HBO boxing results: Miguel Berchelt takes WBC belt from Francisco Vargas

Miguel Berchelt was something of an unknown and the betting underdog, but he took Francisco Vargas apart tonight in California, stopping the defending WBC super featherweight titleholder in the 11th round.

Berchelt (31-1, 28 KO) took Vargas (23-1-2, 17 KO) apart from the get-go in this fight, building up what appeared to be a sizable lead on the cards — BLH had him up 98-92 at the time of stoppage — and battered Vargas face into a bloody mess over the course of the fight, which grew increasingly one-sided after a really entertaining start.

Berchelt landed 45% (430 of 974) of his total punches, while Vargas, though outgunned, did land 33 of 1,032 (32%) of his punches. It was a war for about five or six rounds, then became something of a beatdown, with the doctor, referee, and corner all keeping a close eye on the proceedings.

Berchelt now joins the elite ranks at 130 pounds, and HBO brought up a potential fight with Vasyl Lomachenko down the line. But next for Berchelt could be former titleholder Takashi Miura, who scored a brutal win over Mickey Roman earlier on the show.