FIGHT WEEK
Tim Tszyu is set to make his U.S. debut against Terrell Gausha and Miguel Berchelt makes his return on a busy Saturday.
Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs) vs. Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs)
- When: Saturday, March 26
- Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: The Armory, Minneapolis
- TV/Stream: Showtime
- Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
- Rounds: 12
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Tszyu 7½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Michel Rivera vs. Joseph Adorno, lightweights; Elvis Rodriguez vs. Juan Jose Velasco, junior welterweight
- Prediction: Tszyu UD
- Background: Tszyu, the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, will be making his U.S. debut against Gausha. The fierce, talented Australian has created a stir in his native country and climbed the junior middleweight rankings with resounding victories over the likes of former champion Jeff Horn, Dennis Hogan and, most recently, Takeshi Inoue. The next step – coming to America – was essential to fulfill his destiny. The 27-year-old native of Sydney is ranked No. 1 by the WBO (Brian Castano is the titleholder) and No. 3 by the WBC and IBF (Jermell Charlo). Castano and Charlo are scheduled to fight May 14. If Tszyu gets past Gausha, it’s conceivable he could face the winner of the May fight for the undisputed championship in the fall or winter. Gausha is a legitimate test for Tszyu. The 2012 U.S. Olympian is a talented, well-schooled boxer who has fallen short in his biggest fights. He lost a wide decision to then-titleholder Erislandy Lara in 2017, drew with Austin Trout in 2019 and lost a unanimous decision to Erickson Lubin in September 2020. He’s 2-2-1 in his last five fights, including a second-round knockout victory over capable Jamontay Clark in his only fight since the setback against Lubin. That victory gives Gausha some momentum going into his meeting with Tszyu.
Miguel Berchelt (38-2, 34 KOs) vs. Jeremiah Nakathila (22-2, 18 KOs)
- When: Saturday, March 26
- Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Resorts World Las Vegas
- TV/Stream: ESPN+
- Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
- Rounds: 12
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: NA
- Also on the card: Jose Enrique Vivas vs. Enrique Baez, featherweights
- Prediction: Berchelt KO 7
- Background: The fighters have a combined 52 knockouts in their 60 victories, which means this matchup of sluggers isn’t likely to go the distance. Berchelt suffered a devastating loss to Oscar Valdez in February of last year, a one-sided fight in which he went down three times and was stopped in the 10th round. That cost him his 130-pound title, put an end to the considerable momentum he had built the past several years and raised questions about his limitations. The 30-year-old Mexican had stopped 16 of his previous 17 opponents, including Francisco Vargas (twice), Takashi Miura, Jonathan Victor Barros, Miguel Roman and Jason Sosa. Nakathila had his own momentum-crushing setback in June of last year, when he was outclassed and shut out over 12 rounds by the gifted Shakur Stevenson in his U.S. debut. The 32-year-old Namibian bounced back to stop Ndodana Ncube of Zimbabwe in two rounds four months later in his home country. Nakathila probably matches up better against a slugger like Berchelt than he did against the slick, athletic Stevenson.
Kiko Martinez (43-10-2, 30 KOs) vs. Josh Warrington (30-1-1, 7 KOs)
- When: Saturday, March 26
- Time: 3 p.m. ET / noon PT (main event later in show)
- Where: First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
- TV/Stream: DAZN
- Division: Featherweight (126 pounds)
- Rounds: 12
- At stake: Martinez’s IBC title
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Warrington 3½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Maxi Hughes vs. Ryan Walsh, lightweights; Maria Cecilia Roman vs. Ebanie Bridges, bantamweights (for Roman’s IBF title); Dalton Smith vs. Roy Moylette, junior welterweights
- Prediction: Warrington SD
- Background: This bout is a rematch of the fighters’ May 2017 encounter, which Warrington won by a majority decision. Martinez, 36, shot down the notion that he is in decline by knocking out Kid Galahad in six rounds to win a major title in a second division this past November in Sheffield, England. The scrappy, hard-punching Spaniard had lost a wide decision to Zelfa Barrett only two fights earlier, raising questions about his future as an elite fighter. Warrington obviously is well connected. He went down twice and was stopped by relative unknown Mauricio Lara in the ninth round in February of last year. In the rematch, seven months later, he had to settle for a technical draw after Lara was cut badly by an accidental head butt. And he hasn’t won a fight in 2½ years. Still, he was given a shot at Martinez’s title. Warrington had been untouchable for several years before his ill-fated series with Lara, defeating Martinez, Lee Selby (to win a major title), Carl Frampton and Galahad, among others.
Also fighting this week:
THURSDAY, MARCH 24
- Salvador Tapia (12-3-1, 10 KOs) of Mexico will face countryman Emiliano Cruz (13-3, 12 KOs) junior welterweights in an eight-round junior welterweight fight in Tepic, Mexico (UFC Fight Pass).
SATURDAY, MARCH 26
- Andranik Grigoryan (14-0, 3 KOs) of Armenia will take on fellow featherweight prospect Otabek Kholmatov (9-0, 9 KOs) of Uzbekistan in 10-round bout in Orlando, Florida (Bally’s Sports Net).
