Golden Boy announced today that 140-pound contenders Oscar Duarte and Kenneth Sims Jr, who were slated to meet last November before Sims injured his knee, will headline an August 2nd DAZN show in Chicago.
Stoked they’re revisiting this one. Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KO) is a highly reliable action fighter whose only loss in his last 15 fights came against Ryan Garcia, a fight in which Duarte was more than holding his own before getting clipped by a left hook. His three fights since have seen him batter JoJo Diaz, take a decision over Batyr Akhmedov when the Uzbek stepped in for Sims (22-2-1, 8 KO), then beat down a brave Miguel Madueno in February after Regis Prograis pulled out.
Sims himself is unbeaten since a 1-2-1 skid from 2017-2018, breaking out with a 2021 upset of Elvis Rodriguez but never quite managing to capitalize. He and Duarte are within spitting distance of WBA champ Gary Antuanne Russell, so a win here could propel them right to the cusp of a title shot.
Really strong matchup. You’ll want to tune in.
