March 26: Miguel Berchelt-Jeremiah Nakathila Lightweight Battle Headlines Debut Fight Night at Resorts World Las Vegas LIVE on ESPN
*Former junior lightweight world
champion *Miguel
“El Alacrán” Berchelt*, the fighting pride of Cancun, Mexico, has his
sights squarely on the lightweight division’s top names. Berchelt will
battle Namibian contender *Jeremiah Nakathila *in the 10-round main event
Saturday, March 26 at the Resorts World Events Center located at Resorts
World Las Vegas.
Berchelt-Nakathila marks the debut sporting event at Resorts World Las
Vegas, which opened June 2021 as the first integrated resort to be built on
The Strip in over a decade.
In the 10-round co-feature, top featherweight contenders *Jose Enrique “El
Ejecutor” Vivas* and *Enrique “El Gemelo” Baez *will meet in a guaranteed
all-action clash with potential world title implications.
Berchelt-Nakathila and Vivas-Baez will be televised live on ESPN & ESPN
Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions, tickets
starting at $25 go on sale Thursday, March 3 at noon PST, and can be
purchased at
<TopRank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=474a8d0928&e=ae69d13328>
.
“Miguel Berchelt is motivated to become a two-weight world champion, and he
has a formidable test in his lightweight debut against Jeremiah Nakathila,”
said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “It is a great honor to promote the first
boxing event at Resorts World Las Vegas, a fantastic new property we hope
will host many fight nights in the coming years.”
“As we developed Resorts World Las Vegas, entertainment was always an
integral piece of our business strategy, and as part of that, we envisioned
having major sporting events take place on our property,” said Scott
Sibella, President of Resorts World Las Vegas. “We’re thrilled to be
partnering with an industry leader like Top Rank to host this event and
look forward to welcoming fans to the first-ever Resorts World Las Vegas
fight night experience.”
Berchelt (38-2, 34 KOs) won the WBC world title in January 2017 and
defended that belt six times, becoming one of boxing’s longest-reigning
world champions. Five of his title defenses came by knockout, including a
ninth-round triumph over Miguel Roman and a fourth-round blitzing of former
world champion Jason Sosa. Berchelt’s momentum was halted in February 2021,
when he lost his world title in a dramatic showdown against Oscar Valdez.
Berchelt was knocked out in the 10th round by Valdez and soon looked to
regain his championship form in another division.
“I am ready to turn the page and show the fans I have what it takes to
become a two-division world champion,” Berchelt said. “The Valdez fight is
in the past, and my focus is on Nakathila and a lightweight world title in
2022. ‘El Alacran’ is back, and I can’t wait to come to Resorts World Las
Vegas to put on a show.”
Nakathila (22-2, 18 KOs) is a former WBO Africa and WBO Global junior
lightweight titlist who is one of Namibia’s most decorated fighters. He
went undefeated for more than four years, and last June, he made his Las
Vegas debut against Shakur Stevenson for the WBO interim junior lightweight
world title. Nakathila lost a clear points verdict to the unbeaten phenom,
but he returned in fine form last October with a second-round stoppage over
Ndodana Ncube. The 32-year-old Nakathila hopes to score the upset and a
spot among the lightweight elites.
Nakathila said, “It’s an amazing opportunity to fight Berchelt. Given our
styles, it will make for a highly entertaining fight. This is my
lightweight debut, and I’m looking forward to my first win against a highly
rated former champion.”
Vivas (21-1, 11 KOs), from Texcoco, Mexico, has won four straight fights
and emerged as a contender to watch during the “Bubble” in 2020 with
standout performances against Carlos Jackson and John Vincent Moralde. Last
May, in one of the year’s best toe-to-toe affairs, he recovered from a pair
of third-round knockdowns to edge Louie Coria by unanimous decision. Baez
(20-2-2, 7 KOs), from Mexicali, Mexico, is a former Mexican junior
featherweight champion who is now testing the featherweight waters. Last
March, he notched a one-sided decision over the previously undefeated
Abimael Ortiz, which came a little more than three months after a
near-shutout verdict over Narek Abgaryan. Baez saw his 12-bout unbeaten
streak snapped with a razor-thin majority decision loss to Ra’eese Aleem.
