In a heart and soul performance before a sold-out crowd at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt (31-1, 28 KOs) pulled the upset of a lifetime and was crowned the new after an 11th round stoppage of former two-time world champion Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas (23-1-2, 17 KOs). The fight featured moments of heavy exchanges, which resulted in the reopening of a former cut above one of Vargas’s eyes during the ninth round.
Golden Boy Promotions
Takashi Miura KOs Mickey Roman
In a spectacular slugfest performance and strong Fight of the Year candidate, the evening’s co-feature had Takashi Miura (31-3-2, 24 KOs) defeat Mexican warrior, and number two WBC rated Miguel “Mikey” Roman (56-12, 43 KOs) with a 12th round stoppage in their super featherweight battle.
“My hands feel great despite it being a war in there,” said Takashi Miura. “These are the types of fights that I want. I want the winner of the next fight [Vargas vs. Berchelt] next.”
Gamboa inks with Golden Boy Promotions
Building on its record of signing and promoting the best of the best, Golden Boy Promotions – in association with ZR Entertainment — today announced a multi-fight deal with former three-division world champion and Olympic Gold medalist Yuriokis “El Ciclón de Guantánamo” Gamboa (25-1, 17 KOs).
The Cuban standout, who has defeated a who’s who of champions and contenders throughout his 10-year professional career, will look to add to the title belts he has held in the featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight divisions as he makes another run at championship glory.
Lemieux – Stevens quotes
Former IBF Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) will defend his NABO Middleweight title against Curtis ”The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) on Saturday, March 11 at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. The two athletes had their first face off during the Montreal press conference held earlier today.
Tickets for this highly anticipated matchup will go on sale January 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. Tickets for the March 11 HBO Boxing After Dark event are priced at $30, $45, $55 and $75 for ringside seats plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster
(www.ticketmaster.com).
Canelo Alvarez vs Julio Cesar Chavez set for May 6- HBO Pay-Per-View
In a historic showdown that will rival the biggest fights in the history of Mexico’s proud boxing lineage, two-division world champion and Pay-Per-View star Canelo Álvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) will take on former WBC World Middleweight Champion Julio César Chávez, Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) on Cinco de Mayo weekend, Saturday, May 6 in a 12-round battle to be contested at a maximum 164.5 pounds. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®.
Details regarding venue and an international press tour will be announced soon.
Joe Smith Jr. sends Bernard Hopkins into retirement
Joe Smith, Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) retained his WBC International Light Heavyweight Title with a technical knockout victory after sending Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (55-8-2, 32 KOs) through the ropes in the eighth round. Hopkins was unable to get back into the ring after sustaining an injury to his ankle, and the fight was stopped at 53 seconds into round eight.
“It feels great, it’s the best feeling in the world to accomplish something I set out for and wanted to do,” said Joe Smith, Jr. “I had seen him every time I threw the right hand, he was throwing the left. I had seen him fall, and I kept hitting him until I saw him go out, and I landed that left hook until he went out. I knew he had time to go out, but I hit him with four or five clean shots and they were good shots on the button. I knew he was a true champion, and if he didn’t get injured he’d be back here. I came here to do my job, and this is my coming out party too. I had to finish him, it was either my career was going to end and his was going to end, but I needed mine to continue. I’m going to get back in the gym and train hard for my next opponent. I’m up for anything. I have lots of respect for Bernard. He is a true champion. Lots of people love Bernard and still will because he’s a true champion.”
Sullivan Barrera Pulls Upset Over Vyacheslav Shabranskyy
Cuban stand out Sullivan Barrera (18-1, 13 KOs) pulled an upset over Vyacheslav “Lionheart Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (17-1, 14 KOs) in a slugfest for the WBC USNBC Light Heavyweight title at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. before a nearly sold-out crowd and televised on HBO Latino. The fight lasted until the seventh round, where Shabranskyy’s team waved the white towel at the 2:05 mark.
“Of course we would never expect this,” said Vyacheslav Shabranskyy. “We will decide next steps after we get over this.”
Bernard Hopkins – Joe Smith Jr. this Saturday / Hopkins Q & A
Placing an exclamation point at the end of a decades long career, former two-division world champion and future Hall of Famer Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (55-7 2, 32 KOs) will be delivering a performance reflective of his extensive career taking on the best as he faces a young lion and current WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion Joe Smith, Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) this Saturday, Dec. 17 on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Hopkins will be entering the ring for his last hoorah in true Hopkins style by closing out the book with a match up that will demonstrate his evolution as a fighter and his daring persona.
Results: Abraham Lopez decisions Sergio Lopez
In the final LA FIGHT CLUB of 2016, Abraham “Chamaco” Lopez (22-0-1, 15 KOs) defended his NABA Featherweight title against Sergio “Micky” Lopez (20-13-1, 13 KOs). The bout was a tough one, with “El Chamaco” emerging with a unanimous decision victory that kept his undefeated record intact.
“He was definitely a warrior,” said Abraham Lopez. “I definitely thought that there was moments throughout the fight that he was going to go down, but it goes to show how tough he was. I definitely think that it was my night tonight.”
Results: Cano decisions Herrera
In a true crossroads fight featuring longtime welterweight contenders, Pablo “El Demoledor” Cesar Cano (30-5-1, 21 KOs) pulled out a split-decision victory over Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera (22-7, 7 KOs) in an exciting 10-round battle at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino on Estella TV’s Boxeo Estelar.
VIP guests for the stacked card included Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya, Former Five-Time World Champion Vinny Paz, Mexican Actor and Model Gabriel Soto, Jesus “Renuente” Soto Karass, Angel Bojado, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Joseph “Diamante” Aguirre, and Luis Coria.