘Alacran’ fights, it’s a guarantee that the fans will see a knockout.”

On a potential Lomachenko fight

“That is the fight we want. We want big challenges, without a doubt. I’d love to fight Lomachenko.”

Francisco Vargas

“I’ve been patient. I’ve been waiting for this fight for two years and now it’s finally here. It’s going to be a war. I did a few different things in preparation for this fight. I worked on different strategies, but we’ll see how the fight goes. You know, when two Mexicans get into the ring, they leave everything behind. My goal is to reclaim the world title.”

Emanuel Navarrete

On the first Dogboe fight

“It was a surreal moment when they announced me as the new champion. I was very happy to meet my goal, and now I am ready to defend the title successfully. It motivates me to know that the first fight was so good that everyone wants an immediate rematch.”

“This is a very attractive card. Many good fighters will be in action and you can’t ask for anything better than two world title rematches. I’m going to try and give the fans a big knockout win.”

Isaac Dogboe

“Navarrete couldn’t knock me out when I was at my worst, and now am I at my best. I am a much more fit boxer this time around, and it is my mission to become world champion once again. The ‘Royal Storm’ is back.”

“I have fought in Arizona before (first-round KO over Hidenori Otake in Glendale), and the fans there are tremendous. I know a lot of Mexican fans will be in attendance to see Navarrete, but I am coming for my title. He’s a nice guy and a great champion, but this is about redemption for me. I am ready to go to war.”

“I don’t see this as a distance fight. I am came coming for the knockout and to regain my title in spectacular fashion.”

ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Miguel Berchelt (champion) vs. Francisco Vargas (challenger), 12 rounds, Berchelt’s WBC super featherweight world title, MAIN EVENT

Emanuel Navarrete (champion) vs. Isaac Dogboe (challenger), 12 rounds, Navarrete’s WBO junior featherweight world title, CO-FEATURE

ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Fazliddin Gaibnazarov vs. Mykal Fox, 10 rounds, super lightweight

Carlos Castro vs. Mario Diaz, 10 rounds, Castro’s WBC Continental Americas super bantamweight belt

Manny Guajardo vs. Jonathan Espino, 4 rounds, middleweight

Carlos Velasquez vs. Demetrius Mora, 4 rounds, lightweight

Miguel Parra vs. David Morales, 6 rounds, super lightweight

Swing Bouts

Miguel Marriaga vs. TBA, 8/6 rounds, featherweight
Christopher Gonzalez vs. TBA , 4 rounds, welterweight

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Peltz Boxing Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, tickets priced at $102, $77, $52 and $27 can be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet, online at www.Ticketmaster.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000, or at the Tucson Convention Center ticket office.

TUCSON, Ariz. (April 1, 2019) — Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt and Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas waged pugilistic war once before. The Mexican warriors, two-plus years removed from their breathtaking battle, are set to do it again.

Berchelt, who snagged Vargas’ WBC super featherweight title via 11th-round knockout in January 2017, will make the fifth defense of that belt on Saturday, May 11 at the Tucson Arena, located inside the Tucson Convention Center

In the sensational co-feature, WBO junior featherweight world champion Emanuel Navarrete will look to repeat the deed when he defends his title in an immediate rematch versus Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe, whom he defeated by unanimous decision last Dec. 8 on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jose Pedraza card.

Berchelt-Vargas 2 and Navarrete-Dogboe 2 will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10 p.m. ET. The undercard will stream live starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy Promotions, tickets for this world championship event priced at $102, $77, $52 and $27 go on sale Tuesday, April. 2 at 12 p.m. ET/10 a.m. MST. Tickets may be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet, online at www.Ticketmaster.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000, or by visiting the Tucson Convention Center ticket office.

“Francisco Vargas is a great Mexican warrior, just like I am,” Berchelt said. “I am training at my best to prove once again that I am not only better than him, but that I am the best 130-pounder in the world.”

“I have no doubt that 2019 will be my big comeback year,” Vargas said. “The three wise men came bearing gifts, and one of them is my highly awaited rematch against Miguel Berchelt on May 11. Like I said before our first fight, Mexicans never back down, and I will show that once again in the ring.”

“We’re all looking forward to this card. Berchelt-Vargas and Navarrete-Dogboe were incredible action fights the first time around, and the rematches will provide fireworks,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “This is surely one of the great fight cards of 2019, and there is no better place for it to take place than the incredible city of Tucson. The fight fans there are passionate, knowledgeable and will sell the building out.”

“The first fight between Francisco Vargas and Miguel Berchelt was a war,” said Eric Gomez, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “Vargas came up short that night, but it’s been his only loss. Since then, he’s gotten a lot better by training with Joel Diaz, so I’m even more confident now that Vargas will get his belt back. Golden Boy Promotions is committed to making the best fights, and we’re happy to be working with Top Rank and Zanfer Promotions to make another classic battle.”

Berchelt (35-1, 31 KOs) is a pure boxer-puncher who has won 14 in a row since his only defeat, a controversial first-round knockout that most experts believe was stopped prematurely. He had been an interim world champion before facing Vargas in Indio, California. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw Berchelt steadily wear down Vargas until the referee stopped the bout at 2:19 of the 11th round following a flurry of punches. He went 3-0 in 2018, most recently stopping Miguel “Mickey” Roman in the ninth round of a Fight of the Year contender.

Vargas (25-1-2, 18 KOs), who has won two straight since the Berchelt loss, is incapable of making a boring fight. He was one half of the Fight of the Year in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, bruised, battered, and with a busted eye that nearly caused the fight to be stopped, he came back to knock out Takashi Miura in the ninth round. In 2016 he fought Orlando “Siri” Salido in a seesaw battle that ended in a draw. In his last bout, he knocked out Rod Salka in six rounds, setting the stage for what promises to be an all-action sequel.

Navarrete (26-1, 22 KOs) has won 20 consecutive bouts, bursting onto the world scene with his shocking upset of Dogboe. In their initial contest, he pressed the action and busted up Dogboe to notch the well-deserved decision. A two-fisted power puncher, the Dogboe victory ended his knockout streak at eight. Dogboe (20-1, 14 KOs), 24, emerged in 2018 as the latest in the long line of fan-friendly Ghanaian champions. A member of Royal Badu family of Anyako in the Volta Region of Ghana, Dogboe snatched the WBO junior featherweight title from Jessie Magdaleno in April 2018, coming off the deck in the opening round to stop Magdaleno in the 11th. He defended his title in August, steamrolling Hidenori Otake in one round. Then, he ran into the upset-minded Navarrete, who put a halt to Dogboe’s magical run. Come May 11, Dogboe will have a chance to regain his status as one of the sport’s elite young talents.

“I am ready to show the world that our first fight was no accident,” Navarrete said. “I am the better fighter, and I will show that again. Dogboe made a mistake in taking this rematch.”

“Look, in my last fight, I wasn’t fit. I underestimated Emanuel Navarrete,” Dogboe said. “But you know something, at my lowest, he couldn’t knock me out. This fight, May 11, it’s a guarantee: Isaac Dogboe is here to set the record straight. Tucson, it’s going down. You don’t want to miss this fight. It’s a fight people are going to be talking about for a very, very long time. A fit Isaac ‘Royal Storm’ Dogboe is a dangerous Isaac ‘Royal Storm’ Dogboe. May 11, I’m coming for my title!”

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtags #BercheltVargas2 and #NavarreteDogboe2 to join the conversation on social media.

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ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

Miguel Berchelt injured his hand, which will force the March 23 rematch with Francisco Vargas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We’re going to try to reschedule the fight as soon as possible, as soon as Berchelt can go. Hopefully, we can do it in May,” Top Rank Vice-President Moretti said.

On March 23rd, 130-lb world champion Miguel Berchelt will take on Francisco Vargas in a rematch of an entertaining fight from 2017, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The fight will be seen live on ESPN, and will take place at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“It’s great to work with Golden Boy again putting together what should be a continuation a terrific first fight, and being at The Forum is a natural home for this match,” Top Rank’s Todd duBoef said.

“Their first fight was a good one, but it was stopped because of the cuts. Berchelt has gotten better, and so now we will see where Vargas is,” Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez told ESPN. “Vargas is tough, and he is always game. He wanted this fight. and we’ll see if he can overthrow Berchelt and regain the title.”

Gomez said that Juan Carlos Torres of Berchelt co-promoter Zanfer Promotions reached out to him to see what their interest was in the rematch. Golden Boy and Zanfer co-promote junior middleweight titlist Jaime Munguia, and Gomez said he and Torres were able to work it out.

“Juan Carlos asked me if we were still interested in the rematch, which we had talked about a few times before,” Gomez said. “Vargas wanted it, so we did the deal. I spoke to [Top Rank vice president] Carl Moretti a little bit, and we made it happen. It will be another good fight.”

“Berchelt has shown interest in fighting Loma, and I think the winner of this fight is in contention to fight him later in the year,” duBoef said

It was billed to be a toe-to-toe action fight, and it lived up to it as Miguel Berchelt beatdown a game Miguel Roman to retain the WBC Super Featherweight title via 9th round stoppage at The Don Haskins Cinvention Center in El Paso, Texas.

The two landed heavy punches over the 1st part of the fight that saw several phone booth exchanges, with Brerchelt getting the better of the action.

In round six, Berchelt finally cracked Roman as he landed a hard right hand that sent Roman to the canvas.  Seconds later it was a quick left-right combination that sent Roman down for a 2nd time.

Berchelt continued to pound away on Roman.  The fight could have been stopped several times if not for Roman showing a tremendous heart and landing a right hand to keep him in the fight.

Roman finally broke for good in round nine as he was dropped by a barrage of punches.  Seconds later, it was another nasty head combination that had referee Jon Schorle stop the bout at 2:58.

Berchelt, 129.6 lbs of Merida,  MEX is 35-1 with 31 knockouts.  Roman, 129.6 lbs of Ciudad Juarez, MEX is 60-13.

“This was the toughest of my four world title defenses,” Berchelt said. “I give my respect to Mickey as an opponent. The key was my body work. He kept getting up and fighting with all of his heart. He’s a valiant Mexican warrior.”

Said Roman: “I feel fine. I gave it 100 percent. I’ll be back.”

Three-time world title challenger Miguel Marriaga stopped Jose Estrella in round four of their scheduled 10-round featherweight bout.

In round three, Marriaga landed a perfect left to the face that sent Estrella to the canvas.  In round four, it was a hard left to the body that sent Estrella riving in pain on the canvas for the 1-count at 2:43.

Marriaga, 126.5 lbs of Cartagena, COL is 27-3 with 23 knockouts.  Estrella, 126 1/4 lbs of Tijuana. MEX is 20-15-1.

“He was a very tough and strong opponent,” Marriaga said. “I know he trained hard for this fight, but I trained harder. In the end, my experience was key in getting the victory. The plan was to attack the body and that’s exactly what I did. I knocked him out with a huge left hook to the body.

“I know that I have what it takes to become a world champion. I want to challenge for another world title!”

Robson Conceicao won an eight-round unanimous decision over Joey Laviolette in a super featherweight bout.

Conceicao, 130 1/4 lbs of Bahia, BRA won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 10-0.  Laviolette, 129.5 lbs of Sackville, CAN is 9-2.

Conceicao said: “This is my second bout fighting eight rounds and I felt great. I always train hard and I am always in great physical condition. I feel like I’m prepared to go the 12-round distance. I want to face the best. I’m ready to battle against the champions of the junior lightweight division. I want Tevin Farmer, Miguel Berchelt, Alberto Machado, or Gervonta Davis. I don’t care who it is. I want a title!”

Saul Rodriguez remained undefeated with a 2nd round stoppage over Claudio Tapia in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Rodriguez landed a left to the body that put Tapia on a knee.  Tapia’s left eye began to swell really badly.  In round two, it was a left hook that sent Tapia to canvas.  Seconds later a right hand ended things when Rodriguez scored a 3rd knockdown at 1:57.

Rodriguez, 135 3/4 lbs of Riverside, CA is 22-0-1 with 16 knockouts.  Tapia, 137 lbs of Ciudad Mendoza, ARG is 28-19-4.

Rodriguez said: “I was anxious and excited to get back in there after such a long time out of the ring. It was a long time coming, but I did what I had to do and got the job done.”

Nicklaus Flaz took an exciting eight-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Sagadat Rakhmankul in a welterweight bout.

In round four, Flaz landed a hard right that sent Rakhmankul to the canvas.  Rakhmankul came back in round five to land some crushing shots that rocked Flaz all over the ring, and even open a cut over Flaz’s right eye.

The two pounded it out in the last round with Flaz hammerimg Rakhmankul and almost scoring a knockdown.

Flaz, 147 1/2 lbs of Vaga Alta, PR won by scores of 78-73, 77073 and 76-75 and is now 6-1.  Rakhmankul, 147.25 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 3-1.

Janibek Alimkhanuly took a eight-round split decision over Vaughn Alexander in a super middleweight bout.

Alimkhanunly, 163 1/4 lbs of Almaty, KAZ is 4-0.  Alexander, 162.25 lbs of St. Louis, MO 12-2.

Zach Prieto needed just 45 seconds to dispose of Michael Andrews in their scheduled four round middleweight bout.

Prieto, 158 lbs of El Paso, TX is 4-0 with three knockouts.  Andrews, 157 lbs of Pontiac, MI is 1-3.

Follow all the action as Miguel Berchelt defends the WBC Super Featherweight title against Miguel Roman.  The action kicks off at 9:30 PM ET with a battle between former world title challenger Miguel Marriaga and Jose Estrella

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Round 1: Overhand right from Roman..Jab and combination from Berchelt..Hard right from Roman..Body shot from Berchelt..

Round 2 Body shot from Berchelt…Right from Roman..Hard right…Lots of punches being thrown..toe to toe in the center of the ring..Left from Berchelt..Left hook..Hard uppercut

Round 3 Berchelt moving more..Right from Roman..Good right from Berchelt..Hard left..Roman staggered..Body shots..Big left…Roman shows a great chin

Round 4 Left from Berchelt

Round 5 Roman gets in a right..Left hook from Berchelt..Right to body..Left from Roman..

Round 6 Right from Roman…Right from Berchelt..Body shot..Left from Roman..Right and left from Berchelt..3 hard punches..Hard body shot..BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES ROMAN…big LEFT AND RIGHT AND DOWN GOES ROMAN AGAIN

Round 7 Left hook by Berchelt..Left to body and head..Double left hook..3 flush punches bucjle Roman..4 punches to the head

Round 8 Roman trying to land a left..Combination..Big right and left from Berchelt…Right and left to head..2 body shots and a left to head..2 more rights..Flush shots..Roman taking heavy shots

Round 9  Big right from Berchelt..right from Roman..Huge head and body combination…BIG COMBINATION AND DOWN GOES ROMAN..Roman trying to hang around..3 more head shots from Berchelt..BARRAGE OF PUNCHES BY BERCHELT ON THE ROPES AND MERCIFULLY FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 Jab from Estrella..Jab from Marriaga…

Round 2 Body shot from Marriaga..Another…3rd body shot..

Round 3 Hard body shot from Mariaga..Left hook and DOWN GOES ESTRELLA..Hard combination on the ropes..Hook from Estrella

Round 4 Right from Marriaga…Jab from Estrella..Combination..Marriaga lands a combination on the ropes….HARD LEFT HOOK TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES ESTRELLA…HE DOES NOT BEAT THE COUNT AND THE FIGHT WAS OVER

• Miguel Berchelt 129.6 lbs vs. Miguel Roman 129.6 lbs
(Berchelt’s WBC Super Featherweight world title – 12 Rounds)

• Miguel Marriaga 126.5 lbs vs. Jose Estrella 126.25 lbs
(Featherweight – 10 Rounds)

ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET)

• Robson Conceicao 130.25 lbs vs. Joey Laviolette 129.5 lbs
(Super Featherweight – 8 Rounds)

• Saul Rodriguez 135.75 lbs vs. Claudio Tapia 137 lbs
(Lightweight – 10 Rounds)

• Sagadat Rakhmankul 147.25 lbs vs. Nicklaus Flaz 147.5 lbs
(Welterweight – 8 Rounds)

Janibek Alimkhanuly 163.25 lbs vs. Vaughn Alexander 162.25 lbs
(Super Middleweight – 8 Rounds)

• Zach Prieto 158 lbs vs. Michael Andrews 157 lbs
(Middleweight- 4 Rounds)
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Promociones del Pueblo, tickets are on sale now. Priced at $250, $150, $75, $45, and $35, tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, and in person at the UTEP Ticket Center.

Use the hashtag #BercheltRoman to join the conversation on social media.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusives, original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and Counterpunch (twice monthly). In addition to exclusive Top Rank boxing content, programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

EL PASO, Texas (Nov. 1, 2018) – WBC super featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt and challenger Miguel “Mickey” Roman stood nose to nose, two days away from what is expected to be a phone booth battle at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas (ESPN+, 9:30 p.m. ET).

Berchelt (34-1, 30 KOs) is the 26-year-old champion looking to make the fourth defense of his world title. Roman (60-12, 47 KOs) is the 32-year-old veteran from Juarez, Mexico, making his third attempt at a world title.

At the final press conference, on the floor of the Don Haskins Center, this is what Berchelt and Roman had to say.

Miguel Berchelt

“I’m very happy to fight here. I have fought in other cities in the United States, but now I’m very happy to fight here in El Paso. I trained very hard. I want to show that I’m the best 130-pounder in the world, and I will show it on Saturday night.”

“I’m going for the knockout and I know that Mickey will be as well, so it’s going to be a great fight.”

“I am coming to give a good fight and defend what is mine. I promise a great show. Blood, knockouts, and emotion are guaranteed.”

Miguel Roman

“This is a fight that had to happen. I earned the right to fight Berchelt, and I was looking for this fight for a long time. Finally, it’s happening.”

“I’m happy that this fight is happening. I’ve dreamed about a fight like this since I started boxing at 13 years old. What can I say? It’s happening on Saturday, and I am going to leave everything in the ring.”

On potentially becoming first world champion from Juarez, Mexico

“That gets me going, and I am very motivated for that reason. I want to be the first world champion from Ciudad Juarez and make history.”

Bob Arum

“El Paso has always been a great, great boxing town. And, therefore, it’s really a fitting stage for a battle which I said on my latest Tweet… I guarantee this {fight} will be considered, once it’s finished, a contender for Fight of the Year. This is no ordinary fight. This is going to be a great, memorable fight.”

“The two Miguels are going to go at it. Hammering time. You’re really in for a treat. These two warriors are really what boxing is all about. Once the bell rings, as long as the fight goes, your eyeballs are going to be riveted on the ring.”

ESPN+, 9:30 p.m. ET

Miguel Berchelt (champion) vs. Miguel Roman (challenger), 12 rounds, WBC Super Featherweight World Championship

Miguel Marriaga vs. Jose Estrella, 10 rounds, Featherweight

ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET

Robson Conceicao vs. Joey Laviolette, 8 rounds, Super Featherweight

Saul Rodriguez vs. Claudio Tapia, 10 rounds, Lightweight

Sagadat Rakhmankul vs. Nicklaus Flaz , 8 rounds, Super Welterweight

Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Vaughn Alexander, 8 rounds, Super Middleweight

Zach Prieto vs. Michael Andrews, 4 rounds, Middleweight

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Promociones del Pueblo, tickets are on sale now. Priced at $250, $150, $75, $45, and $35, tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, and in person at the UTEP Ticket Center.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusives, original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and Counterpunch (twice monthly). In addition to exclusive Top Rank boxing content, programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

EL PASO, Texas (Oct. 30, 2018) – On paper, it was one of the best action fights that could’ve been made. WBC super featherweight champion Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt and Miguel “Mickey” Roman have promised to deliver on the lofty expectations, Saturday at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

Berchelt-Roman and Miguel Marriaga-Jose Estrella will stream live in the United States beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ —the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

The entire undercard will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET and includes 2016 Brazialian Olympian gold medalist Robson Conceicao (9-0, 5 KOs) against Joey Laviolette (9-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight bout. The card will also see the long-awaited return of Saul “Neno” Rodriguez (21-0-1, 15 KOs), who will face Claudio Tapia (28-18-4, 13 KOs) in a 10-rounder at lightweight.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Promociones del Pueblo, tickets are on sale now. Priced at $250, $150, $75, $45, and $35, tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, and in person at the UTEP Ticket Center.

Berchelt and Roman worked out Tuesday at the Wolves Den Gym. This is what they had to say.

Miguel Berchelt

“I am so eager to put Roman in his place that when I spar, I imagine that I’m sparring him and I push my sparring partners to the limit. Apologies to all my sparring partners because I have hurt them during sparring, but when that happens, the actions stops immediately and I apologize to them. I’m just thinking of Roman.”

“There is more at stake in this fight than just victory. This is about pride! I want to teach Mickey a lesson in his own backyard. I am fed up with all the talking he has done. In the ring, my quality as an elite fighter, and my fists, will do the talking.”

“It’s a rivalry between two sportsmen. Mickey has talked a lot, and we’re going to brawl.”

“Styles make fights. I am going to take the first round or two to feel him out. Then, I’ll make the adjustments, and if I have to go all out, I will.”

Miguel “Mickey” Roman

On fighting close to his hometown of Juarez, Mexico

“It’s definitely a great motivation for me. When I fight here in El Paso, a lot of people support me from all over, like Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and all around El Paso and Juarez.”

On his message to the fans of El Paso

“This is the fight that everybody wanted to see. Boxing people wanted to see this fight, and I’m willing to put everything on the line. Whatever I have, I will leave it in the ring.”

On the crowd that will be attendance

“The people are going to be divided. The arena is going to be divided. They will be rooting for me and Berchelt. He’s a champion. He has a lot of fans, too. Believe me, I’m going to do part and do my best in the ring. This will be the fight of my life.”

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusives, original boxing programs: The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and In This Corner (twice monthly). In addition to exclusive Top Rank boxing content, programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit www.plus.espn.com.

EL PASO, Texas (Oct. 16, 2018) — Miguel “The Scorpion” Marriaga has had two previous cracks at world championship glory, falling short against Oscar Valdez and Vasiliy Lomachenko. The Colombian puncher’s quest for a third title shot continues Saturday, Nov. 3, when he takes on Jose Estrella (20-14-1, 14 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight bout at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

Marriaga-Estrella will be the co-feature to the previously announced Miguel Berchelt-Miguel Roman super featherweight title bout and will stream live at 9:30 p.m ET. on ESPN+— the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

The undercard will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET and includes 2016 Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceicao (9-0, 5 KOs), who will take on Joey Laviolette (9-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight fight.

“I am excited to be back on a great card, and I look forward to winning impressively and getting back to world title contention,” Marriaga said. “There are a lot of great featherweights out there, and I am here to prove that I am one of them.”

Marriaga (26-3, 22 KOs) proved he belonged at the world-class level in 2017 with a pair of valiant efforts in championship bouts. He battled WBO featherweight champion Valdez, pushing the budding superstar en route to a competitive unanimous decision defeat. He then moved up four pounds to challenge pound-for-pound elite Lomachenko for the WBO junior lightweight title, losing via seventh-round TKO. He returned to action on May 12 in Colombia, knocking out Derlinson Buriel in the fourth round.

In other undercard action:

Saul “Neno” Rodriguez (21-0-1, 15 KOs) will return from a 20-month layoff to face Claudio Tapia (28-18-4, 13 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight bout.

Sagadat Rakhmankul (3-0, 1 KO), the Egis Klimas-managed prospect who is training out of the Boxing Laboratory in Oxnard, Calif., will fight Nicklaus Flaz (5-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-rounder at welterweight.

Janibek Alimkhanuly (3-0, 1 KO), also known as “Johnny 2 Guns”, will fight the talented Vaughn Alexander (12-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-rounder at super middleweight. Alimkhanuly last fought Sept. 28 and shut out Carlos Galvan over six rounds.

El Paso-born middleweight prospect Zach Prieto (3-0, 2 KOs) will fight Michael Andrews (1-2, 0 KOs) in a four-rounder.

Philadelphia native Paul Krool (1-0, 1 KOs) will look to make it two in a row against an opponent to be determined in a four-round welterweight bout.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing;
Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing, Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtag #BercheltRoman to join the conversation on social media.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusives, original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and In This Corner (twice monthly). In addition to exclusive Top Rank boxing content, programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

EL PASO, Texas (Sept. 17, 2018) – WBC super featherweight world champion Miguel ‘El Alacrán” Berchelt and Miguel “Mickey” Roman went face-to-face on the arena floor of the Don Haskins Center, site of their Nov. 3 showdown that will, once and for all, settle this simmering grudge match.

Berchelt (34-1, 30 KOs), from, Cancun, Mexico, is the 26-year-old champion looking to make his fourth successful title defense. Roman (60-12, 47 KOs), from Juarez, Mexico, is a 32-year-old who will be making his third attempt at a world title.

Roman and Berchelt met the media on Monday in El Paso, the middle stop of a three-city press swing that, if anything, has stoked the rivalry between the two. Here is what they had to say 47 days away from one of the year’s most anticipated fights.

Miguel Berchelt

“I am very happy to be here. It’s my second time on ESPN. I am training very hard in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. When there are two Mexicans in the ring, the show is guaranteed to be great. This won’t be the exception.”

“In boxing, trash talk is normal. At the end of the day, we are fighters. It is going to be a great fight. The people will leave the arena happy because they are going to see a great fight. They are going to see a great champion in Miguel Berchelt.”

“Roman and I have wanted this fight for a very, very long time. He asked for this opportunity, and I am happy to give it to him. This is going to be a great fight, but I know it will end with my hands raised. I am young and hungry. It doesn’t matter that we’re fighting in his backyard. El Paso and Juarez are going to be my towns when it’s over.”

Miguel Roman

“I would like you to know I’m very happy. I feel great fighting for this belt against Miguel Berchelt. This is something that we’ve been waiting for. Now, it’s happening. I live near the border, and fighting here is like I’m fighting in my house. The people from El Paso, Juarez, and Las Cruces {New Mexico} always support me. On Nov. 3, my people are going to come and support me.”

“I’m fighting a great champion in Miguel Berchelt. He’s very strong and I respect him a lot. I gotta do what I gotta do. I gotta do my job. My experience, strength, and hunger to win this title will take me to victory.”

“He’s talking all of this stuff, that he’s going to take my head off and things like that. El Paso is my town. If he thinks he’s going to come in here and be talking like that, he’s got another thing coming.”

Berchelt-Roman and a soon-to-be announced co-feature will stream live in the United States beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN. The entire undercard will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Promociones del Pueblo, tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. MDT. Priced at $250, $150, $75, $45, and $35, tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, and in person at the UTEP Ticket Center.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing,@ESPN, @ESPNBoxeo, @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtag #BercheltRoman to join the conversation on social media.

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit plus.espn.com.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusive, original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and In This Corner (twice monthly). In addition to exclusive Top Rank boxing content, programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

EL PASO, Texas (Sept. 15, 2018) – They have talked the talk. The time to throw down is near.

For Miguel “El Alacrán” Berchelt and Miguel “Mickey” Roman, this is the fight they demanded, a throwback all-Mexican battle that promises to deliver on the pre-fight bluster.

Berchelt will make the fourth defense of his WBC super featherweight title against Roman on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Don Haskins Center on the campus of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Berchelt-Roman and a soon-to-be announced co-feature will stream live in the United States beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Promociones del Pueblo, tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. MDT. Priced at $250, $150, $75, $45, and $35, tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, and in person at the UTEP Ticket Center.

“Top Rank is very pleased to be able to present a truly great championship fight between two Mexican warriors in the great city of El Paso, which has hosted so many significant boxing events in the past,” said Top Rank CEO Bob Arum.

“I have wanted this fight for a very long time,” Berchelt said. “Roman has been talking a lot. I can’t wait to be in the ring with him. I am happy to fight in El Paso, which is the perfect location for a fight like this. I will show all the fans that I am on my way to becoming one of the great Mexican champions.”

“Berchelt is in for a big surprise,” Roman said. “He’s never seen a Mexican warrior like me before. The fans are going to be on my side, and I know I will be the new WBC champion.”

Berchelt (34-1, 30 KOs), a Cancun native who now resides in Mérida, is an eight-year pro who is equally adept at boxing and brawling. The only hiccup on his record occurred on March 15, 2014, when a left hook from Luis Eduardo Florez put Berchelt down in the opening round. While many observers felt the stoppage was a bit premature, Berchelt rebounded to win his next nine bouts by knockout, including winning a WBO interim 130-pound title, before challenging Francisco Vargas for the WBC super featherweight title on Jan. 28, 2017. In one of the year’s best fights, Berchelt landed more than 400 punches, breaking down Vargas en route to an 11th-round knockout victory. In his first title defense, he outboxed Takashi Miura to score a wide unanimous decision win. Berchelt is 2-0 in 2018, most recently knocking out former world champion Jonathan Barros in the third round in a fight that streamed on ESPN+.

Roman (60-12, 47 KOs), from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, is a 15-year pro whose back-and-forth battles have earned him a reputation as one of the sport’s most reliable action stars. He’s fought a litany of the sport’s top fighters from 122 to 135 pounds. In a roughly seven-month stretch from November 2013 to June 2014, he scored knockout victories over former world champions Daniel Ponce De Leon and Juan Carlos Salgado. Roman, who previously challenged for world titles at featherweight and lightweight, will be making his third attempt at a world title. He made an impression on American fight fans when he fought Miura on the Berchelt vs. Vargas undercard. Despite being knocked out in the 12th and final round by Miura, Roman battled through a vicious cut around his right eye. Roman is 4-0 since the Miura defeat, a stretch that includes a TKO win against former two-weight world champion Orlando “Siri” Salido.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook:facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing,@ESPN, @ESPNBoxeo, @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtag #BercheltRoman to join the conversation on social media.

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit plus.espn.com.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN. ESPN+ offers fans two exclusive, original boxing programs The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and In This Corner (twice monthly). In addition to exclusive Top Rank boxing content, programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

Miguel Berchelt will defend his 130 world title against Mickey Roman on November 3rd, and will streamed on ESPN+, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I have never shied away from him,” Berchelt said. “I fulfilled my previous commitments as a champion. We will simply face him and put Roman in his reality, back to where he should to be.

“Roman has spoken a lot, and it is time to teach him a lesson of humility and respect. We are going to knock him out, to tear off his head. I only hope to meet in the ring, and there he will feel my power.”

Miguel Berchelt defended the WBC Junior Lightweight title with a 3rd round stoppage over Jonathan Barros in Mexico.

In round two, Berchelt dropped Barros with a left hook to the jaw. In round three, it was an overhand right that put Barros down. Berchelt put Barros down for a 3rd time and Barros’ cornerman walked in the ring and stopped the bout at 1:53.

Berchelt of Meridia, MEX is 34-1 with 30 knockouts. Barros, who was a former featherweight champion from Argentina is now 41-6-1.

(JUNE 21, 2018) — ESPN+ will have a full day of boxing on Saturday, June 23, with a pair of broadcasts from two continents.

From the O2 Arena in London, Martin Murray will face off against Roberto Garcia in the main event for the WBC Silver middleweight title. Also appearing on the broadcast will be undefeated heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (7-0, 7 KOs) against Tom Little for the vacant British title, unbeaten light heavyweight Anthony Yarde (15-0, 14 KOs) versus Dariusz Sek (27-3-3, 9 KOs) for the WBO Intercontinental light heavyweight title, and 140-pound contender Ohara Davies (17-1, 13 KOs) will challenge WBC International super lightweight champion Paul Kamanga (21-1, 12 KOs). The broadcast will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET, with the Murray-Garcia bout expected to air shortly after 5:30 p.m. ET.

Then, at 11 p.m. ET, from Poliforum Zamna in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, WBC super featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt (33-1, 29 KOs) will make the third defense of his title against Jonathan Barros (41-5-1, 22 KOs).

Murray (36-4-1, 17 KOs,), a four-time world title challenger, is riding a three-bout winning streak. He lost a split decision to Arthur Abraham for the WBO super middleweight title in November 2015 and has had three previous cracks at middleweight world titles. He was held to a controversial draw against Felix Sturm for the WBA crown in 2011, lost a disputed unanimous decision to WBC champion Sergio Martinez in 2013, and was knocked out in the 11th round by unified champion Gennady Golovkin on Feb. 21, 2015 in Monte Carlo.

Berchelt will be making the third defense of his title against Barros, an Argentine who once held the WBA featherweight title. Berchelt won the title via 11th-round KO against Francisco Vargas on Jan. 28, 2017 in what was one of the year’s best fights. Less than six months later, he outboxed former world champion Takashi Miura en route to a unanimous decision. In his last bout, Feb. 10 in Cancun, Mexico, Berchelt stopped Maxwell Awuku in the third round. Barros will be hitting the road for a title shot once again. He came up short in his last bout, on July 15, 2017 in London, losing a unanimous decision to Lee Selby for the IBF featherweight crown.

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit plus.espn.com.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks.

The ESPN+ lineup includes 18 exclusive, live Top Rank events per year, dozens of fights from other Top Rank undercards, an unmatched library of the greatest fights in boxing history, and two exclusive, original boxing programs: The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays) and In This Corner (twice monthly).

It also features hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, Grand Slam tennis, PGA TOUR golf, college sports, international rugby, cricket, the full library of ESPN Films (including 30 for 30) and more. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is an integrated part of the completely redesigned ESPN App. Already the leading sports app, the new ESPN App is the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans and is a showcase of the company’s culture of innovation. With a richer, increasingly more personalized experience, the new ESPN App curates all of ESPN’s incredible content into an experience unique to each fan’s individual tastes. ESPN+ is also available through ESPN.com.

LONDON (6 February, 2018) – BoxNation subscribers will be able to enjoy more exclusively live world title action this Saturday night when WBC super-featherweight world champion Miguel Berchelt puts his title on the line against Ghanaian hotshot Maxwell Awuku.

‘The Channel of Champions’ will showcase the Mexican big-hitter as he looks to continue his destruction of the 130-pound division following a successful 2017 that saw him stop Francisco Vargas to win the title before defending it against Japan’s Takashi Miura.

With a record of 32-1, with 28 KOs, he now takes on the experienced Awuku who has amassed an impressive 44-3-1, with 30 KOs record, and will now be looking to snatch away Berchelt’s world title in front of his rival’s home fans in Cancun.

Pound-for-pound star Vasyl Lomachenko holds the WBO version of the world title at super-featherweight with Berchelt hoping a win over Awuku this weekend will help to set up a unification fight with the Ukrainian superstar.

However, Ghana has a rich history of producing world champions including the likes of Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey and Joshua Clottey, something which the teak-tough Awuku will be looking to make Berchelt well aware of when they share the ring.

The relentless and all-action Berchelt can’t wait to face Awuku after a number of previous opponents fell through.

“We are ready for whomever, I have prepared myself at the top, it’s good that Awuku is coming to create an upset and wants to offer a great fight to my audience. My emotions grow knowing that I will be fulfilling my dream on Saturday night,” said Berchelt.

Southpaw Awuku is in no doubt that he will shock the Mexican crowd and return home with the world championship belt around his waist.

“The Mexicans believe that they will take me by surprise and I am not prepared, they have made a big mistake, I will spoil the party for their people, I will knock out their champion and then I will go to enjoy the beautiful beaches of Cancun,” Awuku told Boxing Scene.

The challenger has genuine power in his hands, but he insists he is bringing a lot more than just that.

“I’m not just a puncher. I’m a natural and a quick counter-puncher. We Africans are brave, with a lot of professional shame. To fight for the world title and the WBC belt is a unique opportunity that will change my life and my family and I will not waste it. I want to thank everyone who intervened for me to be in Mexico to fulfil a dream,” said Awuku.

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “We are expecting this to be a real toe-to-toe affair between two fighters who don’t know how to take a back step. Miguel Berchelt had a fantastic year in 2017 and will be looking to impress once again, but we all know the rich history of Ghanaian fighters and Maxwell Awuku will be looking to carry on that proud tradition. He has the chance to win the world title and BoxNation subscribers can expect both men to give everything to ensure it is their hand which is raised at the end of the night.”

BoxNation’s exclusively live coverage will start from 12am this Saturday night.

BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com, via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) and TV Player for just £12 a month. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –

About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Canelo vs Golovkin.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), TV Player, online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

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Junior Lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt is now on his 3rd opponent for his February 10th title defense. Now in is Maxwell Awuku, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We are ready for whoever,” Berchelt said. “I have prepared myself at the top. It’s good that the African is coming to create an upset and wants to offer a great fight to my audience. My emotions grow knowing that I will be fulfilling my dream (to defend his title at home) on Feb. 10.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Junior Lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt will face Carlo Magali on February 10th in Cancyn, Mexico.

“I’m ready for whoever,” Berchelt said. “I’m ready to make my second defense before my people, fulfilling my dream. I know that my challenger will come out with everything, like every Filipino, ready to die on the ring. But I’ll be ready for whatever he brings. The important thing is to win and provide a great show.”

“It’s a dream opportunity, which I could not turn down,” Magali said of landing the title shot. “Fortunately, I’m always in the gym, and I know who Berchelt is. He’s very good for my style, and we’re going to bring the world title back to the Philippines.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Cristian Mijares will not fight Miguel Berchelt on February 10 in Mexico.

“I’m confident that the fans are going to have the show that they deserve — a world championship fight and, unfortunately, it will not be against Cristian Mijares, who withdrew at the last minute,” Berchelt said. “But we are working to get a worthy opponent and give them a great fight.”

“I have to change the preparation a bit because Mijares is left-handed. Right now I do not know who they will put in front of me, but I know that the preparation I did with [trainer] Alfredo Caballero will help me to beat anyone,” said Berchelt, adding that after the upcoming defense he would be interested in a unification bout against pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in Inglewood, Calif., Mexican Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt defended his super featherweight title against former titlist Takashi Miura in a good mainevent televised by HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” program. Meanwhile, one state to the east, an improved broadcasting experience happened.

Miguel Berchelt is a good fighter who won his belt the right way – as a b-side, by knockout – but not a world champion so long as Vasyl Lomachenko can make 130 pounds and not a great Mexican super featherweight, either, so long as there survive men who saw Marco Antonio Barrera or Erik Morales or Juan Manuel Marquez at that weight. Berchelt will experience some accumulating ambivalence about that; because of those three men casual fans now watch prizefighters who weigh 100 pounds less than those fans’ general preference, and because of those three men Berchelt will be judged by his merits more than his birthplace and judged to be considerably less than he thinks he is.

El Alacran came of age in Mexico when broadcasting logistics precluded the best Mexican fighters and their best fights from happening on public airwaves, which meant far fewer Mexican boys found a passion for boxing. More ambivalence for Berchelt: It is much easier for a talented prizefighter in this generation to get out of Mexico, but he is unlikely to fare nearly so well at the championship level as his predecessors did. If Berchelt’s path to a title had included a prime version of Barrera or Morales or Marquez, in other words, Berchelt would’ve remained an undercard gatekeeper very, very far from an HBO main event.

This is no criticism of his Saturday win. Berchelt found himself matched against a worn veteran who knew lots of tricks and years ago had better technique then Berchelt imposed the rude force of youth on his elder, exactly as one should. Berchelt adhered to his handlers’ strategy and made Miura move much more than a man of Miura’s age and resume wishes to anymore. Berchelt fought no more than he had to fight. That kept Miura discouraged from opening bell to closing. When things got rougher for Berchelt than he preferred he made appeals to the referee that received sympathy, including an uncommon timeout for rabbit punching.

Something about El Alacran, maybe his pleas to Raul Caiz Sr. or the wide punches or his neck tattoo, feels a bit fragile, alas. And he is way open to counters. That’s what gets one thinking about previous generations of Mexican prizefighters and the comparative cleanliness of their technique: Marquez never wasted a step, Barrera never floated his chin, Morales never threw an arm punch. These were men told from a very young age they could not expect to be the fastest or the strongest or even the toughest in a championship prizefight, and therefore they must employ at all times precision, economy and leverage. To see Berchelt bounce in wide circles and cock his chin much as he cocked his punches and swim forward flailing was to imagine how quickly a 130-pound Manny Pacquiao might’ve raced through him.

If Berchelt never will rival Marco Antonio or Erik, in his best moments he does resemble slightly Juan Manuel’s little brother Rafael. Berchelt has Rafael Marquez’s frame and desire to win with his right hand but not quite Rafael’s matchstopping power.

Still, it’s proper to applaud HBO for the informal super featherweight tournament Boxing After Dark has hosted thus far in 2017. Though the network lost the division’s most talented fighter when Top Rank departed for ESPN, the division’s most talented fighter lost most of the competition that could justify what hyperbolic acclaim he enjoys, too, and while Vasyl Lomachenko’s technical domination of contender-level competition already grows tired, ferocious combat between Latino and Asian prizefighters will not.

Writing of broadcasting: Saturday also comprised a card from Arizona that featured an innovative medium worthy of discussion. Roy Jones Jr. Boxing promoted a show presented on pay-per-view ($0.99) by Ultracast, a company specializing in 360-degree content. Effectively, Ultracast is a bunch of cameras pointing in different directions mounted above a single ringpost, with their various feeds stitched together in a way that allows a viewer to both zoom and roam his perspective in most every direction he could move his eyes were he similarly situated atop a ringpost.

I used the Ultracast app for Android on a Samsung Galaxy S8 phone, and despite the comparatively small screen it was a more rewarding experience than most fight-viewing parties and any sportsbar. It’s not a social way to partake of our beloved sport, but it exceeds the standard HDTV experience and rivals the ringside experience – and all previous jokes about stationing stepladders for visually impaired judges aside, it presents a surprisingly apt and innovative way to score fights more accurately.

What you experience is a static, unobstructed look at two fighters – no anxiously orbiting referee blocking you, no videogame-emulating camera switches from the production truck, no narrative-building replays between rounds. You see every punch (from an unfamiliar angle, yes, but still), you see the entirety of the fighters’ bodies – including, and most importantly for those who know what they’re watching, the fighters’ feet – and you see as far as the backdoor of a small arena and as near as a ringside doctor taking notes during an undercard match. If I were a trainer or fighter reviewing footage of a future opponent, it is absolutely the view I would wish to have.

Without seeing the hardware involved, one imagines it’s far less cumbersome than previous attempts with 3D, which means it might be a portable solution that complements Showtime’s recent modernization attempts with live sports on social media platforms (something HBO surely will adopt once AT&T finishes selling off its parent company’s assets). Take Ultracast, switch the commentary team for an enhanced arena-sounds audio feed, charge $0.99 for every fightcard in the land and $5 for world championships, and call it The Aficionados App: Eventually you could get a reliable $50/year from about 500,000 hardcore boxing fans. That might just be viable.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

LOS ANGELES (July 13, 2017): HBO Boxing After Dark® triple-header fighters hosted a press conference today ahead of their fights on Saturday, July 15, from The ‘Fabulous’ Forum and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark® beginning at 9:50 p.m. ET/PT.

Main event and guaranteed to provide “Fight Of The Year” material, the WBC World Super Featherweight clash between warriors Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt (31-1, 28 KOs) and Takashi Miura (31-3-2, 24 KOs) is scheduled for 12-rounds. Co-main event and match for WBA Super World Super Featherweight championship, Panamanian Jezreel “El Invisible” Corrales (21-1, 8 KOs) will make his U.S. debut against rugged Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos (24-12, 14 KOs). Opening the HBO telecast, current WBC International light heavyweight Champion Joe Smith, Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) will put his belt on the line against the Miami’s Sullivan Barrera (19-1, 14 KOs). On the RING TV live streamed portion of the card, Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (30-1-2, 16 KOs) will run up against Martin “El Brochas” Honorio (33-10-1, 16 KOs), Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (9-0, 8 KOs) will go up against Mario Macias (27-21-1, 14 KOs), and Manny “Chato” Robles (12-0, 4 KOs) will step up his competition with Chihuahua, Mex.’s Juan “El Peñita” Jimenez (23-12, 16 KOs).

Below is what fighters on the Saturday, July 15 HBO Boxing After Dark® triple- header had to say at today’s press conference:

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:

“Thank you to the Forum for hosting this fight night. Boxing here is special-I would know because I made my professional debut nearly 25 years ago in this venue just a few months after I returned from the Olympics in Barcelona. Thank you to our friends at Zanfer Promotions, Teiken Promotions, Star Boxing and Main Events for working alongside us in putting together these fights.”

“Saturday will be a guaranteed action-packed triple-header featuring the newly crowned WBC Super Featherweight World Champion, Mexico’s Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt making his first title defense against former titlist and dangerous Japanese warrior Takashi Miura in the main event.”

“Every fan knows an action-packed main event makes for an exciting night of boxing, but great fights from start to finish are even more exceptional. In the co-main event for WBA Super World Super Featherweight championship hardware, Panamanian Jezreel “El Invisible” Corrales will make his U.S. debut against Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos-a fighter known for massive upsets. Opening the night with another hot-pursuit for a title, current WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion Joe Smith, Jr. will put his belt on the line against Miami’s Sullivan Barrera. As you may all remember, Smith, Jr.’s previous fight at the Forum resulted in handing Bernard Hopkins his only knockout loss-and we can be sure to expect fireworks in this next fight also.”

“Aside from this triple-header, we also have some outstanding rising prospects fighting on the undercard that are hungry and eager to showcase their talents to the fans on Saturday night.”

MARTHA SHEN-URQUIDEZ, California State Athletic Commission:
“The best part of being a part of the commission is coming to events like this, and being able to be a part of great cards. This Saturday, we will see an awesome triple header event. I love to see Oscar choosing to have more fights in California.”

“In California, we have the largest number of boxing fans. We appreciate the relationship we have with Golden Boy Promotions, and the caliber of fights they bring to the state – this year they’ve had 24 events, with about 20 of them televised. This Saturday, you will see a great championship fight, and we are looking forward to help facilitate a safe and successful event.”

PETER NELSON, Executive Vice-President of HBO Sports:
“This card brings an array of talent. We are thankful to The Forum, it’s a great venue and brings great fans. It is emblematic of what we are about – not great names, but great fights because great names come from great fights.”

“To get to this level, its hard water to tread – look at Castellanos who has spoiled the careers of many prospects. This is his opportunity; the first fight of his career was an eight-round fight for 200 dollars. To go from where he was to where he is today, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. I want to thank Oscar and Golden Boy Promotions who make my life easier by putting together such great cards. We have a main event where a fighter has already participated in two ‘Fight Of The Year’ matches already, and Berchelt who is coming off of a spectacular victory against Francisco Vargas.”

“Opening the card, we have returned to the scene of the crime [The Forum] committed by Joe Smith Jr., and you have a veteran like Sullivan Barrera, who goes down to the canvas and comes back with a vengeance. You also have the co-main event with Corrales, who has gone into enemy territory to get the victory, and now will be making his U.S.A debut on HBO.”

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my thanks to the promoter partners, Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing and Kathy and Nicole Duva of Main Events. I also want to thank our HBO subscribers and fans of the sport, without you, all of this wouldn’t be possible.”

JOSE “PEPE” SULAIMAN, JR., CEO of the WBC’s Los Angeles Office:
“The fights for this particular belt have been real wars. Miura is known as a Mexican executioner. There is a new rivalry that has built up – before it was Mexico vs. Puerto Rico – but now Japan has taken that place against Mexicans. Berchelt has a stinging precision. Easily, this fight is material for ‘Fight of the Year’.”

“The WBC was created and is always fighting to make the sport better and safer for the fighters. We are pleased and honored to have Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya, who has been a great friend for many years now. I would also like to thank Teiken Promotions – the last fight my father saw was Miura versus Sergio “Yeyo” Thompson. I am certain that this fight on Saturday will be ‘Fight of the Year’.”

BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Business Partner:
“I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for being here for me during this transition. Like Peter Nelson mentioned earlier, we return to the scene of the fight; but I’m here as the promoter this time.”

“It is a privilege to be in a historic place like this, and be a part of this scene. You have guys who have the opportunity to break into the light heavyweight division that is wide open right now. I want to speak to my young fighters, this is your opportunity to steal the spotlight. I challenge the young fighters to steal the spotlight from the big guys, in the future, they can be your best promoter. This is the hurt business, so be there to watch this Saturday.”

NICOLE DUVA, COO of Main Events:
“We are happy to help put together a great triple header. Our fight is a matchup of two guys trying to move up in the rankings. This fight is also very meaningful for Sullivan, as his father will be sitting to watch his son for the first time in his career. This is extra motivation as he moves up in the sport, and will be emotional for all of us.”

SULLIVAN BARRERA, Current USNBC Light Heavyweight Champion:
“This fight is very meaningful for me. My father has come all the way from Cuba to watch me. It’s been eight years since I have seen him, and this will be the first time he will see me fight professionally. I’m thankful to Golden Boy and HBO for another opportunity. Joe Smith, Jr. is a great fighter, and I am looking forward to a great fight this Saturday.”

JERRY CAPOBIANCO, Trainer to Joe Smith, Jr.:
“This is going to be a great fight. Joe had a great training camp, is in top condition, and we expect a great fight.”

JOE SMITH JR., Current WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion:
“I am glad to be back at the Forum on HBO, I am expecting a great show on Saturday. Sullivan is a great fighter. It’s another great accomplishment for me and my career. I want to thank my coach Jerry Capobianco, and my team for the opportunity.”

ENRIQUE GUILBERT, Manager to Robinson Castellanos:
“We are thankful to HBO, and we are excited to prove what Robinson can do when he gets the shot to do it. Thank you to the press, I hope that you are paying attention to what is happening here. Castellanos is coming off of a victory over Yuriorkis Gamboa, and has stopped numerous prospects including Ronny Rios.”

ROBINSON “ROBIN HOOD” CASTELLANOS, Super Featherweight Contender;
“This is literally a dream come true. I remember a couple years back, my father and I were watching Yuriorkis Gamboa fight, and we were breaking him down, and we talked about how we would try to win. Who would have thought that years later we would have been able to accomplish that? Who knows what is next. I am thankful for the opportunity, and I am excited to show everyone what I am capable of.”

LESBIA DE MOSS, Manager to Jezreel Corrales:
“I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for the opportunity and to HBO for introducing my fighter Jezreel Corrales who is all the way from San Miguelito, Panama. I just want to let you guys know that he is a very technical boxer, who is also very aggressive. He is ready to put on a great show.”

JEZREEL “EL INVISIBLE” CORRALES, Current WBA Super World Super Featherweight Champion:
“I want to thank Golden Boy and Oscar De La Hoya for the opportunity. I want to thank Rogelio Espino and the WBA for the opportunities that I have this moment. I feel very happy, very motivated, and very positive for the opportunity that has been presented to me. I’m here with a lot of energy, and to give this victory to my mother.”

“I’m going up against a great fighter. It’s going to be an interesting fight. I just turned 26, and my gift to myself is to come home with the victory.”

SENDAI TANAKA, Trainer to Takashi Miura:
“I want to thank Golden Boy and HBO for this great fight. We had a very good preparation and he is very ready.”

TAKASHI MIURA, Former WBC Super Featherweight World Champion:
“I want to thank HBO, Golden Boy Promotions, Teiken Promotions and the WBC for this fight. The champion is a great fighter, a tough fighter, but I am taking back my belt with me. Please expect a very exciting fight from me. Thank you very much.”

MARIO ABRAHAM, Manager to Miguel Berchelt:
“I want to thank everyone at Golden Boy, HBO and all our sponsors. This is our night, Miguel will have the great opportunity to fight as a champion as the main event in a great city, a great venue, a great show, and a great network. We are very excited. We know we are facing a true Japanese warrior.”

“We respect Takashi Miura. He is a big puncher, he’s been a world champion, and he wants the belt back. But now this is Miguel Berchelt’s time. He is 25, he is a world champion, and he has been working very hard this year with Alfredo Caballero and his team. This Saturday, he is going to prove to the boxing world that he will be one of the great Mexican Champions.”

MIGUEL “EL ALACRAN” BERCHELT, Current WBC Super Featherweight Champion:
“I want to say thank you to everyone, and to the media for the support. I am very happy that this is my third time fighting in the US, and the second time as the main event on HBO with Golden Boy. I want to thank Golden Boy, HBO and promoters at Zanfer for the great opportunity.

“I am very well prepared. I know I have a very good, strong, former world champion ahead of me. Takashi Miura is a typical Japanese kamikaze that is coming with everything. That’s why I prepared myself very well. I respect him tremendously, and I know it’s a great fight on both sides. I am going to give my Mexican people a great show, and take my belt back home.”

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $75 and $125, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or the Forum Box Office (Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m. PST to 7:00 p.m. PST) at (310) 330-7300. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.fabulousforum.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.hbo com/boxing, follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @hboboxing, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing, and follow the conversation using #bercheltmiura.

Berchelt vs. Miura, a 12-round fight for the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and Teiken Promotions. Corrales vs. Castellanos is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. Smith vs. Barerra is presented by Star Boxing in association with Main Events. The event is sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, July 15 at Los Angeles’ “Fabulous” Forum and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark at 9:50 P.M EST/PST.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/BercheltMiura into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

LOS ANGELES (July 12, 2017) Fighters from the July 14 LA FIGHT CLUB
card and July 15 HBO Boxing After Dark triple header led by Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt (31-1, 28 KOs) and Takashi Miura (31-3-2, 24 KOs) today hosted a Los Angeles media workout at City of Angels Gym ahead of their respective fights.

On July 15 live from the “Fabulous” Forum, televised on HBO Boxing After Dark, Berchelt will take on Miura in a WBC Super Featherweight Championship main event. The triple header will also feature Panamanian super featherweight Jezreel “El Invisible” Corrales (21-1, 8 KOs) who will make his U.S. debut against Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos (24-12, 14 KOs) for Corrales’s WBA Super World title. Opening up the action-packed HBO telecast, current two-time WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion Joe Smith, Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) will put his belt on the line against the Miami’s Sullivan Barrera (19-1, 14 KOs). On the RING TV live streamed portion of the card, Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (30-1-2, 16 KOs) will run up against Martin “El Brochas” Honorio (33-10-1, 16 KOs), Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (9-0, 8 KOs) will go up against a TBA opponent, and Manny “Chato” Robles (12-0, 4 KOs) will step up his competition with Chihuahua, Mex.’s Juan “El Peñita” Jimenez (23-12, 16 KOs).

Below is what fighters on the Saturday, July 15 HBO Boxing After Dark triple header had to say at today’s workout:

MIGUEL “EL ALACRAN” BERCHELT, Current WBC Super Featherweight Champion:

“I consider myself a world champion, and fighting Takashi Miura is a way to prove that I am the best in my class. Some of my advantages include my height, the fact that I haven’t been in many wars, and my youth.

“I have a youthful hunger that makes the difference between the two of us. It’s cool to know that I am facing the best in my division – I was able to get through Francisco Vargas, so I know that I can take on Miura.

“Our plan is simple: win round by round. I will show the crowd that not only can I box, but that I can keep my energy through the rounds. Fighting with intelligence is key-you can be in a war but if you’re not smart with how you land your punches it won’t benefit you or help you win.

“Overall, I am excited to be able to fight again in Los Angeles with my fellow paisanos (countrymen).”

TAKASHI MIURA, Former WBC Super Featherweight World Champion:

“Training camp went extremely well, and I am pleased with how everything is going. I am getting used to the environment and time difference in LA, but should be fully ready to go come fight week.

“After my last loss, I became depressed for a couple of months. I thought I wouldn’t be able to come back to the level that I once was. However, boxing is everything to me, and I couldn’t just walk away.

“I have more heart than Berchelt. I want this more than I want anything. I am expecting a war because I know he won’t want to give up his belt that easy. But I want it back. If there’s a possibility to unify the titles, I will, if the opportunity is there. Our division is known for a lot of wars.”

JEZREEL “EL INVISIBLE” CORRALES, Current WBA Super World Super Featherweight Champion:

“I’ve always been confident in my training. They call me ‘El Invisible’ because you can’t see me in the ring when I’m moving.

“I’m very happy to be making my U.S. debut and fighting with Golden Boy Promotions.”

ROBINSON “ROBIN HOOD” CASTELLANOS, Super Featherweight Contender:

“We had a great training camp, and we did everything we could to put together the best fight possible. I don’t know which way the fight will go, however what I can tell you is that the only thing on my mind is winning.”

JOE SMITH, JR., Current WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion:

“Since my last fight, everyone recognizes me more. I’ve been working on continuing my journey towards becoming a world champion.

“In my fight with Barrera, we’re just all going to have to see what Saturday brings.”

SULLIVAN BARRERA, Current USNBC Light Heavyweight Champion:

“This fight is special because it is the first time my father will see me fight professionally. Joe Smith, Jr. is very good; he has power, but I have power too. I think I have a lot more experience than him, and I’m his biggest challenge yet.”

MERCITO “NO MERCY” GESTA, Lightweight Contender:

“I’m always excited for every fight to get back in the ring, especially now that I’m fighting at the ‘Fabulous’ Forum for the first time. I’ve been working a lot on my sparring, and I’ve learned a lot going in to this fight. I’m ready.”

RYAN “KINGRY” GARCIA, Lightweight Prospect:

“I’ve been focusing on staying consistent during my training camp, which was five weeks. I’ve been working with my strength and conditioning coach a lot. I know my opponent is a come-forward fighter, and we will both put on a great show on July 15 at the Forum.”

On Friday, July 14 at LA FIGHT CLUB at the Belasco Theater, Venezuela’s Roger “The Kid” Gutierrez (14-0-1, 11 KOs) will face Nicaraguan warrior Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (24-8, 16 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight bout. As the co-main event, Edgar “Kid Neza” Valerio will up the ante with Torreon, Mex.’s Jairo Hernandez(18-11, 9 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight bout. Opening up the Boxeo Estelar telecast on Estrella TV, Panama’s Jaime “Jaimito” Arboleda (10-0, 8 KOs) will take on Philly’s Recky Dulay (9-2, 6 KOs) for a six-round super featherweight contest.

Below is what the July 14 LA FIGHT CLUB fighters had to say at today’s workout:

ROGER “THE KID” GUTIERREZ, Super Featherweight Contender:

“I get to represent my people of Venezuela in this fight. This is my first professional fight in the U.S., and I’m excited to be able to do that against someone like Alvarado who has fought for titles and has proven to be a skillful fighter. We work on everything in camp, so I feel prepared to make my U.S debut.”

RENE “GEMELO” ALVARADO, Super Featherweight Contender:

“I have a lot to gain if I win in this fight. I have to make my upward climb back to the top, and this fight is a step in that direction. I am by no means expecting an easy fight – we both want this.”

EDGAR “KID NEZA” VALERIO, Featherweight Prospect:

“Right now, I feel like I’ve been getting better at being patient and calm in the ring. Boxing isn’t a game and taking punches isn’t easy, but I feel I’ve improved on keeping my composure.”

JAIME “JAIMITO” ARBOLEDA, Super Featherweight Prospect:

“I have so much pride in being able to represent Panama. I will be going up against a Filipino fighter. He is fast, but we have prepared well to take him on and be able to box him. I feel good, and I am excited to fight in Los Angeles and give a good show.”

July 15: Tickets for Berchelt vs. Miura at the “Fabulous” Forum are priced at $25, $50, $75 and $125, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or the Forum Box Office (Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m. PST to 7:00 p.m. PST) at (310) 330-7300. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.fabulousforum.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

July 14: Tickets for LA FIGHT CLUB are starting at only $20 with Flex Passes for multiple fight packages, Group Tickets and Knockout Experience upgrade are available for purchase now at www.goldenboypromotions.com, the Golden Boy Promotions Facebook page, by calling 213-233-2957.

Berchelt vs. Miura, a 12-round fight for the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and Teiken Promotions. Corrales vs. Castellanos is presented by Golden Boy Promotions. Smith vs. Barerra is presented by Star Boxing in association with Main Events. The event is sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, July 15 at Los Angeles’ “Fabulous” Forum and will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:50 p.m. EST/PST.

Gutierrez vs. Alvarado is an eight-round super featherweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Tecate “Born BOLD”, Casa Mexico Tequila, and Adriana’s Insurance. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. PT and the first fight begins at 5:30 p.m. PT. Boxeo Estelar will air tape delayed on Estrella TV at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. The card will also stream live on EstrellaTV.com and on YouTube via LBI Media, Inc.’s Fenomeno Studios. The Ring TV live stream will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.

HBO serves up a tripleheader of hot ring action when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: MIGUEL BERCHELT VS. TAKASHI MIURA, JEZREEL CORRALES VS. ROBINSON CASTELLANOS AND JOE SMITH JR. VS. SULLIVAN BARRERA is seen SATURDAY, JULY 15 at 9:50 p.m. (ET/PT) from the renowned venue The Forum in Inglewood, Cal. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The fights will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

The main event is a 12-round super featherweight title showdown between Miguel Berchelt (31-1, 28 KOs) from Merida, Mexico, and Takashi Miura (31-3-2, 24 KOs) from Tokyo, Japan. Fighting in the U.S. for only the second time, Berchelt will be making his first title defense since taking the belt from Francisco Vargas last January in a thrilling fight seen on HBO. The current mandatory at 130 pounds, Miura is a former super featherweight champ looking to regain the title he lost to Francisco Vargas in 2015, a bruising battle that captured consensus “fight of the year” honors.

The middle bout features Jezreel Corrales (21-1, 8 KOs) from San Miguelito, Panama and Robinson Castellanos (24-12, 14 KOs) from Celaya, Mexico in a scheduled 12-round super featherweight title contest. Corrales’ only loss came in his second pro fight; he will be making his first U.S. appearance after winning the crown with back-to-back victories over Takashi Uchiyama. Castellanos, who experienced a string of losses early in his professional career, has won 14 of his last 16 fights, scoring an emphatic upset win over former Olympic gold medalist and featherweight champ Yuriorkis Gamboa this past May.

The tripleheader opens with an intriguing light heavyweight contest between New Yorker Joe Smith Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) and Cuban native Sullivan Barrera (19-1, 14 KOs). Smith, who worked in construction on Long Island as he built his ring career, stunned the boxing world last December when he knocked future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins out of the ring. Barrera, now living in Miami, Fla., suffered his only pro loss to reigning 175-pound champion Andre Ward. Both fighters are known for heavy hitting, and a big victory in this 12-round matchup will dramatically enhance the winner’s position in the talent-rich division.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.
All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jonathan Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.