HBO Boxing After Dark Runs Saturday

HBO BOXING OPENS THE NEW YEAR WITH A RED-HOT DOUBLEHEADER
WHEN HBO BOXING AFTER DARK®: FRANCISCO VARGAS VS. MIGUEL BERCHELT
AND TAKASHI MIURA VS. MIGUEL ROMAN
IS PRESENTED SATURDAY, JAN. 28

Francisco Vargas Highlights from 2015 vs. Takashi Miura & 2016 vs Orlando Salido (Click to Watch)

#HeyHarold! Vargas vs. Berchelt (Click to Watch)

HBO kicks off 2017 with an action-packed doubleheader when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: FRANCISCO VARGAS VS. MIGUEL BERCHELT AND TAKASHI MIURA VS. MIGUEL ROMAN is seen SATURDAY, JAN. 28 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Palm Springs Resort Casino in Palm Springs, Cal. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 29 (10:00 a.m.) and 31 (11:40 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Jan. 29 (2:45 p.m.) and 30 (12:00 a.m.)

The fight will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

Undefeated super featherweight champion Francisco Vargas (23-0-2, 17 KOs) makes his 2017 debut against challenger Miguel Berchelt (30-1, 27 KOs) in a much-anticipated 12-round title showdown. Following his victory over Takashi Miura in the BWAA’s “2015 Fight of the Year,” Vargas, 31, turned in another crowd-pleasing performance in his June 2016 fight against Orlando Salido, which ended in a majority draw and was the consensus “Fight of the Year” selection. The Mexico City native has quickly become a must-see attraction due to his relentless, come-forward fighting style, which he will need to get past his younger opponent.

Berchelt, 25, of Merida, Mexico, holds an impressive 16-fight knockout streak entering this title bout, which marks his first appearance on HBO and second outside Mexico.

In the co-main event of the evening, Takashi Miura (30-3-2, 23 KOs), Vargas’ opponent in the 2015 Fight of the Year, faces battle-tested vet Miguel Roman (56-11, 43 KOs) in a super featherweight 12-round slugfest. Tokyo’s Miura, 32, aims to use his aggressive southpaw style to beat Roman and earn another shot at the title he lost to Vargas. Roman, 31, of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, enters the fight having notched six impressive knockout victories in 2015 and 2016.