Jeremiah Nakathila Knocks Out Miguel Berchelt
Eduardo Baez edges Jose Enrique Vivas in featherweight co-feature
LAS VEGAS (March 26, 2022) — Jeremiah Nakathila journeyed nearly 10,000 miles from Namibia to Las Vegas, and he didn’t travel all that way to play second fiddle.
Nakathila knocked out former world champion Miguel Berchelt in a stunning upset Saturday evening at Resorts World Las Vegas. The fight was stopped after six one-sided rounds. Berchelt was knocked down in the third with a jab and behind on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage (60-53 3x).
Berchelt (38-3, 34 KOs) had not fought since his February 2021 knockout loss to Oscar Valdez, and Nakathila (23-2, 19 KOs) provided anything but a soft landing spot. Nakathila had fought once since a wide points loss to Shakur Stevenson, but his second American fight went far better than the first. He found a home for the right hand and wobbled Berchelt on multiple occasions.
Berchelt showed signs of a comeback in the fifth, but Nakathila immediately took the play away in the sixth. Right hands and left hooks found their mark, and referee Russell Mora, on advice of the ringside physicians, would not permit Berchelt to come out for the seventh round.
Nakathila said, “From the first round, my corner told me to take my time. I know what I have. I knew it would be difficult for him to reach the 10th round. It wasn’t so easy, but I made it look easy.
“He didn’t really bother me, the way he swung. I just got back to my game plan, and I capitalized.
“Luckily, {he couldn’t continue}. I was going to knock him out or put him to sleep in a bad way. Luckily, he saw it coming and decided he couldn’t come back.”
Added Berchelt, “I’m going to get up. I’m going to rise from this. The great champions are not the ones who fall. The great champions are those who rise, and I will go home, spend time with my family, visit with them, get some rest, and I am going to come back stronger than ever.”
