By Ian S Palmer
Former WBC Super Featherweight Champion Francisco Vargas of Mexico returns to the ring this Saturday, October 19th when he takes on fellow countryman Ezequiel Alviles in a 10-round lightweight bout in Chihuahua. The fight can be seen live on Golden Boy Facebook Watch. Vargas last fought in May when he met WBC Super Featherweight Champ Miguel Berchelt in a rematch and was stopped after six rounds. Alviles was last in the ring in August when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Hector Tanajara.
The 34-year-old Vargas enters the ring with a mark of 25-2-2 with 18 Kos. He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall and has a 70-inch reach. He’s well known to boxing fans for his classic slugfests against Berchelt as well as Orlando Salido and Takashi Miura. Vargas is a former Mexican Olympian who fought in the 2008 Games in Beijing, China and turned pro in 2010. He’s gone 146 rounds since then and has a current knockout ratio of 62.1 per cent.
His draws came against Salido in 2016 and Byron Gonzalez in 2010 in his fourth pro outing. Vargas is comfortable using his boxing skills or going toe-to-toe and is generally successful no matter which style he chooses to use. He stopped Juan Manuel Lopez in the third round back in 2014 and has also beaten some good opponents in Miura, Stephen Smith, Jerry Belmontes, Will Tomlinson and Abner Cotto. However, he met his match in Berchelt and lost both fights by stoppage.
Alviles is 27-year-old climbs through the ropes with a mark of 16-4-3 with 6 Kos. His height and reach are unlisted but he made his pro debut back in 2010 and has boxed 124 rounds since. Alviles has little power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of just 26.1 per cent. He’s currently riding a three-fight losing streak as he lost to Tanajara his last time out and was beaten by an eight-round unanimous decision by Romero Duno in August of 2018 and was stopped by Oliver Quintana in May of 2017.
Alviles has three draws to his name which came against Abraham Cordero in 2015, Mario Hermosillo in 2014 and Felix Escobar over six rounds in his pro debut. His other defeat came at the hands of Sergio Ortega via a four-round split decision in 2012. Alviles won the vacant World Boxing Council Youth Silver Light Title with a 10-round majority decision over Erick Daniel Martinez in 2015.
Prediction…
It’s safe to say the wars against Berchelt, Miura and Salido have sapped some energy out of Vargas and this is a comeback fight to regain his confidence. Alviles appears to be a handpicked opponent. He’s lost three bouts in a row and doesn’t have much in the way of power. He’s got a decent chin though as he’s been stopped just once. Vargas is a fan-friendly boxer with an exciting style but he’s 34 years old now. Still, he always gives everything in the ring and should have enough left in the tank to beat Alviles, if not, it’s probably time to hang up the gloves after a fine career.
