Oscar Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KOs) meets Kenneth Sims (22-2-1, 8 KOs) in a 50-50 clash in the light welterweight division tonight at the University of Illinois in Chicago. The hometown fighter, Sims, predicts that he’s going to whoop Duarte and humiliate him.
Undercard results
Cruiserweight Tristan Kalkreuth (16-1, 11 KOs) defeated his late substitute opponent Devonte Williams (13-3, 6 KOs) by a 3rd-round TKO. Kalkreuth, 23, knocked Williams down with a left to the body in round two. There was confusion with the referee trying to figure out if Williams was quitting after he got back to his feet. He had taken his mouthpiece out and walked to his corner as if the fight was over.
After the referee spoke to him, Williams said he wanted to continue. Before that, Kalkreuth had already celebrated the victory, doing a backflip. The action was allowed to continue for the remaining seconds of the round. In another weird move, Williams chose not to come out for the third round, complaining of an eye injury. He was blinking to show that one of his eyes was injured. The fight was halted at one second into round three.
Heavyweight Joshua Edwards (4-0, 4 KOs) steamrolled over Cayman Audie (4-2, 2 KOs), scoring a lightning-fast first-round knockout. The big-punching Edwards dropped Audie on the canvas. The referee stopped the fight.
Duarte-Sims Live Stream Details
The event will be streamed live on DAZN beginning at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. The ringwalks for Duarte-Sims are around 11 PM ET / 8 PM PT.
Former two-time 140-lb champion Regis Prograis (29-3, 24 KOs) and Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz (34-7-1, 15 KOs) are fighting in the co-feature in a 10-round contest. It’s a fight that could steal the show tonight because both fighters like to mix it up. There won’t be any running from them like we might see from Kenneth Sims in the main event.
Fights Tonight
Oscar Duarte vs. Kenneth Sims Jr.
Regis Prograis vs. Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz
Tristan Kalkreuth vs. Kareem Hackett
Joshua Edwards vs. Cayman Audie
Yair Gallardo vs. Quinton Rankin
Prograis, Jo Jo Diaz Fight
Prograis, 36, admits that he needs the win after going 0-2 in his last two fights. He believes that his fight with ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz is a “crossroads” clash, and he feels it can steal the show. Both fighters are in a must-win situation, so they’re not going to play it safe, hoping to win a decision.
Regis says he doesn’t care if fans count him out after his recent defeats. He views fans as fickle, with them having a love-hate relationship with fighters. He believes that he can win their support with a victory tonight against ‘Jo Jo.”
What’s essential for the former WBA and WBC light welterweight champion Prograis is that he says he’s trained hard for the contest. Indeed, he looked in superb shape at the weigh-in last Friday.
Golden Boy promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, chose Chicago to take advantage of the fan appeal that Sims has in the city. He feels it’s an excellent atmosphere for boxing in the big city.
