Miguel Berchelt’s First Title Defense To Headline Stacked July HBO Card
Junior lightweight world champion Miguel Berchelt’s first title defense will come against top contender Takashi Miura later this summer.
The fight will headline a tripleheader on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” program on July 15 that will also include Jezreel Corrales defending the WBC junior lightweight title against Robinson Castellanos and a showdown between top 10 light heavyweight contenders Joe Smith Jr. and Sullivan Barrera.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya confirmed the title match and said the tripleheader will be filled with highly exciting fights.
“The [junior lightweight] 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,” De La Hoya said. “Add to that a showdown between two of the top light heavyweights in the world in Smith and Barrera, and you have all the makings of a trio of absolute wars on July 15.”
Berchelt first won the WBC junior lightweight title on January 28 when he knocked out former champion Francisco Vargas in the 11th round.
Corrales wrapped up a 2016 when he had two wins against Takashi Uchiyama to capture the WBA “super” junior lightweight title after holding the governing body’s interim title. Castellanos is coming off a win over Yuriorkis Gamboa earlier in May.
Smith Jr. had been hoping for a world title opportunity after knocking out Bernard Hopkins into retirement. Smith Jr. is the current WBC International light heavyweight and the title will be on the line against Barrera, who is 19-1 in his career with his lone loss coming against Andre Ward in March 2016.
