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Miguel Berchelt vs. Jeremiah Nakathila Lightweight Battle
Headlines March 26 In Las Vegas 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.
“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.
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