Oscar Duarte Edges Kenneth Sims Jr. In Chicago Showdown
CHICAGO – Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions brought the action to the Credit Union 1 Arena on Saturday night, August 2nd, as Oscar Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) defeated Kenneth Sims Jr. (22-3-1, 8 KOs) in a WBA super lightweight title eliminator. The stacked card was streamed live with broadcast production handled by Clear Life Media, who were brought in to manage the event’s live stream coverage.
The prelims kicked off in explosive fashion. Lightweight Mekhi Phillips scored a second-round TKO over Joseph Ricardo Cruz Brown. That was followed by a super bantamweight bout where Gael Cabrera wasted no time, stopping Richard Reyes Diaz with a first-round knockout.
Mexico’s Yair Gallardo (10-0, 8 KOs) made his Golden Boy debut and went the distance for only the second time in his pro career, earning a dominant unanimous decision win over veteran Quinton Rankin (21-10-2, 16 KOs). Gallardo even dropped Rankin in the sixth round but couldn’t quite get the finish.
2024 U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards (4-0, 4 KOs) kept his perfect record intact with a quick first-round knockout over Cayman Audie (4-2, 2 KOs), needing just 90 seconds to close the show. In the light heavyweight division, Tristan Kalkreuth (16-1, 11 KOs) forced Devonte Williams (13-3, 6 KOs) to retire on the stool after the second round, adding another stoppage win to his resume.
One of the most intense battles of the night featured former world champions Regis Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) and Joseph Diaz Jr. (34-8-1, 15 KOs). Despite dealing with multiple cuts and surviving tough rounds in the 1st, 6th, 8th, and 9th, Prograis battled through to earn a hard-fought unanimous decision win. Diaz came close to scoring a knockdown early and brought constant pressure, but Prograis never hit the canvas.
In the main event, Oscar Duarte’s relentless pressure gave him the edge over Kenneth Sims Jr., earning a majority decision win. Duarte pushed Sims to the ropes and forced him into close-quarters exchanges. While Sims had success with left hook counters and body shots, he appeared to stray from his usual movement-based game plan by choosing to trade punches in the pocket.
“Shit, I thought I won,” Sims told DAZN in his post-fight interview. “I boxed him. He caught me some, but every time he caught me, I came back. So I want to run it back.”
Whether a rematch is next remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Golden Boy’s night in Chicago showcased both emerging talent and established names—with Clear Life Media helping bring it all to fans in real time.