It’s Vargas for Magsayo
WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight champion Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo actually prefers a unification fight with World Boxing Association (WBA) counterpart Leo Santa Cruz of Mexico, a certified marquee name, but for now he will have to settle for another Mexican, Rey Vargas, the WBC’s No.1 ranked contender in the weight class.
Magsayo, 26, bucked the odds on January 22 to defeat American Gary Russell Jr. via majority decision and collar the WBC’s 126-pound diadem.
Not a few took Magsayo’s victory with a grain of salt, what with Russell Jr. showing up with a busted shoulder.
A win is a win though, and Magsayo became the latest toast of Philippine boxing after finally becoming a world champ.
Magsayo talked about unifying the crown and tossed the name of WBA counterpart Santa Cruz, but the WBC shut it down by informing the Filipino champ three days after his title victory that Vargas will have to be given top priority.
Vargas was the one originally tapped to fight Russell Jr., but their fight did not come into fruition after Vargas injured his leg. Magsayo stepped in and played the role of party-pooper by beating Russell Jr.
Magsayo is now obligated to honor Russell Jr.’s contractual obligation to Vargas. Vargas has been the WBC’s mandatory challenger since November 2020.
Magsayo’s mandatory defense of the WBC title against Vargas is taking place on July 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. This will be Magsayo’s first defense of the WBC title.
Vargas, 31, stands a towering 5’11 and totes an unbeaten record of 35-0 with 22 knockouts.
Vargas had an impressive amateur career, winning seven national championships in his native Mexico and a gold medal in the 2009 PanAmerican
championships.
Vargas also saw action in the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships but lost to Briton Luke Campbell in the first round of the tournament.
Vargas started punching for pay in April 2010 and initially campaigned in the junior featherweight (122 lbs) division. Seven years later, in February 2017, Vargas defeated Briton Gavin McDonnell to win the WBC junior featherweight (or super bantamweight) championship.
Vargas made five successful defenses of the WBC junior featherweight crown before a leg injury hampered his progress and eventually forced him to give up the title in 2020.
Not surprisingly, the WBC instantly made Vargas its mandatory contender in the featherweight division despite the fact that the Mexican had no prior experience in the weight class.
The WBC approved a fight between Vargas and then champ Russell Jr. but the fight fell through as the leg injury apparently continued to bother Vargas.
After two years of inactivity, Vargas finally debuted in the featherweight division last November, scoring a decision over countryman Leonard Baez.
Coached by revered Mexican trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, Vargas offers a high-octane offense. Vargas’ height and 70-inch reach make him a huge problem for foes trying to get close and trade on the inside.
Vargas throws elongated shots and owns a debilitating body assault.
Then again, for all his high-volume punching, Vargas last scored a knockout win in September 2016, when he stopped in five rounds a washed-up former champ in Alexander Muñoz of Venezuela.
Muñoz was the same shopworn guy who was knocked out by Filipino Genesis Servania in 2014 in Parañaque City.
Vargas’ defense also offers plenty of loopholes. He tends to come in low and is not quick to get his hands back on defense, making him a sucker for overhand shots to the head.
Vargas is no stranger to fighting Filipino boxers.
In August 2013, in Carson, California, Vargas knocked out in four rounds former world title challenger Juanito Rubillar of Davao Oriental.
Four months after dispatching Rubillar, in December 2013, Vargas scored a 10-round unanimous decision over another Filipino, Ernie Sanchez, to win the WBC Youth Silver junior featherweight title.
Another Filipino, Silvester Lopez, put up a competitive fight against Vargas in March 2014. Lopez of Zamboanga Sibugay knocked down Vargas in the second round but had to quit after injuring his right knee.
Vargas defeated Pinoy fighters in his next two bouts, stopping Vergel Nebran in six rounds in June 2014 and Daniel Ferreras in two frames in August 2014.
In November 2014, Vargas met Lopez in a rematch and this time settled the score with an eighth round stoppage.
Magsayo is easily the most recognizable Filipino opponent for Vargas.
The fight figures to be action-packed and Magsayo’s breadbasket will be tested owing to Vargas’ penchant to attack the body.
It is Magsayo though who has the edge in firepower. Vargas has also acknowledged the Filipino as a smart fighter and is looking forward to a competitive fight come July.