The son of two-time light middleweight champion Fernando Vargas (26-5, 22 KOs), the 24-year-old southpaw prospect earned the TKO with a succession of jabs and thudding left hooks that struck at will on the winless and outmatched 36-year-old. I'm feeling terrific. This is what you work hard for every day. I know I can keep up this pace for years to come.
After knocking out his opponent in the third round, Fernando Vargas Jr. made sure he did not go the distance by saying no to an aggressive challenger who had him pinned against the ropes in the closing seconds of the fight. The young fighter from Los Angeles, California, showed great heart to continue fighting after taking such heavy damage from powerful right hands.
Vargas Jr. has now won four fights in a row and looks poised to become a major player in the light middleweight division. He has never been stopped during his professional career and has scored three consecutive victories by knockout. His father, Fernando Vargas, was also undefeated before losing his first fight via controversial decision to Iran Barkley. Since then, he has regained his title twice.
Fernando Vargas Jr. has a final wish before retiring: to be ranked number one by the WBC. So far, he only holds the honorific of junior welterweight champion.
Emiliano Vargas, Vargas' 16-year-old son, is likewise an excellent amateur standout. Once again, I'm overjoyed that we were able to put this fight on ESPN Knockout "said Tom Loeffler, a consultant. "Thank you so much to BXSTRS Productions for providing Amado with this chance. He's very deserving and we are all happy for him.
Vargas, 38, has won 14 fights in a row by knockout. The only loss during that run was a controversial decision to WBC lightweight champion Jorge Linares in their first meeting in May 2015. Since then, he's outclassed former champions Michael Carbajal and Erislandy Lara.
Vargas said after the Linares fight that he wanted to be considered for the WBC title again. But the organization decided to make another try at the belt instead. The winner of the upcoming clash between Vasyl Lomachenko and Mike Perez will become the new champion.
Linares, now 29, went on to lose his belt to Anthony Pettis later that year. After two more defeats, he retired from boxing.
The younger Vargas made his professional debut in 2011 and already has four wins by KO/TKO. He's never been past the quarterfinals of any tournament but has shown good form recently by scoring three consecutive victories by KO/TKO.
He retired in 2007 with a 26-5 record (22 knockouts). Vargas, now 40, lives in Las Vegas with his wife and four children. He is still active in boxing, teaching two of his kids, both of whom are promising amateurs ("The legacy continues on," Vargas noted), as well as numerous professionals. In addition to his work with his sons, he has also become one of the most respected trainers in the world.
Vargas was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, but grew up in Los Angeles. He started boxing at age 14 because there were no sports available in Honduras at that time. His first trainer was his brother, who died when Fernando was 18 years old. From then on, he trained himself, working in a gym most days and nights until he became one of the best boxers in the country.
Fernando Vargas won the WBC light heavyweight championship in 2001 by defeating John Ruiz in Mexico City. He lost it a year later to Makhmud Muradov in Moscow after being knocked out in the ninth round. After returning from that loss, Vargas decided to retire again because he didn't feel like he was at his best anymore. He came back in 2007 and managed to win three more fights before calling it quits for good this past January at age 39. Today, he runs a school for new fighters in Los Angeles where many of his former students have gone on to have successful careers of their own.
Fernando Vargas Jr., the son of the renowned two-time junior middleweight titleholder, will make his pro debut on December 18th, it was announced Monday afternoon. Vargas will compete in a four-round middleweight fight against Pablo Rosas at the Grupo Sipse TV Studios in Merida, Mexico. The bout will be broadcast live on ESPN Knockout.
Vargas (9-0) has excelled in boxing since turning professional in 2015. He is the youngest son of legendary Mexican boxer Fernando Vargas and has followed in his father's footsteps by winning all of his fights by knockout or technical decision. Most recently, Fernando Jr. captured the WBO Latino belt with a first-round knockout of former champion Cristofer Cruz in October 2017. He is expected to add another title to his resume this year.
Rosas (1-0) is no pushover either. The 32-year-old fighter comes from a strong wrestling background and used his skills to win his only pro bout by submission back in 2014. Since then, he has won eight fights by knockout or technical decision and will look to continue his success against the younger Vargas brother.
The main event of this fight will be made for Fernando Jr. to prove himself as a worthy successor to his father. Even though he has only one loss in nine fights, it still cannot be overlooked that he is not yet licensed by the World Boxing Organization.
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