Miguel Berchelt stops Eleazar Valenzuela in round 6
WBC junior lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt made easy work of unknown Eleazar Valenzuela, but it took longer than expected.
When WBC junior lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt stepped into the ring on Saturday, June 27, against unheralded Eleazar Valenzuela, expectations were low. The bout was a mismatch, but Valenzuela stuck around longer than expected.
Berchelt (38-1, 34 KOs), 28, of Mexico, fought as a lightweight on the Top Rank on ESPN card, but fighting a bigger opponent in Valenzuela didn’t hinder Berchelt’s dominance. Valenzuela never stood a chance, but he gave a valiant effort over the six rounds he lasted.
Valenzuela (21-14-4, 16 KOs), 25, also of Mexico, was rated by Boxrec.com as the 385th best junior welterweight in the world. His bigger frame allowed him to eat some monster punches from Berchelt, but the differentiation in skill levels left little doubt about the outcome of this fight.
Berchelt established his bodywork in round 1. He threw hard-hitting left hooks to Valenzuela’s liver that repeatedly connected. With a little less than 30 seconds in the round, the bell rang early. Both men stopped fighting momentarily but began after the mistake was realized.
In the last 10 seconds, Valenzuela decided to stay in close with Berchelt and mix it up. It was a costly mistake as Berchelt clipped Valenzuela with a left hook to the head that dropped him at the bell. Valenzuela made it to his feet, but the knockdown didn’t help his confidence.
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Miguel Berchelt threw everything he had at the vastly overmatched Valenzuela.
Valenzuela took a beating for the remainder of the fight. From rounds 2-5, Berchelt tried to stop Valenzuela, but he wouldn’t go down. Berchelt’s left hook to the body was his primary weapon, but he also connected often with right crosses to Valenzuela’s head. What Valenzuela lacked in skill, he made up for in heart.
In round 6, Valenzuela looked weary but fought on. A minute into the round, Berchelt stunned Valenzuela with a right cross and followed it up with a left hook that made his legs buckle. Valenzuela was hurt and in trouble. The referee wisely stopped the fight immediately.
Berchelt wasn’t tested, but he got to go a few rounds at a time when the sports world is stuck in limbo. He didn’t prove anything new. Berchelt is a hard puncher who’s one of the best boxers in the world. Hopefully, Berchelt can defend his title in his next outing.
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