MERIDA, Mexico -- Streaming on ESPN+ on June 23 will be a WBC junior lightweight title fight. Putting his title on the line will be Miguel Berchelt (33-1, 29 KOs), who will be making his third defense of that title which he took off of Francisco Vargas in 2017. Trying to pry that title away from Berchelt will be veteran Jonathan Victor Barros (41-5-1, 22 KOs).
Berchelt is a 26-year-old orthodox fighter from Mexico, and this will be a hometown fight for him. He likes to use his jab as a measuring stick and that punch also helps him get inside on his opponents. He does his best work from the pocket where he showcases a good left hook and a thudding right hand. Berchelt is the type of fighter who really likes to let his hands go in the pocket and he doesn't mind eating a few punches as long as he gets to land a few of his own. While Berchelt doesn't have true one-punch knockout power he does have the type of power that breaks down opponents over the course of a fight and his knockout percentage is excellent.
The only loss on Berchelt's resume came back in 2014 but since that loss he's gone 12-0 with 11 knockouts. Among the victims on his resume are Vargas and Takashi Miura, who he beat in back-to-back fights. His win over Vargas gave him his current title and both wins were the biggest of his career and really gave him some name recognition. Berchelt can't look past Barros but should he handle business on Saturday night he could have some intriguing fights in his future. The junior lightweight division has a good mix of young talent and tough veterans and most fans wouldn't mind seeing Berchelt in with an opponent like Gervonta Davis, Tevin Farmer, or even grizzled veteran Orlando Salido.
Barros also plies his trade out of the orthodox stance and is eight years older than Berchelt. When he's feeling confident he will often leave his hands low, especially his lead hand. Barros likes to work behind a crisp jab and fairly accurate straight right hand, but he lacks the type of power Berchelt possesses. However, at times he can get very wild, especially with his right hand. Instead of throwing it straight in a crisp one-two combination, he will throw it overhand and wild. If Barros starts getting wild against the heavy-hitting Berchelt he could find himself in serious trouble. While he has shown a good chin throughout his career he isn't exactly slick defensively.
Although Barros has five career losses he only losses to high quality fighters. The five fighters he has lost to are Yuriorkis Gamboa, Celestino Caballero, Juan Carlos Salgado, Mikey Garcia, and in his most recent fight, Lee Selby. While Barros also holds a win over Caballero he tends to lose when he steps up his level of competition and Berchelt certainly represent a step up.
This could be a very tough fight for Barros. It has been a long time since he's beaten a fighter as talented and powerful as Berchelt and Berchelt is also younger and bigger. Barros could try and get inside in an attempt to smother Berchelt's power but Berchelt fights very well on the inside. Instead, look for Barros to try and stay on the outside where he can try and avoid Berchelt's heavy hands. As for Berchelt, look for him to be aggressive against an ageing fighter without a ton of power. Berchelt shouldn't have too difficult of a time getting inside and doing what he wants.
PREDICTION: Jonathan Victor Barros is going to have a very tough night against the younger, stronger Miguel Berchelt. Berchelt is going to establish his dominance early in this fight and he will become the second man to finish Barros before the final bell, scoring the seventh round stoppage win.
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| Berchelt tagging Francisco Vargas with a hard right hand |
The only loss on Berchelt's resume came back in 2014 but since that loss he's gone 12-0 with 11 knockouts. Among the victims on his resume are Vargas and Takashi Miura, who he beat in back-to-back fights. His win over Vargas gave him his current title and both wins were the biggest of his career and really gave him some name recognition. Berchelt can't look past Barros but should he handle business on Saturday night he could have some intriguing fights in his future. The junior lightweight division has a good mix of young talent and tough veterans and most fans wouldn't mind seeing Berchelt in with an opponent like Gervonta Davis, Tevin Farmer, or even grizzled veteran Orlando Salido.
Barros also plies his trade out of the orthodox stance and is eight years older than Berchelt. When he's feeling confident he will often leave his hands low, especially his lead hand. Barros likes to work behind a crisp jab and fairly accurate straight right hand, but he lacks the type of power Berchelt possesses. However, at times he can get very wild, especially with his right hand. Instead of throwing it straight in a crisp one-two combination, he will throw it overhand and wild. If Barros starts getting wild against the heavy-hitting Berchelt he could find himself in serious trouble. While he has shown a good chin throughout his career he isn't exactly slick defensively.
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| Barros exchanging blows with Lee Selby |
This could be a very tough fight for Barros. It has been a long time since he's beaten a fighter as talented and powerful as Berchelt and Berchelt is also younger and bigger. Barros could try and get inside in an attempt to smother Berchelt's power but Berchelt fights very well on the inside. Instead, look for Barros to try and stay on the outside where he can try and avoid Berchelt's heavy hands. As for Berchelt, look for him to be aggressive against an ageing fighter without a ton of power. Berchelt shouldn't have too difficult of a time getting inside and doing what he wants.
PREDICTION: Jonathan Victor Barros is going to have a very tough night against the younger, stronger Miguel Berchelt. Berchelt is going to establish his dominance early in this fight and he will become the second man to finish Barros before the final bell, scoring the seventh round stoppage win.
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