Barthelemy Takes Advantage of Delayed Date For Relikh Title Fight

Boxing Scene - By Elisinio Castillo

Rances Barthelemy was so focused for his rematch against Kiryl Relikh, that when they told him the fight had been postponed until further notice, he could not help but grimace. His mind and body were ready for February 10 and now the fight will take place on March 10.

"At first I felt bad, because in my mind I already saw myself as a champion on February 10," said the Cuban to George Ebro. "Then I took it as something that I had to take advantage of in my favor, to polish certain things, review everything. I will arrive in better condition than I would have in February 10."

The second match against Relikh broke down in principle when Mickey Garcia's opponent, Sergey Lipinets, injured a hand during a training session and was forced to ask for more preparation time. Garcia vs. Lipinets is the headline fight of the show.

The fight venue has been changed from the Alamodome to the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. 

"We are talking about a few more weeks," said Barthelemy, who trains under Professor Ismael Salas. "We have lowered the intensity a bit, but we will soon resume the pace that will allow us get ahead for this commitment. ''

Barthelemy (26-0, 13 KOs) goes for the vacant 140 pound title of the World Association (WBA), in search of becoming the first Cuban to conquer three weight divisions.

When the Cuban and the Belarussian first met on May 20, Barthelemy received a unanimous decision that at that time made him a mandatory challenger for then titleholder Julius Indongo, who would then be defeated by Terence Crawford.

The result of the first fight, however, was so close and controversial that the WBA ordered a new clash between Barthelemy and Relikh (21-2, 19 KO), setting the stage for this rematch that arouses many expectations.

"The goal of winning three titles is something that does not get out of my head," added Barthelemy, who won world titles at 130 and 135 pounds.

"It's almost an obsession, but I've channeled everything to not despair and put into practicing the fight plan that we have already agreed upon. There is little left, and less is needed. March 10 is the appointment."

Rances Barthelemy: I Want Mikey Garcia in My Next Fight

Photo courtesy of Sean Michael Ham / Premier Boxing Champions

Boxing Scene - By Boxing Clever

On March 10 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, two-division champion Rances Barthelemy (26-0, 13 KOs) will look to become the first Cuban boxer to ever win world titles in three different weight classes when he faces Kirly Relikh (21-2, 9 KOs) in a rematch.

Barthelemy won a controversial decision over Relikh last May.

This time around, the Showtime televised fight will have the vacant WBA super lightweight title will be at stake.

In the main event of that card, Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs) will attempt to make history by capturing a world title in a fourth weight class when he challenges IBF junior welterweight champion Sergey Lipinets (13-0, 10 KOs), who is making his first title defense.

Barthelemy wants to unify with Garcia next - provided that both of them win that night.

"A fight with Mikey Garcia is something I want. I'm completely focused on this fight against Relikh and making history, but I would be prepared to fight Mikey Garcia soon," Barthelemy said.

Barthelemy promises to make things right in the upcoming rematch, after getting dropped and looking very flat in the first encounter.

According to the Cuban boxer, his boxer felt weak in the contest and there wasn't a lot of energy in his legs for the full twelve rounds.
 
"I'm going to change a lot heading into the rematch. Last May I wasn't myself. I didn't feel like I had my legs coming into the fight and I wasn't able to perform how I usually do. This time my conditioning and nutrition is much improved. I'm going to use my legs and use my jab and put on a boxing clinic," Barthelemy said.
 
"There was nothing surprising about Relikh in the first fight. We knew he'd have power, but unfortunately I had to change my game plan when my body wasn't cooperating. I traded shots and fought his fight. I'm going to stick to my plan this time. Throughout my career I haven't paid enough attention to nutrition. It made my performances inconsistent. Bob Santos has come in and completely changed that. You'll see my conditioning on fight night is the best it's ever been."

Barthelemy vs. Relikh II For Vacant WBA Title on Garcia-Lipinets

Boxing Scene - By Random Hits

On Saturday, February 10 live on SHOWTIME, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy will face Kiryl Relikh in a rematch of their May showdown on SHOWTIME, this time for the vacant WBA 140-pound world title.

The fight will be the co-feature to three-division world champion Mikey Garcia attempting to win a world title in a fourth weight class when he challenges unbeaten IBF 140-pound world champion Sergey Lipinets 

The doubleheader of title bouts in the wide-open 140-pound division sets the stage for a potential unification match.
 
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Ringstar Sports and TGB Promotions, are priced at $250, $75, $50 and $20. Tickets will go on sale next week and will be available at Ticketmaster.com.
 
Barthelemy (26-0, 13 KOs), who was born in Arroyo Naranjo, Cuba and now lives in Las Vegas, has won world titles at 130 and 135 pounds. He defeated Relikh by unanimous decision in his debut at 140 pound in his last fight on May 20. If he defeats Relikh again, he will become the first Cuban boxer to win world championships in three different weight classes.

He defeated Argenis Mendez by unanimous decision to win the 130-pound world title in 2014 and a year later scored a unanimous decision over Denis Shafikov for the 135-pound world title. Barthelemy, 31, has two brothers, Yan and Leduan, who are professional boxers who he trains alongside with under the tutelage of Ismael Salas.
 
Relikh (21-2, 19 KOs) believes that he won the first match with Barthelemy and that the scorecards did not reflect the competitive nature of the fight. The 28-year-old nearly had Barthelemy out after landing a barrage of punches that penned Barthelemy on the ropes, but he was only awarded a knockdown. In the eighth round, Barthelemy came back to drop Relikh with a body shot.

Shortly after the May 20 title eliminator, the WBA ordered a rematch, this time to be contested for the vacant 140-pound title.  This will be Relikh's second world title shot after the fighter from Minsk, Belarus lost a unanimous decision to Ricky Burns in Glasgow, Scotland on Oct. 7, 2016.

Rances Barthelemy Drops, Decisions Relikh in WBA Eliminator

Boxing Scene - By Cliff Rold

MGM National Harbor in Maryland - It was hard hitting throughout, with both men on the deck, and in the end the crowd was booing. That didn’t make the crowd right.

Cuban 30-year old former 130 and 135 lb. titlist Rances Barthelemy (26-0, 13 KO), 139 ½, of Las Vegas, Nevada, appeared to win most of the rounds en route to a unanimous decision over 27-year old Kiryl Relikh (21-2, 19 KO), 139 ½, of Belarus. The referee was Kenny Chevalier.

Relikh looked on the verge of a career best win halfway through the fight. A knockdown in round five had Barthelemy reeling but the former titlist made the bell. He returned the knockdown favor in the eighth with a vicious body shot that Relikh tried to play off as low. Another shot did stray low in the ninth and Relikh took ample time to recover. Neither came close to stopping the other again, even as they continued to land blasting, hard shots. 

In the end, Barthelemy simply landed more. The unanimous scores came in at 116-110, 115-111, and 117-109. Barthelemy earns a mandatory position with the WBA. Julius Indongo is the current WBA, IBO and IBF titlist.

A Cuban amateur national champion, 30-year-old Barthelemy turned pro in 2009. Born in Cuba but now fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. he won a super featherweight world title in July 2014 by defeating Argenis Mendez in impressive fashion, and followed that up with a second round TKO victory over Angino Perez.

After dominating former champion Antonio DeMarco in June, he won a world title in a second division when he impressively defeated Denis Shafikov in December. Most recently, Barthelemy made the lone defense of his lightweight belt with a decision over former champion Mickey Bey last June.
 
Fighting out of Minsk, Belarus, Relikh returned to the ring after challenging the former champion Burns for the WBA title in October 2016.

The 27-year-old was undefeated after turning pro in 2011 leading up to his world title shot. Relikh owns wins over veteran contenders Christian Ariel Lope, Joaquim Carneiro and Lazaro Santos de Jesus.