It can never be said that Oscar Duarte lacks confidence.
The hard-hitting junior welterweight contender already proved his willingness to take on all comers by keeping a fight with Kenneth Sims Jnr on the books. They were due to meet on a Golden Boy Promotions’ “Latino Night” show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last November, only for a knee injury to force Sims out.
Duarte, 29-2-1 (23 KOs), remained on the card, winning that evening and then again in February. He could have easily moved on with his career, but he made a point to not only revisit a fight with Sims but agree to travel to his opponent’s Chicago hometown for the occasion.
“I am the new face of boxing and I will prove it this Saturday night inside the ring,” Duarte vowed during Thursday’s final pre-fight press conference. “I knew we were going to have a fight before this. … Now, we actually have it.”
Duarte-Sims headlines a DAZN show this Saturday from Credit Union 1 Arena on the campus of University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC).
Sims, 22-2-1 (8 KOs), will fight in his childhood hometown for the first time in his 11-year pro career. The 31-year-old contender – who trains in Las Vegas – comes armed with a nine-fight win streak and is at the doorstep of an overdue title shot.
Yet it’s Duarte who is backed by the oddsmakers.
Bet365 sportsbook has Duarte, a 29-year-old knockout artist from Parral, Mexico, as a -163 favorite to prevail this weekend. He enters the fight having won 13 of his past 14 starts, including three straight following a December 2023 knockout loss to Ryan Garcia in Houston.
Duarte’s current run includes stoppage victories over former IBF 130lbs titlist Joseph “JoJo” Diaz and Miguel Madueno. Neither of the two had previously been stopped before they met the heavy-handed Duarte.
Wedged in between was a competitive but clear points win for Duarte over Batyr Akhmedov, who replaced an injured Sims on the November 16 “Latino Night” card in Riyadh.
“Oscar Duarte is another one who can show what awaits you when you’re willing to take risks and face anyone,” De La Hoya told BoxingScene. “He moved up in weight, fought Ryan and did extremely well in that fight until Ryan caught him. Ryan even said that was one of the hardest punchers he ever faced.
“Now, he’s back in another great outing and has a title fight within reach. He wins, and he’s going on to face one of the champions.”
It’s the sight of that very path that prompted Duarte to take on such a risk this weekend.
“This is going to be a good fight,” insisted Duarte. “It’s a good challenge. I want to be a champion. Whoever’s in front of me, I’m going to take him out.”
