BERCHELT VS. MIURA / CORRALES VS. CASTELLANOS / SMITH, JR. VS. BARRERA CAMP NOTES AND PHOTOS
STACKED TRIPLEHEADER TAKES PLACE THIS SATURDAY, JULY 15 AT THE “FABULOUS” FORUM AND TELEVISED LIVE ON HBO BOXING AFTER DARK®
LOS ANGELES (July 10, 2017) The all-action fighters participating on the stacked tripleheader this Saturday, July 15 have wrapped up camp and begun their journey to Los Angeles for their championship bouts at The “Fabulous” Forum.
The night will feature the rugged Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt (31-1, 28 KOs) defending his hard-earned WBC Super Featherweight belt against Takashi Miura (31-3-2, 24 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round main event championship bout. Serving as chief support in the co-main event, Panamanian super-star and newly signed Golden Boy Promotions fighter Jezreel “El Invisible” Corrales (21-1, 8 KOs) will make his U.S. debut against Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos (24-12, 14 KOs) in a 12-round super featherweight bout for Corrales’s WBA Super World title.
Opening up the HBO telecast, current WBC International light heavyweight Champion Joe Smith, Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) will put his belt on the line in a 12-round fight against Miami’s Sullivan Barrera (19-1, 14 KOs). The action will be televised on HBO Boxing After Dark® beginning at 9:50 p.m. ET/PT.
Hear what the teams had to say about their upcoming bouts:
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“We saw what Miguel Berchelt is capable from his slugfest earlier this year against the rugged Francisco Vargas, and that level of action is what fans should expect to see on July 15 when he takes on former world champion Takashi Miura. With Jezreel Corrales facing Robinson Castellanos, who had an impressive upset over Yuriorkis Gamboa in May, plus Joe Smith, Jr. taking on the heavy-handed Sullivan Barrera, this triple header on HBO Boxing After Dark will surely deliver the type of non-stop action fans crave from boxing.”
MIGUEL “EL ALACRAN” BERCHELT, Current WBC Super Featherweight World Champion:
“I am ready to defend my title and very excited to fight in a big city like Los Angeles with the support of all my countrymen. We have prepared a great deal and next Saturday you will see the best Miguel Berchelt.”
“This by no means will be an easy fight – Miura has gone to war many times in his career and I am expecting nothing less in this fight. I want to prove that winning this belt was no fluke, and defending it against a warrior like Miura is the perfect opportunity to do that.”
TAKASHI MIURA, Former WBC Super Featherweight World Champion:
“I have had a great training camp for this fight. The training is going well. I am preparing myself for a tough fight.”
“This will be my third fight in the United States, and I feel comfortable in getting myself acclimated to the time difference. I am looking forward to being on HBO again and putting on an exciting fight for the boxing fans.”
“If I am able to get the belt back Saturday, and the opportunity is there, I would want to unify the belts in the super featherweight division.”
JEZREEL “EL INVISIBLE” CORRALES, Current WBA Super World Super Featherweight Champion:
“I’m going up against a boxer who doesn’t like to waste his punches. I know that he has also watched my fights and that he has studied me well. I know that he will come forward to attack me, and to look for opportunities to get his lost chance back in the sport.”
“He will try to overwhelm me, and he will try to throw punches to knock me out, but, that’s why they call me ‘El Invisible’ (The Invisible). I won’t let him catch me. Like we say here in Panama, he will be left unsatisfied and wanting more after meeting me in the ring.”
ROBINSON “ROBIN HOOD” CASTELLANOS, Super Featherweight Contender:
“I’ve enjoyed this preparation; however, the work has been intense. There is a motivating environment in the team, and I am very encouraged.”
“We have been working with several left-handed sparring players to fine-tune the strategy. I know that Jezreel is surely doing his part to win, and I hope it turns out an attractive fight for fans and HBO for both him and me. This fight opens doors for me to take part in huge cards like this one.”
JOE SMITH, JR., Current WBC International Light Heavyweight Champion:
“It feels great to be fighting on HBO. I’m looking forward to it, and I’m in great shape and ready to put on a tremendous performance against Sullivan Barrera. It’s not like fighting at home but I’m looking forward to fighting at the Forum again, I was treated very well there and it’s a tremendous and legendary venue. I like Los Angeles; the fans were very good to me as well.”
“I saw Sullivan Barrera’s fight with Andre Ward, and I’ve seen a few of his other fights. This fight is a huge challenge to me as he’s got a lot of experience but I’ll be ready on July 15.”
“I’d still like to fight Adonis Stevenson. I was ready this year, and I’ll be ready at any time but now my focus is solely on this fight. Joe DeGuardia has done a great job of getting me these opportunities, particularly with Fonfara and Hopkins and now with Barrera, it’s my job to take care of business in the ring.”
SULLIVAN BARRERA, Former USNBC Light Heavyweight Champion
“This is going to be a very interesting fight, and it is a great fight for my career. When I come out victorious, it should either give me a shot at the title or get me one step closer to fighting for a title. Smith beat a legend in Bernard Hopkins, but [Hopkins] had been out of the ring for a long time before their fight.”
“Down the road, I would like to fight for a title next. But if I cannot fight for a title in my next fight, I would like to fight Eleider Alvarez or Nathan Cleverly.”
“July 15, I am going to come out victorious. I want to let all the fans know that they should tune-in to HBO. With the help of God, on July 15 I will be coming back home with the WBC International light heavyweight belt.”
