TUCSON, Ariz. (May 11, 2019) — It was pure savagery in the desert. Miguel Berchelt defended his WBC super featherweight world title over Francisco Vargas after Vargas retired on his stool following the sixth round of a brawl in front of 4,424 fans at Tucson Arena.
It was the fifth successful title defense for Berchelt (36-1, 32 KOs), who defeated Vargas (25-2-2, 18 KOs) via 11th-round knockout in January 2017 to the win the belt.
“I did what I said I was going to do in the ring,” Berchelt said. “More importantly, I want to thank Francisco ‘Bandito’ Vargas. He’s a true Mexican warrior, and more than anything, let me tell you, he gave me my first opportunity at a world title. So, it was only fair that I would give him a shot to win his world title back. But his corner did the right thing in saving him from more punishment.”
“I want to prove that I’m the best 130-pounder in the world. In {two weeks}, it will be Jamel Herring taking on {WBO champion Masayuki} Ito. I want the winner of that fight because I don’t want to leave any doubt as to who the best super featherweight in the world is.”
Said Vargas: I am going to speak with my team, and we’ll see what happens in the future.” He expressed.
credit: TOP RANK