5/11 ESPN: Miguel Berchelt vs Francisco Vargas 2 / Issac Dogboe vs Emanuel Navarrete 2

[patscorpio]

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 21 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!”

 

[patscorpio]

card of fades

demonic whew

• patscorpio
• Apr 20, 2015

 

[patscorpio]

Fazliddin “Fayzi” Gaibnazarov is on the fast track to world title contention. Gaibnazarov, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist for his native Uzbekistan, will face the toughest — and tallest — test of his career against the 6-foot-3 Mykal “The Professor” Fox in a 10-round super lightweight showdown from the Tucson Arena. Fox will have a roughly nine-inch height advantage over Gaibnazarov.

Gaibnazarov-Fox will headline an action-packed slate of fights on ESPN+ — the leading multi-sport streaming service — beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

The main card, dubbed “Twice as Nice,” will feature a pair of world championship rematches and will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET. WBC super featherweight champion Miguel “El Alacrán” Berchelt will make the fifth defense of his belt against Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas in a rematch of their 2017 Fight of the Year contender, won by Berchelt via 11th-round knockout. In the co-feature, WBO junior featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete will look to repeat the deed against Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe in a rematch of their Dec. 8 bout, won by Navarrete via unanimous decision.

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.

“I want the best fighters at 140 pounds, and I want them soon,” Gaibnazarov said. “Fox is a step up for me, but I always rise to the occasion as my opposition gets better. I fought and beat the world’s best fighters as an amateur, and I will do the same as a professional. 2019 is going to be my year.”

“Most guys would take a step down in competition after a loss, but there is nothing to gain from that. Gaibnazorov is not to be taken lightly but neither am I,” Fox said. “I’m looking to secure a win and get back on the ball. An undefeated Olympian is a hell of a choice to try and do that with, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Plus, the list of guys who will fight me, despite losing, is very short. I’m grateful and looking forward to doing battle with an Olympian.”

Gaibnazarov (7-0, 4 KOs) turned pro in 2017 following a storied amateur career that included a pair of Olympic berths, the gold medal in 2016 and victories over the likes of current promotional stablemate and WBC super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez. He turned pro in scheduled eight-rounders and has yet to be seriously challenged in the paid ranks. After going 3-0 in 2018, he made his 2019 debut on Jan. 19 in Verona, New York, stopping Ricardo Garcia in four rounds.

Fox (19-1, 5 KOs), a native of Forestville, Maryland, has befuddled most of his professional opponents with his long southpaw jab. In his last outing, Feb. 15 in Mulvane, Kansas, the upset-minded Fox was on the short end of a 10-round unanimous decision to top prospect Shohjahon Ergashev. Despite a pair of 98-92 scorecards, many ringside observers believed Fox did enough to earn a draw.

In other action on ESPN+:

• Albuquerque native and top featherweight prospect Jason Sanchez (14-0, 7 KOs) will face former world title challenger Adeilson Dos Santos (19-6, 15 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
  
• Phoenix native Carlos Castro (22-0, 9 KOs) will defend his WBC Continental Americas super bantamweight belt in a 10-rounder against Mario Alberto Diaz (18-2, 7 KOs). Castro is coming off an upset win over former world title challenger Genesis Servania in February.
  
• Three-time world title challenger Miguel Marriaga (27-3, 23 KOs) returns to action in an eight-round featherweight bout against Naciff Martinez (23-10-3, 9 KOs).
  
• Super lightweight prospect Miguel Parra (16-1-1, 11 KOs) hopes to make it eight wins in a row versus David Morales (13-10, 13 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
  
• Tucson-based middleweight prospect Manny Guajardo (4-0, 0 KOs) will look to impress the hometown fans in a four-rounder against Jonathan Espino (2-3, 2 KOs).
  
• In a four-round welterweight rematch featuring a pair of local favorites, Nogales’ Judas Estrada (1-1-1, 1 KO) will face Tucson’s Christopher Gonzalez (3-0-1, 0 KOs). Estrada and Gonzalez fought to a draw last November in a crowd-pleasing brawl.
  
• Phoenix native Carlos Velasquez (1-0, 0 KOs) will face an opponent to be named in a four-rounder at lightweight.

 

[patscorpio]

surprised this card isnt getting attention...i prolly blame top rank for this because their other cards lately havent been up to par...on paper i see another bloodbath and another war..hopefully it delivers in the ring

 

[L68]

Glad this is on regular ESPN.. They havent sold me on buying the espn plus yet

 

[Bigblackted4]

I’ll watch this when I get home from the Hurd Williams fight

 

[patscorpio]

 

[patscorpio]

ESPN Weights From Tucson: Berchelt 130, Vargas 130

By Jake Donovan

The ESPN-televised main event and co-feature both promise to feature plenty of drama in the ring. Fortunately, there wasn’t any at the scale.

Miguel Berchelt and Francisco Vargas made weight for the super featherweight title fight rematch, which airs live from Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Ariz. (Saturday, ESPN, 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT and local time).

Berchelt (35-1, 31KOs) weighed 130 on the nose for the fifth defense of the 130-pound title he violently snatched from Vargas more than two years ago. The streaking Mexican slugger—who has won his last 14 starts—weighed 129¾ pounds on that Jan. 2017 night, where he rallied for an 11th round stoppage to ignite his current reign.

Vargas (25-1-2, 18KOs) also checked in right at the 130-pound limit for the rematch, slightly heavier than the 129½ pounds he weighed for his title-relinquishing stoppage loss. The 34-year old from Mexico City had reigned for just 14 months—his off-the-canvas 9th round knockout of Takashi Miura to win the title being hailed as the 2015 Fight of the Year, with his 12-round draw versus Orlando Salido in June 2016 every bit the thriller.

The pair of fights took plenty out of Vargas, who looked run down in the back half of his loss to Berchelt. He’s since won two straight but has been out of the ring since last April.

Their headlining act is one of two rematches on the show, aptly billed Twice As Nice.

Opening the telecast, Emanuel Navarrete hopes to prove his title winning effort is twice as nice as he’s prepared to run it back with former champ Isaac Dogboe. Both boxers made weight on the first try for their 122-pound title affair, neither having fought since their first meeting five months ago.

Navarrete (26-1, 22KOs)—sporting a hand-written "Feliz Día de Madre" ("Happy Mother's Day") sign on the scale—weighed 121.6 pounds, slightly lighter than when he was 122 on the dot in his title-lifting effort last December. Dogboe (20-1, 14KOs) checked in at pounds, slightly heavier than the 120¾ pounds he weighed in his first career loss, which ended his brief but thrilling title reign at just over seven months.

The balance of the eight-card show will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT and local time.

Topping the livestream, Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov takes on his most significant opponent to date as he faces Maryland’s Mykal Fox in a 10-round super lightweight heat.

Gaibnazarov (7-0, 4KOs)—a two-time Olympian and 2016 Olympic Gold medalist—weighed 141.8 pounds, while Fox (19-1, 5KOs)—a 6’3 ½” southpaw from Upper Marlboro, Md. checked in at 142 pounds. Fox’s older brother is 6’5” middleweight contender Alantez Fox, the two billing themselves as The Twin Towers.

FULL WEIGHTS
Miguel Berchelt 130 lbs. vs. Francisco Vargas 130 lbs.—12 rds, super featherweight
Emanuel Navarrete 121.6 lbs. vs. Isaac Dogboe 121.4 lbs.—12 rds, super bantamweight
Fazliddin Gaibnazarov 141.8 lbs. vs. Mykal Fox 142 lbs.—10 rds., super lightweight
Miguel Marriaga 136.2 lbs. vs. Ruben Cervera 136 lbs.—8 rds, lightweight
Carlos Castro 121 lbs. vs. Mario Alberto Diaz 121.2 lbs.—10 rds, super bantamweight
Miguel Angel Parra 142 lbs. vs. David Morales 140.2 lbs.—6 rds, super lightweight
Emmanuel Guajardo 156 lbs. vs. Jonathan Espino 156 lbs.—4 rds, super welterweight
Carlos Velasquez 133.2 lbs. vs. Demetrius Romeo Mora 132.6 lbs—4 rds, lightweight

 

[Supreme]

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[patscorpio]

NEHO!!!

 

[patscorpio]

i thought that was a KD

 

[patscorpio]

good ass round

 

[patscorpio]

dogboe moving forward on this nikka

 

[patscorpio]

navarrete is touching him up

 

[mson]

Two tough fights in a row for Dogbe