By Frank Warren
BoxNation viewers were treated to an all-Mexican slugfest in the early hours of Sunday morning, a brutal affair that saw a first defeat inflicted on Francisco Vargas, who was relieved of his WBC world super featherweight title.
The man now in possession of the belt is a familiar face to us. It was Miguel Berchelt, who last year clinically dispatched George Jupp to the canvas after the Belvedere boy had given a good account of himself in what was a short-notice challenge for the WBO interim title.
You could see then that Berchelt had something about him, as Vargas also quickly discovered at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California. The unbeaten champion was rocked on several occasions in the first half of the fight, before the older man showed his class and really made a fight of it down the stretch.
In the end he could absorb no more and was stopped on his feet in the 11th.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Gervonta Davis the other week following his destruction of Jose Pedraza in New York and the super featherweight division now has two new world champions who adopt a no holds barred approach.
A fight between the pair probably wouldn’t be one for the purists, but I suspect it would be one hell of a scrap.
Before Davis can entertain any thoughts of getting it on with Berchelt he has business to deal with first – complex business.
He is tasked – also mandated by the IBF – with fathoming a way of unpicking the defences of one of the fight game’s smartest cookies.
Much as he might want to on occasions, Liam Walsh won’t simply stand there and have a tear-up. Trading blows for the sake of it is not his thing – his corner of his two brothers and trainer Graham Everett wouldn’t allow it.
Liam’s skill set revolves around breaking his opponents down and making them miss until tiredness sets in and they leave themselves open. Then he gets to work and goes for the finish.
Davis is clearly a big talent, but he won’t have come up against such a tricky customer as Liam before and I suspect it will prove a shock to his system.
It is a fight I back my man to win in a decisive fashion and when he claims a first world title belt, I know he possesses a strong desire to operate at the highest level and in no way would back away from Berchelt.
Liam has served his time, beaten everyone put in front of him and is now more than ready for a tilt at the top boys.
The quiet man from Cromer doesn’t crave attention in any way, shape or form, but I suspect his name will be up in lights in the very near future.
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