Tag Archives: Josue vargas

Posted on 10/31/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The fast track looked appealing to Josue Vargas. It was also the most dangerous.

The 23-year-old New York native was moving along like your typical highly touted boxing prospect. He easily outboxed everyone placed in front of him and at times, when the moment presented itself, Vargas went in for the kill, stopping nine of his 21 opponents.

Although Vargas enjoyed the spotlight, he craved a bigger share of it. So, in order to send his career into warp speed, Vargas called for a massive step up in competition. While he could’ve moved back and allowed his matchmakers to take control and find a suitable opponent to satisfy his need to face better competition, the 140-pound prospect took matters into his own hands.

In an interview with BoxingInsider.com, Vargas revealed that he reached out to highly ranked Jose Zepeda and urged him to accept a showdown against him. Without a moment’s hesitation, Zepeda accepted but he did so while offering a warning.

“There’s levels to this boxing game,” said Zepeda during an interview with ESPN.

Zepeda’s words rang painfully true for Vargas, as he was thoroughly blasted out in the very first round in front of his hometown crowd at Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden late last night.

As Vargas sat slumped in his corner, he appeared both dejected and disgusted with his performance. Moments later, he stood up firmly on his two feet and made his way to the back with his head held down. After taking the next few hours to sulk in the first official defeat of his career, Vargas refuses to act too hard on himself.

“I will be back!” Said Vargas on his social media account. “This is not the end of it. It ain’t the end of the world.”

During the lead-up to his 140-pound showdown against Zepeda, Vargas was extremely confident that he was idoneous for the task at hand. However, with the promising prospect hitting the deck from the first clean left hand landed by Zepeda, his insistence on fast-tracking his career was a regrettable one.

Still, even with a despondent look etched upon his face, Vargas acknowledges that the profession he’s chosen to engage in is a brutal one. With that said, he’s more than willing to spend his dying breath in the squared circle.

“I’m disappointed how things happen but we in a sport that this shit is a do or die! And I’m willing to do just that.”

Posted on 10/31/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There were a few incredulous eyebrows that were raised when it was announced that Josue Vargas would be taking on former multiple-time title challenger, Jose Zepeda. With Zepeda considered one of the very best at 140 pounds, many believed the current WBC interim champion was a step far too wide for Vargas to climb.

They were right.

Vargas marched his way through the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden to a loud and raucous crowd. The 23-year-old appeared unfazed with headlining his first main event and merely smiled at the dozens of family members that were sitting in attendance. Quickly following the entrances of Vargas, was Zepeda. He swung his fists quickly and forcibly through the air in preparation for what would ultimately be a quick night at the office.

The moment the opening bell rung, Vargas confidently walked to the center of the ring and attempted to hold his ground. Although the New York native is known for his boxing ability, he attempted to bully the hard-hitting Zepeda around the ring.

Vargas found comfort in the first minute and a half as he landed several clean body shots that seemed to catch the attention of Vargas. However, in what felt like a blink of an eye, Zepeda landed a crushing right hand that saw Vargas hit the deck. He stumbled across the ring and attempted to get back to his feet before stumbling into the ropes and back onto the mat.

As Vargas managed to crawl his way back to his feet, he shook his head at the referee and confidently stated that he was just fine. Those words, however, proved to be erroneous. Vargas desperately attempted to get out of the way of the oncoming onslaught of Zepeda. The 23-year-old moved from side to side and held for as long as he could.

Vargas though, pushed off the young prospect, pinned him against the ropes, and landed a five-punch combination that saw Vargas hit the deck once again. This time for good.

The official end of their contest came at the tail end of the very first round.

Posted on 10/29/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Josue Vargas refused to be bullied against upcoming opponent, Jose Zepeda, during the weigh-ins earlier today.

The New York native stepped onto the scales for the first main event of his young career in terrific shape. The 23-year-old removed his shirt and showed off a ripped physique, tipping the scales at 139 pounds. Jose Zepeda also had little to no trouble with making weight as he checked in at 139.4 pounds.

From there, both fighters took similar stances as they stared into the crowd with the flags of their respective countries draped over their shoulders. Vargas was far more demonstrative, as he stepped in front of Zepeda and smiled at the crowd. The 32-year-old highly ranked contender refused to sit idly by and give Vargas all of the spotlight as he slyly moved in front of his opponent.

Unappreciative of having to take a backseat, Vargas forcibly moved the hand of Zepeda. The two would then jar back and forth with one another until an unnamed person from the camp of Zepeda stormed the stage and shoved Vargas back. Members of team Vargas immediately began rushing the scene and Zepeda was seen on camera uncorking a right hook. Both sides continued to push and shove one another on stage until they were separated by security on the scene.

Zepeda, the current WBC super lightweight silver champion, is viewed as a slight favorite heading into their showdown and is considered a massive step up in competition for the New York prospect.

In October of 2020, Zepeda produced one of the most jaw-dropping performances of the year in his five-round slugfest against Ivan Baranchyk. Zepeda picked himself up off the deck a total of four times before registering four knockdowns of his own, including the fight-ending blow in the fifth, which saw Baranchyk unresponsive on the canvas for several seconds.

Since then, Zepeda has turned in a far less action-packed win against fringe contender Henry Lundy in May earlier this year.

As for Vargas, he easily outpointed Willie Shaw on April 24th. Despite the highly touted prospect dismantling most of his competition, Zepeda figures to be a much sterner test.

Posted on 04/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

With Josue Vargas slowly moving from top prospect to world title contender, the slick New York, native found himself in a slugfest early on against Willie Shaw. The two battle it out in Kissimmee Florida, at Silver Sports Arena on the undercard of WBO featherweight champion, Emanuel Navarrete vs Christopher Diaz.

For the vast majority of his short career, Vargas started each and every one of his contests the same. The Puerto Rican native would blast his opponents early and often while avoiding the oncoming onslaught of his opposition. This time around, however, the slippery style of Vargas did him no favors.

Shaw (13-3, 9 KOs) came out aggressive in the opening frame. He pushed his man back and forced him to fight on the inside. While Vargas attempted to use his skills and abilities to turn things into a boxing match, Shaw would hear none of it as he forced him to fight from close distance. With a clear round one for Shaw, Vargas wasted no time in getting it back. The 22-year-old came out boxing and bouncing on his toes after his father/trainer urged him to do so.

Despite Shaw holding both a height and reach advantage, he couldn’t find the mark in round two as more and more of his shots hit nothing but air. Vargas (19-1, 9 KOs) continued his momentum into round three, landing shots at will while proving to be nearly impossible to hit.

As Vargas began banking rounds, Shaw grew more and more desperate. In round six, he once again forced Vargas to fight at a much faster pace. At the midway point of the round, Shaw landed an awkward looping right hand that wobbled the legs of Vargas momentarily. Outside of the opening frame, it was Shaw’s best work yet.

Uninterested in allowing Shaw to build any momentum, Vargas got right back to his boxing in round seven. A visibly tired Shaw plodded forward as his face began swelling from the hard shots landed by Vargas.

As their contest continued, the New York native appeared more content with fighting in the middle of the ring. To the surprise of no one, Vargas continued to land shot after shot while walking away from exchanges unscathed.

As the championship rounds rolled by, it became clear that Shaw needed a miracle to knock off Vargas. While he attempted to empty the tank in the final frame, Vargas merely smiled as he cruised to the final bell.

Although boxing is often known as the theater of the unknown, there was nothing surprising about the end result as Vargas jogged around the ring holding his hand in the air. His initial thoughts were officially confirmed as he was handed a wide decision victory by the scores of 98-92 and 99-91 on the two remaining scorecards.

Posted on 10/17/2020

Josue Vargas (18-1, 9 KOs) made it look entirely too easy against veteran super lightweight contender Kendo Castaneda (17-3, 8 KOs).

The two clashed at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. From the offset, Vargas looked smooth boxing on the outside and hitting his opponent whenever he wanted. The normally light hitting Bronx, New York native floored his man in the second round. Castaneda however, bounced back up and kept on moving forward.

As the rounds ticked by Castaneda found himself digging a deeper and deeper hole on the judges scorecards. Just when it seemed as though the 22 year old would have everything his way, Castaneda landed a right hand that had his man visibly hurt in the seventh round.

Vargas opted to stay away from his man for the remainder of the round and attempted to clear his head once the bell rang. Luckily for him, he did just that as he came out for the eighth round, appearing as though nothing ever happened.

For the remainder of their contest, Vargas was simply too good and too slick for his opponent and punished him over and over again. As the final bell rang, Vargas left no doubt who was victorious on the night. The scorecards were lopsided as ever and following ten dominant rounds, the New York native called for matches against the top contenders in his weight class. A request that might just happen in 2021.

Posted on 06/30/2020

Super lightweight contender Josue Vargas (17-1, 9 KOs) may have had an easy time inside of the ring against Salvador Briceno (17-6, 11 KOs) but it was a difficult night for him outside of it.

Before his co main event against Briceno, the father of Vargas was unable to corner his son’s fight due to him breaking the rules of leaving the bubble. Vargas was emotional during an interview discussing his upcoming contest, but he managed to get past his issues and cruised to a unanimous decision victory against Briceno.

It was nearly a clean sweep as Briceno was awarded only one round on the night. The final scorecards were as followed 99-91 while the remaining two judges gave every single round to Vargas via 100-90.

Posted on 06/30/2020

By: Hans Themistode

The arena will be empty tonight, but the stage has never been bigger for Josue Vargas. 

The super lightweight contender faces off against Salvador Briceno in the co main event at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The 22 year old Vargas is in search of attention, and on December 14th, 2019, he got exactly what he wanted. On the night, the Puerto Rican born native joined a star studded lineup in Terence Crawford, Teofimo Lopez and Michael Conlan when he took on Noel Murphy. On paper, it was the biggest fight of his life as the vacant IBF North American title was on the line. 

Vargas boxed circles around his man on his way to a unanimous decision victory. The belt that he gained on the night was the first check mark on his long list of what he hopes to accomplish before he hangs up the gloves. Grabbing world titles, winning big fights and of course, getting checks that are even bigger. 

The road to his goals will take a jump forward if he is able to pick up the win tonight against Briceno. At the age of 25, his performances have been a mixed bag of results. On some nights, he can look sensational. His second round stoppage against Eddie Guzman in his last ring appearance can attest to that. Other times however, he can look flat and out of whack. Case in point would be his unanimous decision loss against Yomar Alamo in mid 2019. 

Consistency is what Briceno is in search of. It’s been four years since he has been able to reel off three straight victories. Vargas on the other hand, hasn’t tasted defeat in the same time frame.  

Mentioning the lone loss of his career to Vargas is something that he takes umbrage to. He is quick to remind those who look at his marred record that it should be picture perfect.

Everything was going according to plan for Vargas on the night he took Samuel Santana in 2016. He was out classing his man over the course of three rounds and was on his way to another victory. Yet, with only a few seconds left in the round, Vargas inadvertently hit his man while his back was turned and the action was paused. He was disqualified on the night while comfortably ahead on the scorecards of all three judges at the time.

The 0 in the loss column that fighters attempt to protect at all costs was gone. But he’s taken care of his business in the ring as if it never happened. Vargas has dominated the competition. Now, he finds himself in the co main event on Top Rank’s summer series card tonight. 

The usual presence of Puerto Rican flags being held by his fans will be replaced with empty seats and silence. But what first felt like a step back for Vargas, will actually be a step forward. Hundreds of thousands of eyes will be placed upon him on the night from the comfort of their homes. Something he isn’t accustomed to. 

Vargas will be looking to take full advantage of his new found platform. But the man standing across the ring from him on the night will be looking to do the same. 

To watch Josue Vargas vs Salvador Briceno and the rest of the four fight card tonight, tune into ESPN 8 PM ET.