Duarte Outworks Sims Jr., Prograis Defeats JoJo Diaz in Chicago Bloodfest – Video Highlights

OSCAR “LA MIGRAÑA” DUARTE STUNS HOMETOWN FAVORITE KENNETH “BOSSMAN” SIMS JR. WITH MAJORITY DECISION VICTORY

PROGRAIS SURVIVES WAR WITH DIAZ JR. IN CO-MAIN THRILLER

LIVE FROM CREDIT UNION 1 ARENA – BROADCAST WORLDWIDE ON DAZN

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Mandatory Credit: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda

“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.

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.

Duarte Outworks Sims Jr., Prograis Defeats JoJo Diaz in Chicago Bloodfest

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 In the co-main event of a Golden Boy Promotions seven bout card televised on DAZN from the University of Illinois Chicago on Saturday night, August 2, 2025, tight defense Oscar Duarte Jurado outworked Chicago hometown favorite Kenneth Sims Jr. by majority decision over 12 rounds, fought in the pocket in a telephone booth, in a World Boxing Association junior welterweight title eliminator for a shot at titleholder Gary Russell.

Duarte, 30-2-1 with 23 knockouts, Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, and Sims, now 22-3-1 with eight knockouts, Chicago, Illinois, both landed 229 punches. However, Duarte was way ahead on punch volume, and landed 172 power shots to Sims landing only 110, and this proved the difference in a somewhat drawish action packed bout.

Duarte and Sims fought a punch counterpunch war, with Duarte appearing the busier fighter to give him the edge on two of the judges’ scorecards at 115-113 and 116-112. A third judge scored it 114-114 a draw. If Simms had won even only more round, the bout would have been 115-113, 113-115, 114-114 a draw, and the bout appeared that close.

Duarte used left hands, right hands, uppercuts, body shots and hooks, and was countered by Sims landing solid jabs and combinations while trying to remain out of distance range. Duarte continued to flurry frequently with power. Duarte’s solid right hands enabled him to win the last two critical championship rounds, while Sims appeared to back off a bit and threw and landed fewer jabs. The fight turned on the final two key critical rounds.

In the other co-main event, a crossroads bout for Regis Prograis was successful as he masterfully outworked Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz in a 10 round junior welterweight bout in a battle of former world champions, which was better suited for 12 rounds, based on the demonstrated abilities of the combatants.

Prograis, 30-3 with 24 knockouts, Houston, Texas, a 10 to 1 favorite in this bout at age 36, outworked Diaz from pillar to post. Yet Diaz, now 34-8-1 with 15 knockouts, Covina, California, remained in the bout by landing 197 punches, more than any previous Prograis opponent, with many power shots which left Prograis at times on rubbery legs.

An accidental head butt during a clinch opened up a cut under Diaz’ left eye. Referee Benjamin Rodriguez, after a consultation with the ringside doctor, let the bout run instead of calling it a technical draw as it had been less than four rounds at that point. The bout then evolved into a bloody blood fest for the next six rounds. Diaz was seeing double out of the left eye, identifying one of the referee’s fingers as two fingers, and two of the referee’s fingers as one finger on television not once, but twice. Strangely, the bout was allowed to continue as a toe-to-toe war to the bitter end, as Diaz appeared undaunted and remained competitive, bloody left eye, double vision or not. The crowd, who paid good money for the first real high level Chicago fight card in years, the television networks and the promoter wanted entertainment and feasted on the blood, so the war continued, caution thrown into the wind.

Prograis landed solid left hands as the bot continued, working the Diaz cut. However, Prograis was boxing with his hands down, an overconfident style which allowed Diaz to target him and land left hand bombs. Prograis’ jab dominated the entire bout, leaving him way ahead on the punch count and punches landed overall to win this bout on work rate. Diaz counted with some wicked double right hooks. Both fighters put it all on the table.

Diaz, 3-7-1 in his last eleven bouts, all 10 and 12 round decisions, except for a ninth round knockout loss to Oscar Duarte Jurado, has been reduced to trial horse status at age 32 for all practical purposes. Diaz came to fight for this bout well-conditioned and prepared, though, as Prograis noted after the bout “He (Diaz) was tougher than I thought.”

With scores of 98-92, and 96-94 and 96-94 for Prograis, Diaz had to win only one more round to draw the bout. Prograis clearly outworked him, but it was close due to Diaz’ countering with impressive power shots. The bout raised questions as to how Prograis would hold up in another world title bout as Diaz rocked him far too frequently for comfort, despite the win.

 University of Illinois Chicago Undercard Results

Tristan Kalkreuth Won by Referee’s Technical Decision in 3 Rounds over Devonte Williams in a Cruiserweight bout. 16-1 North Las Vegas prospect Kalkreuth had last minute sub Williams down in the second round. Williams quit on his stool between rounds

Mexican prospect Yair Gallardo won in 8 rounds by decision over Quinton Rankin in a light heavyweight bout by scores of 80-71, 79-72, and 79-72. Gallardo, 10-0 with eight knockouts, was forced to go the eight-round distance for the first time. Rankin, age 38, Gastonia, North Carolina, falls to 21-10-2 with 16 knockouts.

Former United States Olympian heavyweight Josh ‘The Rocket’ Edwards, 4-0 with four knockouts, Houston, Texas, dropped overmatched Cayman Audie of Hinckley, Minnesota twice in the first round and stopped him at 1:29 of the first round in the opening bout.