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Oscar Duarte Triumphs in WBA Eliminator Clash

Oscar Duarte Triumphs in Clash Against Kenneth Sims Jr.

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Oscar Duarte Triumphs in WBA Eliminator Clash

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions

Oscar Duarte Triumphs in WBA Eliminator Clash

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Oscar Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) claimed a majority decision victory over Kenneth Sims Jr. (22-3-1, 8 KOs) to put himself in line to challenge for a world title.

While one judge scored their bout 114-114, the other two saw it 116-112 and 115-113. With the win, Duarte is in line to challenge for the WBA super lightweight world title. The belt is currently held by Gary Antuanne Russell.

Duarte-Sims headlined a Golden Boy Promotions card – done in association with Cancun Boxing – at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL. Fight fans around the world could catch the action live on DAZN.

Oscar Duarte Triumphs in WBA Eliminator Clash

Oscar Duarte vs. Kenneth Sims Jr. Fight Recap

Sims sought to control things behind a jab early on. Duarte chose an aggressive approach which ultimately helped him secure the win on the scorecards. Sims was hit with a left hook to the head in round two that briefly stunned him. Duarte attempted to capitalize on the moment but the American was able to make it out the round on his feet.


There were times where Sims chose to stand and exchange with his opponent. Duarte, who hits harder between the two, got the better in such exchanges. Sims had success when he chose to box and move, but Duarte remained persistent in coming forward to land hard shots.


The Mexican fighter continued to throw away in the final two rounds. Sims was less active at this point of the fight and it allowed his opponent to get the better of him. In the end, two of the judges saw Duarte do the better work over 12 and awarded him the win.

Undercard on DAZN

Regis Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Joseph “JoJo” Diaz. Scores for their 10-round 142-lb catchweight bout were 98-92 and 96-94 (x2).

Tristan Kalkreuth (16-1, 11 KOs) won via corner retirement against Devonte Williams (13-3, 6 KOs). The official time of stoppage for this 10-round cruiserweight contest was 0:01 of round three. Williams was dropped by a left hook to the body in the second. While it appeared that he no longer wanted to continue, referee Joel Campuzano Jr. made both men continue fighting for the remainder of the round. Williams did not answer the bell for round three and the fight was waved off at that point.

Joshua Edwards (4-0, 4 KOs) won via fourth round technical knockout against Cayman Audie (4-2, 2 KOs). The official time of stoppage for this six-round heavyweight clash was 1:29. Audie was first dropped by a pull counter right hand to the face. Though he got up, a barrage from Edwards caused referee Benjamin Rodriguez to step in and halt proceedings with Audie still standing.

Opening the broadcast on DAZN, Yair Gallardo (10-0, 8 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Quinton Rankin (21-10-2, 16 KOs, 1 NC). Scores for their eight-round light heavyweight fight were 80-71 and 79-72 (x2). Rankin was knocked down in round six from a left hook to the body.

Untelevised Undercard

On a portion of the undercard that was untelevised, Gael Cabrera (9-0, 6 KOs) won via first round knockout against Richard Diaz (3-1-1, 2 KOs, 1 NC). The official time of stoppage for this eight-round featherweight bout was 2:30. Diaz was first knocked down by a right hook to the body. He got up, but was later dropped by a left hook to the body. Diaz was unable to beat the referee’s count, giving Cabrera the knockout win.


Mehki Phillips (7-0, 7 KOs) won via second round knockout against Joseph Cruz-Brown (12-15, 7 KOs). The official time of stoppage for this six-round lightweight fight was 2:27. A right and left hook to the body followed by a left uppercut sent Cruz-Brown down in the second. He was unable to beat the referee’s count, giving Phillips the knockout win.

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Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.

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