By Jake Donovan

From the opening bell, Miguel Berchelt didn’t waste any time in once again taking the fight to Francisco Vargas.

At the end of the fight, he also didn’t waste any time in lining up his next one.

The defending 130-pound titlist was relentless in a 6th round stoppage of Vargas in their ESPN-televised rematch Saturday evening in Tucson, Arlz.

The bout was every bit as entertaining as their first encounter two years ago but also far more one-sided. Mexico’s Berchelt forced a furious pace and never slowed on a night where he averaged more than 120 punches per round.

“I did what I said what I was going to do in the ring,” Berchelt stated of his pre-fight promise to force another war.

It worked to a tee in his title-winning effort, turning a relatively even affair into a rout in stopping Vargas in the 11th round of their Jan. 2017 HBO headliner. Five defenses have followed, including back-to-back violent stoppage wins over countrymen Saul Roman last November and Vargas once again on Saturday. 

This bout was due to take place on March 23, but postponed after Berchelt (36-1, 32KOs) was forced to postpone after suffering an injury during training camp. It could turn out to be a blessing, as ESPN will present another 130-pound title fight on May 25 when Japan’s Masayuki Ito defends versus Jamel Herring.

The winner could be looking at a unification bout for his next adventure.

“I want to prove that I’m the best 130-pounder in the world,” Berchelt insisted after Saturday’s title defense, marking his 15th consecutive win dating back to 2014. “In {two weeks}, it will be {Jamel} Herring taking on {WBO champion Masayuki} Ito.

“I want the winner of that fight because I don’t want to leave any doubt as to who the best super featherweight in the world is.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox