Berchelt-Vargas rematch set for March 23

Badlefthook.com

WBC super featherweight titleholder Miguel Berchelt will once again face the man he took his belt from, as he’s set to rematch Francisco Vargas on March 23 at the Forum in Inglewood, California. The fight will air on ESPN.

Berchelt (35-1, 31 KO) beat Vargas (25-1-2, 18 KO) in Jan. 2017, scoring an 11th round knockout.

Since that victory, Berchelt has cemented himself as a top fighter in the 130-pound division, going 4-0 with wins over Takashi Miura, Maxwell Awuku, Jonathan Barros, and Mickey Roman. Vargas has fought twice, beating Stephen Smith and Rod Salka.

The fight will be a co-promotion by Top Rank and Golden Boy. Golden Boy’s Eric Gomez tells ESPN that Vargas wanted the fight, so they made the deal to get him the rematch.

Vargas, 34, will be the clear underdog this time around. Not only was he stopped the first time and not only is he seven years older than Berchelt, but he’s taken quite a bit of punishment in an exciting career. But it’s a good matchup that will likely give us an entertaining fight, and a likely last chance — or at least last serious chance — for Vargas to get back on top.