By: Hans Themistode
After watching his world title dreams fade to darkness following his unanimous decision defeat to Shakur Stevenson in 2021, Jeremia Nakathila has been looking for a head start in his career.
In an attempt to prove he was, in fact, a top contender and a real title threat, Nakathila gave up the ultralightweight division and found a new home north. 5 pounds. In his first bout as an official lightweight athlete, Nakathila faced off against Miguel Berchelt, a 130-pound former boxer in desperate need of an opponent in his career, over the weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Confronted with their ESPN title, Nakathila was, while respected, seen as a significantly underdog. But while the 32-year-old had little or no chance of winning, he rejected his opponents and went on to hand Berchelt one of the most violent fights of the calendar year.
Berchelt seemed out of control at some point as Nakathila pressured her man throughout the night. With the former 130-pound player hitting the deck on two separate occasions, Nakathila refused to let loose, finishing him off in the sixth round. With the win now safely on her, Nakathila believes her name should be mentioned among the world’s best 135-pound athletes.
“It was a good fight,” Nakathila said in an interview with Fight Hub TV. “Berchelt is not a walk in the park but I make it look easy. It was a signal to the light division that Jeremia Nakathila was an A-rank in the light division. ”
After loudly stomping on the spot at the 135-pound scene, Nakathila wasn’t in the mood to stop her momentum right now. With his dream of becoming a world champion still fresh in his mind, Nakathila became enthralled by the endless possibilities that awaited him.
As for who he wants to face next, while he admits that the lightweight division is stacked with talent and compelling fights, he has particular interest in one boxer.
“I know there are great champions in lightweight but I’m not afraid of none of them. I want to fight Devin Haney, I want him. I often watch Devin Haney’s videos, I can see his weak point. He is very easy to defeat. “
Regardless of whether Haney is “beatable” or not, Nakathila will have to wait for her turn before facing him in the ring. The 23-year-old WBC tennis player recently agreed to terms to take on the current unified champion, George Kambosos Jr. on June 5. If Haney appears victorious, he will be forced to face Kambosos Jr. once again.
If Haney proves that his win over Kambosos Jr was no luck, he finds himself up against star heavyweight, Vasiliy Lomachenko.
