Resorts World Arena in Las Vegas is the setting for a Top Rank show this Saturday night, and in the main event, Miguel Berchelt makes the step up to lightweight, and he tackles Jeremia Nakathila over a scheduled 12 rounds.
Berchelt (38-2, KO34) reigned as WBC super featherweight champion, winning the belt in January 2017, knocking out Francisco Vargas in eleven rounds, and ‘El Alacran’ defended the title six times, winning five of those via the early route. After a non-title sixth round stoppage of Eleazar Valenzuela Carrillo in June 2020, Berchelt faced his toughest defence to date, as he took on Oscar Valdez in February last year. The Mexican came off second best, down in rounds four and nine, before being down once more, and knocked out in the tenth for only his second loss in 40 professional contests.
Valdez knocks out Berchelt a second before the bell.
Simply breathtaking!#ValdezBerchelt pic.twitter.com/ivYLDlmwNL
— The Fight Bubble (@thefightbubble) February 21, 2021
He now moves up a weight, and his first test is against a safe type of opposition in Nakathila (22-2, KO18). The Namibian boxed outside of his homeland for the first time in June last year, and was routed over twelve against the gifted Shakur Stevenson, hitting the canvas in the fourth before losing every round. The 32-year-old also moves up to lightweight. He resurfaced in Namibia in October, stopping Ndodana Ncube in two rounds.
Prediction: Berchelt has picked a decent opponent to return to action with, and one that shouldn’t cause too many problems for him. The Mexican should ease to a wide points win.
Ten round action heads the undercard, and at featherweight, Jose Enrique Durantes Vivas (21-1, KO11) can take victory over the distance against Eduardo Baez (20-2-2, KO7), who lost a majority decision to Ra’eese Aleem in his last fight.
In eight round attractions, Carlos Caraballo (14-1, KO14) was down four times and dropped a points loss in his last fight, and he looks to return to winning ways against Luis Fernando Saveedra (9-6, KO3). The super bantamweight can do just that with a stoppage win. At super lightweight, Josue Vargas (19-2, KO9) comes back from a one round knockout to Jose Zepeda, and he can take an early win against Nicolas Pablo Demario (15-5-3, KO9).
In six rounders, Delante Johnson (2-0, KO1) should win on the cards against Sebastian Gabriel Chaves (5-3, KO2) at welterweight, and at featherweight, Haven Brady Jr (5-0, KO3) can outscore Jose Angel (8-2, KO2).
Three four round contests round off the card. At light heavyweight, Dante Benjamin (1-0, KO1) can outscore Kevin Johnson (2-0, KO1), and at featherweight, Arturo Popoca (2-0, KO2) can do the same against Juan Hernandez Martinez (2-0, KO0). Adrian Serrano makes his debut, and the lightweight can take a points win against Estevan Partida (0-1).
You can watch all the action on Sky Sports in the UK and ESPN+ in the USA.
