Nambia’s Jeremia Nakathila put on a show of strength to stop Miguel Berchelt for six innings last night.
Berchelt has returned to the ring 13 months after a crushing defeat to Oscar Valdez. It was the Mexican’s last fight in the ultralightweight division and his lightweight opening match against Naktathila.
For the Namibian, who has also moved to 135lbs, this is his second trip to the US in nine months following his defeat to Shakur Stevenson last June.
From the start, Nakathila didn’t care about the process or the time it took to build confidence and motivation. The 32-year-old man stepped out to swing. His smiling presence before the battle began was an indication of his confidence and relaxed demeanor about what was unfolding in front of him. Berchelt was immediately brought into the fray and could do nothing to contain it.
Nakathila’s right arm packs power from wherever it comes from. Up close or at a distance, he seems to hurt Berchelt in most cases. There’s little puzzlement or setup, instead roughness and questioning afterward. It’s silly sometimes, but it works.
Worryingly for Berchelt, he will be dropped by a stab in round 3. That’s for sure but it’s never a good sign when a boxer is on the floor from something that can deal damage. but should not score knockdown.
The writing on the wall for ‘El Alacran’. He cannot earn Nakathila’s respect and whatever he does the earth simply comes across.
The blows of power continued. Berchelt has to hang on and hope his opponent slows down or makes a mistake. And although Nakathila was unpolished in his work, Berchelt was unable to capitalize on any of the errors presented to him.
Berchelt found some success in his 6th exchange of big hits with the Africans. But it is delaying the inevitable. Nakathila went on to beat the betting fanatic, who even saw his gum pad fly off with 40 seconds left. By the time the half ended, referee Russell Mora had seen enough. With Berchelt sitting on a stool, his part in taking the blow from one side was over.
Without a doubt, the warrior from Yucatán will continue. But his performance tonight in Vegas will be a concern for himself and his team. As for Nakathila, he did what many consider unthinkable. There were big smiles before and many more smiles after. His style may not be too much of a hassle for the top players at lightweight but there is enough threat to ensure he’ll be back in a big fight soon.
