OSCAR "LA MIGRAÑA" DUARTE STUNS HOMETOWN FAVORITE KENNETH “BOSSMAN” SIMS JR. WITH MAJORITY DECISION VICTORY
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 03 Aug 2025
PROGRAIS SURVIVES WAR WITH DIAZ JR. IN CO-MAIN THRILLER
CHICAGO (Aug. 2, 2025) — In a gritty, back-and-forth battle between hometown pride and Mexican firepower, Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs), of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, edged Chicago’s own Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr. (22-3-1, 8 KOs) via majority decision in a thrilling 12-round WBA super lightweight title eliminator. Judges scored the action-packed bout 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114. The fight headlined a stacked card live from Credit Union 1 Arena and was broadcast globally on DAZN. The event was presented in association with Cancun Boxing.
"I am very happy, it was a great fight, a war," said Duarte. "I am very happy about this victory and I am very happy to be closer to be fighting for a world title. Sims Jr. brought much experience and had great conditioning. He came very prepared. However, I felt that I was very prepared and that I was in control of the rounds. It was a fight where I learned a lot. I am ok with doing a rematch with him, wherever he wants to do it. If he wants to run it back in Chicago, we can do it here again too, but I would come ready to knock him out.
“I thought I won. It was a good fight, tough fight, but I thought I won.” said Kenneth Sims Jr. “He brought pressure like I expected. Relentless pressure. It was nothing that I didn’t expect. I mean, I could’ve sharpened my defense. It was a good fight. He’s a tough fighter. It was amazing (the fans). I love my hometown, I love my city. It’s good to see they love me too. Absolutely (run it back). I want it right back because I won that fight. It was a close fight, but I won it. We can go right back to it.”
In a co-main event that delivered 10 rounds of nonstop action, former world champions Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) of New Orleans and Joseph “JoJo” Diaz (34-7, 15 KOs) of South El Monte, California battled in a brutal super lightweight war that showcased heart, grit, and experience from both fighters. Diaz fought through a cut over his left eye caused by a headbutt in the fourth round, followed by a second cut in the fifth. Prograis went down in round 4, but it was ruled a slip. After 10 grueling rounds, the judges scored the fight 98-92, 96-94, and 96-94 in favor of Prograis.
“It was like when you have the jitters coming into a fight, then after that you get hit with the first one — and then it’s a fight,” said Prograis. “I knew it was gonna be a fight with him. I went to my corner and they said, ‘Listen, just keep your jab out.’ And that’s what I did. That’s how I got the job done. People are gonna say what they wanna say, but I felt like I needed this. JoJo’s a veteran. He’s real tough, and he came to fight. We went 10 rounds — 10 hard rounds — and that’s something I definitely needed in my bag,” he added. “For me, I want to get back to being a champion. I want the big money. Big money or a world championship — that’s what I want next.”
On the DAZN undercard, cruiserweight prospect Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (16-1, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas stopped Houston’s Devonte Williams (13-3, 6 KOs) one second into round 3 of their scheduled 10-round bout. In heavyweight action, undefeated U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards (4-0, 4 KOs) made quick work of Hinckley, Minnesota’s Cayman Audie (4-2, 2 KOs), scoring a TKO at 1:30 of the first round in their scheduled six-round fight. Chihuahua, Mexico's Yair Gallardo (10-0, 8 KOs) remained undefeated after earning a unanimous decision over Gastonia, North Carolina’s Quinton Rankin (21-10-2, 16 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight bout. Scorecards read 79-72, 79-72, and 80-71.
In preliminary action, Gael Cabrera (9-0, 6 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico, earned a first-round knockout over Miami’s Richard Diaz (3-1-1, 2 KOs) at 2:30 in a scheduled eight-round featherweight contest. Opening the night, rising lightweight Mehki Phillips (7-0, 7 KOs) continued his knockout streak, defeating Sonora, Mexico’s Joseph Cruz-Brown (12-15, 7 KOs) via second-round KO at 2:27.
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Duarte vs. Sims Jr. was a 12-round fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Cancun Boxing. The event will be available worldwide to all subscribers on DAZN, both live and on demand.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #GarciaDuarte
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