The fight proceeded as expected with Berchelt winning each round before battering the sturdy trialhorse along the ropes in the sixth round to force the referee to wave the fight off.
Berchelt knocked down Valenzuela in the first round with a left hook that stunned Valenzuela but didn't severely hurt him enough to endanger the stopping of the fight then and there.
Berchelt steadily stripped Valenzuela of his defense over the next few rounds, holding him off with the jab and hitting Valenzuela with his right whenever he wanted before the final barrage to end the fight in the sixth.
Berchelt is expected to return to 130 pounds for his next fight against former WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez in what looks to be an interesting and action-filled fight.
I would rate Berchelt as a solid favorite, but not a prohibitive one.
Berchelt is the naturally bigger man, the heavier puncher, and his style with a 5 and a half inch reach advantage against a fighter that is going to have to come to him, makes him the deserved favorite.
Add to those points that Valdez didn't look that great in his last fight against late replacement Adam Lopez in being knocked down, behind after six (on my scorecard), and would benefit from a premature stoppage and you can understand why I'm picking Berchelt.
However, Valdez is a good puncher and Berchelt's one loss was via first-round knockout to Luis Flores in 2013, so a Valdez win can happen, but Flores was a rare fighter that is taller than Berchelt in the division and Berchelt clearly had problems dealing with that.
Oscar Valdez lacks those physical attributes, but I'm still looking forward to this fight in the fall!
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