Notebook: Berchelt on comeback trail at lightweight aiming for another title shot
GB adds fights to Ryan Garcia card; Quick hits; Show and tell
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The last time Miguel Berchelt was in the ring was a disaster.
It was February 2020 inside the bubble of the conference center of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and he was the favorite to retain his WBC junior lightweight world title for the seventh time when he faced unbeaten former featherweight titlist Oscar Valdez in what most were expecting to be a terrific fight between Mexican countrymen.
It was anything but. Valdez thrashed Berchelt, dropping him in the fourth and ninth rounds before knocking him out cold in the 10th round for what many called the knockout of the year.
Thirteen months later, Berchelt is ready to return to the ring. He has moved up to lightweight and will face Jeremiah Nakathila in a 10-rounder in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET) at Resorts World Las Vegas, which will be hosting its first sports event since opening in June.
To prepare for the fight, Berchelt (38-2, 34 KOs), 30, of Mexico, left home and set up training with new head trainer Jorge Capetillo in Las Vegas.
"The experience of changing my training camp to Las Vegas with coach Jorge Capetillo has been very good,” Berchelt said through an interpreter. “In this city, there are many champions, and I think that God brought me here for a reason. There are many styles of sparring partners, which I was not able to find in Mexico. It has also been a great experience to run up Mount Charleston. I think all these changes are for the best, and we are ready to return to the ring with a big win.”
While in Las Vegas, Berchelt trained with Brandon Moreno, the first Mexican-born UFC champion.
“It motivated me to train with Brandon Moreno,” Berchelt said in translated comments. “The truth is that he is a great person, and he has done amazing things to raise the Mexican flag very high. Right now, we are training together, and I feel very happy to be his training partner. We are both working hard to continue representing Mexico with great pride.”
Berchelt hopes that a win over Nakathila will set him on course toward winning a world title at lightweight.
“I am ready to make my debut at 135 pounds against a great opponent like Jeremiah Nakathila,” Berchelt said. “I'm going to put on a spectacular show for my people, and I'm sending a message to the lightweight division. They must contend with me.
“My goal is to become world champion at lightweight. It will not be easy because I know that at 135 pounds there are a lot of great fighters. Most importantly, I have the desire and the potential to be crowned once again as world champion.”
Nakathila (22-2, 18 KOs), 32, of Namibia, fought in the United States for the first time this past June, when he got knocked down in the fourth round and dominated in a shutout decision loss to Shakur Stevenson for the WBO interim junior lightweight belt. Nakathila has boxed once since, notching a second-round knockout win over a novice opponent in October in Namibia.
In the 10-round all-Mexican featherweight co-feature, Jose Enrique Vivas (21-1, 11 KOs), 27, will face 26-year-old Eduardo Baez (20-2-2, 7 KOs).
Ryan Garcia undercard
Golden Boy on Wednesday announced a pair of fights that will be part of the DAZN stream of lightweight star Ryan Garcia’s return to face Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
One of the bouts will be a unification fight between WBC women’s flyweight titleholder Marlen Esparza (11-1, 1 KOs), 32, of Houston, and WBA titlist Naoko Fujioka (19-2-1, 17 KOs), 46, of Japan. Also on the line will be the vacant Ring magazine title.
Also, Gabriel Rosado (26-14-1, 15 KOs), 36, of Philadelphia, will face Shane Mosley Jr. (17-4, 10 KOs), 31, of Pomona, California, in a 10-round super middleweight bout between men looking to bounce back from decision losses.
“I’m excited to get back and start the new year with a bang,” said Rosado, who lost to Jaime Mungia in November at middleweight. “I’m back at 168, where I feel more comfortable. I won’t take Shane Mosley Jr. lightly. This is a big step-up fight for him, and I expect him to be at his best. I’m looking forward to making a run at the super middleweight division, and Shane Jr. is in my way. I respect his father, who is one of the best to do it. So this fight is nothing personal. It’s strictly business and I plan to get the job done and put on a show for the fans in San Antonio.”
Mosley Jr., who is moving up in weight, had a four-fight winning streak end in May with a majority decision loss to Jason Quigley, who went on to challenge for a middleweight world title.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to fight on such a great card, and I can’t wait to get back in the ring,” said Shane Mosley, Jr. “This is going to be my first fight in 2022, and I am ready to show fans an exciting show on April 9.”
Quick hits
Angel Ayala (13-0, 6 KOs), 21, of Mexico, will face former WBC flyweight titlist Cristofer Rosales (32-5, 21 KOs), 27, of Nicaragua, in a WBC flyweight title elimination fight on April 9 at the Metepec Fairgrounds in Metepec, Mexico, Zanfer Promotions announced. Rosales has won three fights in a row since he got knocked out in the fifth round by Julio Cesar Martinez for the vacant WBC title in December 2019 on the Daniel Jacobs-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undercard in Phoenix.
Felix Alvarado (37-2, 32 KOs), 33, of Nicaragua, has vacated his IBF junior flyweight title. Alvarado, who was unable to land a unification fight, will move up in weight after having defended his 108-pound title twice since winning the vacant belt by seventh-round knockout of Randy Petalcorin in October 2018 in the Philippines. Alvarado, whose promotional deal with Golden Boy recently expired, is the twin brother of former WBA junior lightweight titlist Rene Alvarado with whom he held a world title simultaneously for 14 months from November 2019 to January 2021.
Former flyweight titlist Charlie Edwards (17-1, 7 KOs), 29, of England, has joined his brother, reigning IBF flyweight titlist Sunny Edwards, by signing with Probellum, the promoter announced. “I want titles at (junior bantamweight) and to move through the weight divisions,” Edwards said. “It is my intention to go down as one of the greatest fighters in British boxing history and I know Probellum share my vision. I have no doubt that they can help Sunny and I realize our dream of winning world titles on the same card to create a landmark moment for boxing in this country.” Edwards won the WBC belt in 2018 and made two defenses before vacating to move up in weight.
Show and tell
In the second main event of what was then a new series — HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” — the legend of Arturo Gatti, my all-time favorite fighter, was born from his incredible sixth-round comeback knockout of Wilson Rodriguez to retain his junior lightweight title for the first time.
The fight was dubbed “March Mayhem” at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York and it couldn’t have been more appropriate given the utter chaos that would unfold in the ultra-exciting bout. Gatti’s right eye was swollen and he got dropped in the second round of the all-out slugfest. There was drama in Gatti’s corner following the third round when the ringside doctor examined Gatti’s eye and barked at him to cover his left eye and to tell him how many fingers he had up or he would stop the fight. Gatti finally obeyed and got it right, but he needed to do something dramatic. He dropped Rodriguez in the fifth round with a body shot but had a point deducted for a low blow and was in trouble as the round ended. But in the sixth round, trailing on two scorecards, Gatti drilled Rodriguez with a left hook to knock him out for an all-time comeback in one of my favorite fights of all time. It was the first in a string of memorable battles Gatti would engage in. Gatti-Rodriguez took place on March 23, 1996 — 26 years ago on Wednesday.
Here are two prized items from the legendary fight in my collection: A scarce thin cardboard site poster (which also pictures the outstanding co-feature between Orlando Canizales and Junior Jones) and a full ticket.
Berchelt photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
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Rosado-Mosely isn't a bad fight, though the winner (presumably Rosado, but who knows at this stage in his career) will probably be ushered quickly and undeservedly into a title fight, or higher profile one than warranted.
As for Gatti-Rodriguez, absolutely one of my favorite all time fights, and somehow underrated in the chronicles of Gatti's legendary career. Cool to see that poster (and Canizeles-Jones was also a quality fight between two very solid, just-a-tier-outta-h.o.f. reach, fighters.
Great Stuff. Thrilled with my subscription. Don’t sleep on 46 year old Fujioka. Her previous performance against Sulem Urbina, was eye opening and entertaining. Esparza/Fujioka could potentially steal the show.