By Ian S Palmer
Undefeated welterweight Jessie Vargas will be facing off against Ray Narh of Ghana in a 10-round bout in Las Vegas on Friday, October 12. This will be Vargas’ first bout in the past seven months and he may have a bit of ring rust to shake off in the early going. Narh is a 35-year-old veteran, but Vargas can’t afford to take him lightly if he hopes to remain a contender.
Vargas impressed in his win over Steve Forbes in May of 21012, but didn’t look as sharp in his last three victories, which were against Aaron Martinez, Vito Gasparyan, and Wale Omotoso. The win over Omotoso of Australia was a close one in March, but he managed to pull out the decision. Vargas is a skilled boxer and is quite accurate with his punches. He has a record of 22-0 along with 9 Kos and likes to establish his jab. However, as you can see from his record he’s lacking in punching power.
Vargas has had to go the distance in his last half dozen fights and he’s generally regarded as being below the elite level. This is mainly due t his performances in the ring as well as his level of opponents. Fighting Narh isn’t going to solve the problem of mediocre opponents however. Narh can be difficult to fight, but he’s getting on I n age now. He’s also lost two of his last three bouts and both losses were by knockout.
In fact, Vargas might actually be taking a step backwards here in class. Narh will enter the ring with a more-than-respectable record of 26-3 along with 21 Kos to his name. He boxed for his homeland in the Olympic Games back in 2000. He’s got above average power in his fists and he’ll probably need it if he beats Vargas. Narh has fast hands and is a good boxer, but his chin has been letting him down lately.
However, with Vargas being a relatively light puncher this could even things out and make this an entertaining and competitive contest. Vargas is a good defensive boxer with the hand speed to match it. Narh will need to keep his hands moving to keep Vargas off balance. It’s doubtful he’ll be able to outbox him, but Narh does possess the power to stop him. Once Vargas gets into the groove though, it’s going to be difficult for Narh to land clean shots.
Prediction
A heavy puncher like Narh always has a chance at stopping a good boxer like Vargas. The outcome of this bout will depend on how well Vargas can take his opponent’s best shots. If he can stand up to them, which he probably will, then he should take this bout by decision.
