TUCSON –The card was dubbed Twice As Nice. Nice for the Winner. Nightmarish for the losers.

 Miguel Berchelt and Emanuel Navarrete picked up where the left off, Berchelt in a sixth-round stoppage of Francisco Vargas for the WBC’s super-featherweight title and Navarrete in a 12^th-round stoppage of Isaac Dogboe for the WBO’s super-bantamweight title Saturday night in an ESPN doubleheader at Tucson Arena.

The difference in both rematches was in the way each winner accomplished the task. The dequels left no doubt or any reason to even wonder about trilogy. Each rematch was more definitive for the victor and a lot more painful for the vanquished. The losses were punishing, so much so that each bout ended the same way.

The respective corners ended it, Vargas’ corner before the seventh round and Dogboe’s corner with 58 seconds left in the fight.

“My trainer did what he was supposed to,’’ Vargas said. “He stepped in to protect me.’’

Vargas (25-2-2, 18 KOs) pretty much said it all, for himself and Dogboe. Vargas trainer, Joel Diaz, didn’t want to see any more of the pounding that Vargas had begun to take from the stronger Berchelt (36-1, 32 KOs).

“His corner did the right thing when they kept him from taking more punishment’’ said Berchelt, who collected $600,000, $450,000 more than Vargas’ $150,000 purse, according to contract filed with the Arizona Commission.

For the emerging Berchelt, the victory created a whole host of new opportunities. He has been mentioned as a potential opponent for pound-for-pound contender Vasiliy Lomachenko. In post-fight interviews, Berchelt said he wanted a shot at the winner Masayuki Ito-Jamel Herring on May 25 for the WBO title in south Florida.

In the night’s first rematch, Navarrete (27-1, 23 KOs) took the storm out of Dogboe (20-2, 14 KOs) and administered a royal beating of the Ghana fighter who calls himself The Royal Storm. The real surprise was that Dogboe had less of a chance in the rematch than he had in losing a decision to Navarrete in December.

The bigger Navarrete controlled distance and pace. The Mexican’s power shots to the body and head left Dogboe stumbling across the canvas throughout most of the 12 rounds. In the sixth, Navarrete’s uppercut knocked Dogboe off his feet and onto the bottom rope.

If not for that rope, Dogboe might have found himself face down on a ringside table. It was scored a knockdown. Somehow, Dogboe stayed upright, but he was an unconscious man walking, walking straight into more of Navarrete’s arsenal.

By the eighth, the end looked to be inevitable. In the12th, the inevitable landed, first with more Navarrete shots that dropped Dogboe on hands and knees. Again, Dogboe got up. But this time his corner had seen enough. At 2:02 of the 12^th, it was over, leaving no doubt about Navarrete’s credentials.

“The men in this division know who I am, where I am,’’ said Navarrete, the WBO’s 122-pound super-bantamweight belt, who collected $90,000. Dogboe was guaranteed $100.000.

One thing is for sure: Dogboe said he is moving up in weight to 126 pounds. It has become too hard to make weight. Too hard, too, to beat Navarrete.

“Thanks to Navarrete,’’ said Dogboe, who also might have been saying thanks to an immediate future that won’t include another fight with the Mexican.

Mykal Fox wins decision

Maryland junior-welterweight Mykal Fox (20-1, 5 KOs) often looked as if he were about to be slam-dunked by Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (7-1, 4 KOs), who has the physical dimensions of a small forward. But Fox darted in, darted out and scored just enough to win 96-92, 95-93, 96-92 decision over Gaibnazarov, of Uzbekistan.

Carlos Castro stays unbeaten 

Phoenix junior-featherweight Carlos Castro continues to climb up in the rankings and into the conversation. It’s hard to ignore his unbeaten record, and it stayed that way with a thorough 10-round performance in a 100-89, 98-91, 100-89 decision over Mexican Mario Diaz.

Castro (23-0, 9 KOs) scored an early knockdown, employed a consistently quick jab and shook off repeated counters from Diaz (18-3, 7 KOs) in the late rounds.

“We knew it would be a tough fight,” Castro, who retained a WBC Continental belt and tightened  his grip on a ranking among the organizations’s top 10 contenders. “The goal is to fight for a world title. We’ll keep working.”

Miguel Marriaga scores stoppage

Miguel Marriaga has appeared in title fights, main events and undercards. On Saturday, it was an undercard before rematch doubleheader featuring Isaac Dogboe-Emanuel Navarrete and Miguel Berchelt-FranciscoVargas at Tucson Arena.

The Colombian lightweight (28-3, 24 KOs), who fought and lost to champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oscar Valdez Jr. in 2017, administered a painful succession of body shots, sending fellow Colombia Ruben Cervera (10-2, 9 KOs) to the canvas twice in the second. Cervera returned the favor in the third, scoring a knockdown with what looked like a push and a punch.  But Marriaga’s body blows kept coming. And kept hurting. It ended with Cervera sitting on his stool, unable to answer the bell for the fourth.

First Bell: BercheltVargas2 card underway

It didn’t take long for the card to take on the city’s identity. Tucson calls itself The Old Pueblo. That also means old school, which is what Manny Guajardo was in scoring a resilient four-round decision over Johnathan Espino.

Guajardo (5-0), a Tucson middleweight, rocked Espino early. But Espino (2-4, 2 KOs), of Escondido, Calif., came back with some counters of his own in the third and fourth. In the end, however, the momentum and the fight belonged to Guarjardo, who won a hard-fought majority decision in the second bout of an ESPN card featuring the Miguel Berchelt-Francisco Vargas rematch.

The card’s afternoon opener ended quickly. The matinee lasted a round. Mexican super-lightweight Miguel Parra (17-1-1, 11 KOs) knocked down Nicaraguan David Morales (13-11, 13 KOs) moments after the first bell at Tucson Arena. Morales got up slowly. There was no hiding the obvious. Morales trainer threw in the towel seconds before the start of the second round.

TUCSON, Ariz. (May 1, 2019) — Fazliddin “Fayzi” Gaibnazarov is on the fast track to world title contention. Gaibnazarov, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist for his native Uzbekistan, will face the toughest — and tallest — test of his career against the 6-foot-3 Mykal “The Professor” Fox in a 10-round super lightweight showdown from the Tucson Arena. Fox will have a roughly nine-inch height advantage over Gaibnazarov.

Gaibnazarov-Fox will headline an action-packed slate of fights on ESPN+ — the leading multi-sport streaming service — beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

The main card, dubbed “Twice as Nice,” will feature a pair of world championship rematches and will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET. WBC super featherweight champion Miguel “El Alacrán” Berchelt will make the fifth defense of his belt against Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas in a rematch of their 2017 Fight of the Year contender, won by Berchelt via 11th-round knockout. In the co-feature, WBO junior featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete will look to repeat the deed against Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe in a rematch of their Dec. 8 bout, won by Navarrete via unanimous decision.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Peltz Boxing Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, tickets priced at $102, $77, $52 and $27 can be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet, online at www.Ticketmaster.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000, or at the Tucson Convention Center ticket office.

“I want the best fighters at 140 pounds, and I want them soon,” Gaibnazarov said. “Fox is a step up for me, but I always rise to the occasion as my opposition gets better. I fought and beat the world’s best fighters as an amateur, and I will do the same as a professional. 2019 is going to be my year.”

“Most guys would take a step down in competition after a loss, but there is nothing to gain from that. Gaibnazorov is not to be taken lightly but neither am I,” Fox said. “I’m looking to secure a win and get back on the ball. An undefeated Olympian is a hell of a choice to try and do that with, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Plus, the list of guys who will fight me, despite losing, is very short. I’m grateful and looking forward to doing battle with an Olympian.”

Gaibnazarov (7-0, 4 KOs) turned pro in 2017 following a storied amateur career that included a pair of Olympic berths, the gold medal in 2016 and victories over the likes of current promotional stablemate and WBC super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez. He turned pro in scheduled eight-rounders and has yet to be seriously challenged in the paid ranks. After going 3-0 in 2018, he made his 2019 debut on Jan. 19 in Verona, New York, stopping Ricardo Garcia in four rounds.

Fox (19-1, 5 KOs), a native of Forestville, Maryland, has befuddled most of his professional opponents with his long southpaw jab. In his last outing, Feb. 15 in Mulvane, Kansas, the upset-minded Fox was on the short end of a 10-round unanimous decision to top prospect Shohjahon Ergashev. Despite a pair of 98-92 scorecards, many ringside observers believed Fox did enough to earn a draw.

In other action on ESPN+:
Albuquerque native and top featherweight prospect Jason Sanchez (14-0, 7 KOs) will face former world title challenger Adeilson Dos Santos (19-6, 15 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

Phoenix native Carlos Castro (22-0, 9 KOs) will defend his WBC Continental Americas super bantamweight belt in a 10-rounder against Mario Alberto Diaz (18-2, 7 KOs). Castro is coming off an upset win over former world title challenger Genesis Servania in February.

Three-time world title challenger Miguel Marriaga (27-3, 23 KOs) returns to action in an eight-round featherweight bout against Naciff Martinez (23-10-3, 9 KOs).

Super lightweight prospect Miguel Parra (16-1-1, 11 KOs) hopes to make it eight wins in a row versus David Morales (13-10, 13 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

Tucson-based middleweight prospect Manny Guajardo (4-0, 0 KOs) will look to impress the hometown fans in a four-rounder against Jonathan Espino (2-3, 2 KOs).

In a four-round welterweight rematch featuring a pair of local favorites, Nogales’ Judas Estrada (1-1-1, 1 KO) will face Tucson’s Christopher Gonzalez (3-0-1, 0 KOs). Estrada and Gonzalez fought to a draw last November in a crowd-pleasing brawl.

Phoenix native Carlos Velasquez (1-0, 0 KOs) will face an opponent to be named in a four-rounder at lightweight.
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.

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Oscar Rivas pulled off the biggest win of his career by stopping Bryant Jennings in the final round of their 12-round heavyweight at The Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Rivas was the more active fighter and in round 12, he turned up the heat and stepped on the gas with a hard combination on Jennings against the ropes until he put Jennings on the canvas. With Jennings hurt, Rivas jumped on Jennings as he landed some major power punches on the ropes that snapped the head of Jennings back, and the bout was stopped at 54 seconds.

Rivas, 234 lbs of Montreal is 26-0 with 18 knockouts. Jennings, 223 1/4 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-3.

“I worked hard for this fight, and this is the result we were looking for,” Rivas said. “Before the beginning of the last round, my coach reminded me how hard we had worked, and that motivated me to leave everything in the last round. I saw that the combination of a hook and straight right hand was landing, and I kept throwing it until I knocked him down.

“I demonstrated that I’m unbeaten for a reason. Now after this triumph, the boxing world will know my name. This victory puts me closer to being among the elites of the division. I want to write my name in the history of Colombian boxing.

Said Jennings: “It is what it is.”

Shakur Stevenson remained undefeated with a 4th round stoppage over Jessie Cris Rosales in a scheduled 10-round featherweight contest.

Stevenson dumped Rosales with a hard left, and Rosales was flat on his back, and the fight was called at 1:17 of round four.

Stevenson is now 10-0 with six knockouts. Rosales is 22-2-1.

“I want Warrington. I want to go England and fight in front of the fans over there. That would be a great fight,” Stevenson said. “I know that I’m ready for a title shot. At the same time, I am still growing and improving. I have a great team behind me.”

Robson Conceicao won an eight-round unanimous decision over Hector Ambriz in a super featherweight bout.

Conceicao, 130 1/2 lbs of Bahia, BRA won by shutout scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 11-0. Ambriz, 130 1/2 lbs of Ensenada, MEX is 12-9-2.

Jason Sosa survived an early to knockdown to comeback and take a 10-round unanimous decision over Moises Delgadillo in a junior lightweight contest.

In round one, Sosa was cut on the bridge of the nose. In round two, Delgadillo sent Sosa down with a clipping left hook. In round three, Delgadillo started to bleed around his left eye.

In round seven, Sosa turned the tide by knocking Delgadillo down with a body punch.

Sosa, 131 lbs of Camden, NJ won by scores of 97-91 twice and 96-92 to raise his mark to 22-3-4. Delagadillo, 133 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 17-19-2.

“I came from behind in this fight. He surprised me and knocked me down with a good punch, but I recovered and then I managed to knock him down and take control of the fight,” Sosa said. “I did not have any amateur fights, so I’m still learning a lot with each fight.”

I want {WBC super featherweight champion Miguel} Berchelt. I want that title that he has. It would be another great war between Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Two-time Indian Olympian Vikas Krishan made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Steven Andrade in a scheduled six-round junior middleweight bout.

Krishan pressured Andrade from the opening bell, and in round two, a hard flurry put Andrade on the canvas. A follow up flurry had referee Benjy Esteves to stop the bout.

Krishan, 152 lbs is 1-0 with one knockout. Andrade, 151 3/4 lbs of Cartersville, GA is 3-4.

“I want to thank my team for helping me have a successful professional debut,” Krishan said. “This is only the start of my professional journey. ‘The Indian Tank’ is coming.”

Fazliddin Gaibnazarov remained undefeated by stopping Ricardo Garcia after round four of their scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout.

In round three, Gaibnazarov dropped Garcia with a right hook.

Gaibnazarov, 141 1/2 lbs of Berobod, UZB is 7-0 with four knockouts. Garcia, 142 lbs of Reading, PA is 14-5-1.

“I want to step up my level of competition now,” Gaibnazarov said. “I am ready for the top fighters at 140 pounds. My time is coming.”

Carlos Adames remained undefeated by stopping Juan Ruiz in round three in a schedueled eight-round junior middleweight bout.

Adames dropped Ruiz with a right to the body for the 10-count at 1:57.

Adames, 156 lbs of Santiago, DR is now 16-0 with 13 knockouts. Ruiz, 155 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 21-4.

“This is the new era of ‘El Caballo Bronco,'” Adames said. “I want to battle against the best. I already want to face a world champion. Anyone who does not want to face me, get out of the way because I’m coming for all the super welterweight world titles.”