By Jody Kohn
It wasn’t too long ago that people were wondering if Jessie Vargas had made the right decision to leave Mayweather Promotions for rival Top Rank. And a couple fights in, it was looking like Vargas had perhaps made a mistake as he seemed to fade into obscurity, fighting lesser known opponents.
Fast forward to late 2014 and Jessie Vargas is now a world champion, and has perhaps put himself in position to get a fight with one of the sport’s two goliath’s, Manny Pacquiao. Had he stayed with TMT, it was unlikely he would have ever had that shot.
The fact that he is even in the conversation is a testament to his heart, courage and perseverance. It seems after every fight he has had in the past couple years, Vargas emerged as the victor by a razor thin margin. This propensity for close calls has earned him his share of detractors who assume he would get run over by Pacquiao.
However, anyone that knows Jessie realizes that he has more confidence in himself than anyone else does. And that is a huge necessity for a boxer looking to knock off someone of the stature of Pacquiao. And as long as he believes it, that is all that matters. The only thing standing in his way is a signed contract.
With Floyd Mayweather recently saying the fight between he and Pacquiao should be made for May, Vargas may have to wait in line. However, should that fight fall through (and we know it can), he is willing to throw his hat in the ring.
In his last outing, Vargas defeated the tough Antonio Demarco by unanimous decision in a fight he chose to stand and bang with someone who most felt only had a chance to win if he knocked out the champion. The strategy paid off, particularly in the early going where Vargas proved too much for his opponent. This time the result wasn’t as close as other recent fights for Vargas, but it did tighten up in the middle to late rounds. However, Vargas stayed the course and remained undefeated.
Check out what Jessie had to say about that fight, and why it is that he thinks he can beat Manny Pacquiao.
