Oscar Duarte battles Kenneth Simms in a contest between two five-light welterweight contenders in the 12-round headliner tonight on August 2nd. It’s a ‘Tom and Jerry’ type of fight on paper with the pressure fighter, Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KOs), fighting the pure boxer Sims (22-2-1, 8 KOs).
(Credit: Cris Equeda/Golden Boy)
DAZN Fight Night: Duarte, Sims
Tonight’s event starts at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 PT on DAZN. The ringwalks for Duarte vs. Sims are approximately at 11:00 PM ET/8:00 PT.
Tonight’s fight card
- 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
Duarte says he saw the look of fear in Sims’ eyes during their final face-off at Friday’s weigh-in. He believes that Sims, 31, realizes what he’s up against in fighting him. His chance of getting a taste of the big money will nosedive if he’s beaten tonight.
Neither fighter can afford to lose. Duarte has climbed his way to this point, winning his last three fights after being knocked out by Ryan Garcia in 2023. In Duarte’s last fight, he looked like a machine, rolling over Miguel Madueno in seven rounds last February.
Sims Dismisses Duarte’s Fear Claims
Sims rejects the idea that he’s afraid of Duarte, and he says he’s going to take the belt to him inside the ring. The Chicago native, Sims, insists that he’s superior to Duarte in talent. He states that the slugger, Oscar, will be “embarrassed” inside the ring when he schools him.
Prograis vs. Diaz: Light Welterweight Support
A fight that many fans are looking forward to is the chief support bout between light welterweight Prograis (29-3, 24 KOs) and ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz (34-7-1, 15 KOs). Regis, 36. comes into the fight with a two-fight losing streak, and some fans believe he’s washed up.
His one-sided loss to Devin Haney in 2024 was hard to watch. The former super featherweight champion Diaz, 32, has had even worse problems, losing six of his last eight fights.