WBC SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION
MIGUEL BERCHELT TO MAKE FIRST TITLE DEFENSE AGAINST FORMER CHAMPION TAKASHI
MIURA ON JULY 15 AT THE 'FABULOUS' FORUM
WBA SUPER WORLD CHAMPION JEZREEL
CORRALES TO MAKE U.S. DEBUT AGAINST RESURGENT ROBINSON
CASTELLANOS IN CO-MAIN EVENT
TOP LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS JOE SMITH JR. AND
SULLIVAN BARRERA TO SQUARE OFF IN OPENING BOUT OF STACKED HBO BOXING AFTER DARK
TRIPLEHEADER
Tickets to go on Sale Wednesday, May 24 at
10 a.m. PST
LOS ANGELES (May 17, 2017 ) - The white-hot super featherweight
division will be on full display July 15 when two world title fights come to Los Angeles ' "Fabulous"
Forum as part of a
stacked tripleheader on HBO
Boxing After Dark.
In the main event that has "Fight of the Year" written
all over it, newly crowned WBC World Super Featherweight Champion Miguel "El Alacran"
Berchelt (31-1, 28 KOs)
will make his first title defense against former world champion and mandatory
challenger Takashi Miura (31-3-2, 24 KOs).
In the co-main, Panamanian superstar and WBA Super Featherweight
World Champion Jezreel
"El Invisible" Corrales (21-0,
8 KOs) will look to keep his title and undefeated record, as he makes his
stateside debut against a resurgent Robinson
"Robin Hood" Castellanos (24-12,
14 KOs), hot off his massive upset victory over two-time world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Opening up the televised card, WBC International Light
Heavyweight Champion Joe Smith, Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs ) will return West from Long Island to put his belt on the line against the
Miami-based Sullivan Barrera (19-1, 14 KOs ) in a battle of heavy-handed sluggers.
"The super featherweight division is absolutely stacked
with skilled, high-action fighters right now, and the four competitors atop
this card are competing to see who will be the top dog," Oscar De La Hoya,
Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions said."Add to that a showdown
between two of the top light heavyweights in the world in Smith and Barrrera,
and you have all the makings of a trio of absolute wars on July 15."
Riding a 10-consecutive knockout streak culminating in an
11th-round stoppage of Francisco
"El Bandido" Vargas in
January, Berchelt -- fighting out of Merida, Mexico -- will look to continue
his winning ways in just his second fight on American soil.
"I took on this challenge, because I only want to fight the
best," Berchelt, 25, said. "I know that Miura is a true warrior and
always leaves it all in the ring, but I am young and hungry and am confident
that I will return to Mexico with the world championship belt still
around my waist."
Miura, one half of the consensus 2015 Fight of the Year with
Vargas, returns after a dynamic 12th-round stoppage against Miguel "Mickey"
Roman on the same card
that Berchelt defeated Vargas for the WBC crown.
"I have wanted to regain my championship belt from the
moment I lost it in November of 2015," Miura said. "I know Berchelt
is strong, and I know that we'll go head to head for this world championship
title that will prove to be a great fight."
The 25-year-old Corrales, a southpaw, earned his title with
back-to-back victories over Takashi
Uchiyama, who was at the time thought to be the No. 1 fighter in the
division.
"I am excited to make my United States debut and defend my world title,"
Corrales said. "While people in America might not yet be familiar with me, they
will surely know my name after this fight."
His opponent, Castellanos, has defeated top opponents throughout
his career including Ronny
Rios and Rocky Juarez, but his
shocking TKO victory over Gamboa is what catapulted the 35-year-old Castellanos
into title contention.
"This is the biggest fight of my career, and I am not going
to let the opportunity slip away," Castellanos said. "I have the
experience and power to take out Corrales and that's exactly what I'm going to
do on July
15."
In the televised opener, Joe Smith Jr. returns to the site of
his greatest victory looking to follow up on his knockout of legendary Bernard Hopkins at the end of 2016.
"I'm thrilled to be back on HBO against another top light
heavyweight,Sullivan Barrera," Smith said. "I've already started training
and will be more than ready on July 15. There's
a number of great fighters in our division and I'm looking forward to another
victory on my way to a world title shot."
Smith will take on the heavy-handed Sullivan Barrera, who is
riding a two-fight knockout streak - including a seventh-round stoppage of
previously undefeated Vyacheslav
Shabranskyy - after
taking his only professional loss against top five pound-for-pound fighter, Andre "S.O.G." Ward.
"This is a great opportunity for me. I want to thank
my entire team for making this happen," Barrera said. "I respect Joe
for taking this fight. He is a great fighter and I have a tough test on July 15.
I will work hard to put on a great show for all the fans."
"This should be a spectacular fight," said Joe DeGuardia,
President and CEO of Star Boxing®. "Over the past few months many
have refused to fight Joe Smith Jr., so I give credit to Sullivan Barrera, who,
like Joe, is a tough fighter willing to fight anyone. Joe's captivating
rise as a humble working-class 'Common Man' has resonated with sports fans all
over the world and I look forward to being at the Forum on HBO as Joe and
Sullivan battle for the future."
This is a really interesting fight," said Kathy Duva, CEO of
Main Events. "It is a can't miss fight because Barrera and Smith are both
finishers. We are all eager to see how this plays out and I give credit to both
men for wanting a challenge."
Tickets for Berchelt vs. Miura are priced at $25, $50, $75 and
$125, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket
limit of 12 per person, go on sale Wednesday, May 24 at 10:00
a.m. PT . To charge by phone with a major
credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or the Forum Box Office (Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m.
PST to 7:00 p.m. PST) at (310) 330-7300. Tickets
will also be available for purchase at www.fabulousforum.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Berchelt vs. Miura, a
12-round fight for the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship, is presented
by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and Teiken
Promotions. Corrales vs. Castellanos is presented by Golden Boy Promotions.
Smith vs. Barerra is presented by Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing® in association
with Main Events. The event is sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD and Casa Mexico
Tequila and will take place on Saturday, July 15 at Los Angeles ' "Fabulous" Forum and
televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark at 9:50 P.M EST /PST.
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