Philippines, 30 Mar 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Twice as Nice: Berchelt-Vargas and Navarrete-Dogboe Rematches Headline Top Rank on ESPN May 11 in Tucson

PhilBoxing.com





Live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET
Tickets on sale Tuesday, April 2 at 12 p.m. ET

TUCSON, Ariz. (April 1, 2019) ? Miguel ?El Alacran? Berchelt and Francisco ?El Bandido? Vargas waged pugilistic war once before. The Mexican warriors, two-plus years removed from their breathtaking battle, are set to do it again.

Berchelt, who snagged Vargas? WBC super featherweight title via 11th-round knockout in January 2017, will make the fifth defense of that belt on Saturday, May 11 at the Tucson Arena, located inside the Tucson Convention Center

In the sensational co-feature, WBO junior featherweight world champion Emanuel Navarrete will look to repeat the deed when he defends his title in an immediate rematch versus Isaac ?Royal Storm? Dogboe, whom he defeated by unanimous decision last Dec. 8 on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jose Pedraza card.

Berchelt-Vargas 2 and Navarrete-Dogboe 2 will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 10 p.m. ET. The undercard will stream live starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ ? the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company?s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy Promotions, tickets for this world championship event priced at $102, $77, $52 and $27 go on sale Tuesday, April. 2 at 12 p.m. ET/10 a.m. MST. Tickets may be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet, online at www.Ticketmaster.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000, or by visiting the Tucson Convention Center ticket office.

"Francisco Vargas is a great Mexican warrior, just like I am,? Berchelt said. ?I am training at my best to prove once again that I am not only better than him, but that I am the best 130-pounder in the world.?

?I have no doubt that 2019 will be my big comeback year,? Vargas said. ?The three wise men came bearing gifts, and one of them is my highly awaited rematch against Miguel Berchelt on May 11. Like I said before our first fight, Mexicans never back down, and I will show that once again in the ring.?

?We?re all looking forward to this card. Berchelt-Vargas and Navarrete-Dogboe were incredible action fights the first time around, and the rematches will provide fireworks,? said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. ?This is surely one of the great fight cards of 2019, and there is no better place for it to take place than the incredible city of Tucson. The fight fans there are passionate, knowledgeable and will sell the building out.?

?The first fight between Francisco Vargas and Miguel Berchelt was a war,? said Eric Gomez, President of Golden Boy Promotions. ?Vargas came up short that night, but it?s been his only loss. Since then, he?s gotten a lot better by training with Joel Diaz, so I?m even more confident now that Vargas will get his belt back. Golden Boy Promotions is committed to making the best fights, and we?re happy to be working with Top Rank and Zanfer Promotions to make another classic battle.?

Berchelt (35-1, 31 KOs) is a pure boxer-puncher who has won 14 in a row since his only defeat, a controversial first-round knockout that most experts believe was stopped prematurely. He had been an interim world champion before facing Vargas in Indio, California. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw Berchelt steadily wear down Vargas until the referee stopped the bout at 2:19 of the 11th round following a flurry of punches. He went 3-0 in 2018, most recently stopping Miguel ?Mickey? Roman in the ninth round of a Fight of the Year contender.

Vargas (25-1-2, 18 KOs), who has won two straight since the Berchelt loss, is incapable of making a boring fight. He was one half of the Fight of the Year in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, bruised, battered, and with a busted eye that nearly caused the fight to be stopped, he came back to knock out Takashi Miura in the ninth round. In 2016 he fought Orlando ?Siri? Salido in a seesaw battle that ended in a draw. In his last bout, he knocked out Rod Salka in six rounds, setting the stage for what promises to be an all-action sequel.

Navarrete (26-1, 22 KOs) has won 20 consecutive bouts, bursting onto the world scene with his shocking upset of Dogboe. In their initial contest, he pressed the action and busted up Dogboe to notch the well-deserved decision. A two-fisted power puncher, the Dogboe victory ended his knockout streak at eight. Dogboe (20-1, 14 KOs), 24, emerged in 2018 as the latest in the long line of fan-friendly Ghanaian champions. A member of Royal Badu family of Anyako in the Volta Region of Ghana, Dogboe snatched the WBO junior featherweight title from Jessie Magdaleno in April 2018, coming off the deck in the opening round to stop Magdaleno in the 11th. He defended his title in August, steamrolling Hidenori Otake in one round. Then, he ran into the upset-minded Navarrete, who put a halt to Dogboe?s magical run. Come May 11, Dogboe will have a chance to regain his status as one of the sport?s elite young talents.

?I am ready to show the world that our first fight was no accident,? Navarrete said. ?I am the better fighter, and I will show that again. Dogboe made a mistake in taking this rematch.?

?Look, in my last fight, I wasn?t fit. I underestimated Emanuel Navarrete,? Dogboe said. ?But you know something, at my lowest, he couldn?t knock me out. This fight, May 11, it?s a guarantee: Isaac Dogboe is here to set the record straight. Tucson, it?s going down. You don?t want to miss this fight. It?s a fight people are going to be talking about for a very, very long time. A fit Isaac ?Royal Storm? Dogboe is a dangerous Isaac ?Royal Storm? Dogboe. May 11, I?m coming for my title!?

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtags #BercheltVargas2 and #NavarreteDogboe2 to join the conversation on social media.




Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • 60 Years of Top Rank: Bob Arum’s First Fight Launched a Boxing Empire
    , Mon, 30 Mar 2026
  • Lebron James and son Bronny make NBA History
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Mon, 30 Mar 2026
  • Bryan Acosta Wins WBA Continental Americas Featherweight Championship with Unanimous Decision over Ronny Rios in Main Event of ProBoxTV from Thunder Studios in Long Beach
    , Sun, 29 Mar 2026
  • Filipino boy, 9, wins in Canada chess meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 29 Mar 2026
  • Vagabov and Ziyaev crowned champions at IBA Bare Knuckle 4 in Saint Petersburg
    , Sun, 29 Mar 2026
  • Sherwin Tiu captures Kamatyas Open Chess crown
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 29 Mar 2026
  • Fundora vs Thurman: Can Keith Thurman Shake Off The Rust?
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • Albert Ramirez Against Lerrone Richards for the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight World Title on June 4 in Montreal!
    , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • GM Daniel Quizon is the Favorite in 19th Kamatyas
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • Weights From ‘Acosta vs. Rios’ Event from Thunder Studios in Long Beach, Calif., and Broadcast live on ProBoxTV
    , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • Mauricio Sulaiman: WBC maintains priority of the defense of fighters
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • Barrière and Akdeniz win in Montreal
    By Eric Armit, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • Jesse Espinas and Leboy Atencio Ready to Rumble in Thailand, LIVE on TrillerTV (Weigh-in Photos)
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • Matchroom Boxing announces new long-term contract extensions for two top UK fighters
    , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • Thananchai Decisions "Lucky Boy" Alicaba
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026
  • Suslenkov to defend WBA continental title against Mann at IBA.PRO 16 in Serpukhov
    , Fri, 27 Mar 2026
  • SBA Builds the Future of Billiards with SBA Next and Official Pool Hub Network
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 27 Mar 2026
  • Don King Productions Announces Challenger for Reigning WBC Cruiserweight World Champion Noel Mikaelian
    , Fri, 27 Mar 2026
  • 11-0 Brooklyn heavyweight prospect Pryce Taylor developing his skills at Deontay Wilder and Andrii Novytskyi
    , Fri, 27 Mar 2026
  • IBA welcomes the victory of common sense in the IOC policy on protecting women
    , Fri, 27 Mar 2026
  • Genetic Testing will be required in Olympic Games
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Fri, 27 Mar 2026
  • “Lucky Boy" Alicaba Ready for Action Friday in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • WBO & WBA World Champion René “El Chulo” Santiago Hosts Open Media Workout Ahead of April 3 Title Defense in Tokyo
    , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • Former WBA FEDELATIN President Panamanian Aurelio Fiengo passes away
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • The 19th edition of the Kamatyas Rapid Open and Kiddies Chess Tournament on March 28, 2026
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.