The proliferation and dilution of boxing’s “world” titles has led many within the industry to pay less recognition and attention to them, preferring to focus on the quality of fights as opposed to which set of initials are attached to them.
But even though the titles are becoming more and more frowned upon, for the fighters, they mean everything. The paydays and opportunities they create, the chance to look at their display cabinet and view their career achievements, and, oh yeah, the chance to reach the pinnacle of the sport and be called a world champion, just like many of their idols before them.
Mexico’s Francisco Vargas knew what it meant to wear the green and gold belt of the organisation from his home country. The esteemed list of previous holders, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Juan Manuel Marquez, was evidence of just how much history was in the super featherweight division. Seeing his name alongside them was the ultimate goal.
Unlike many of his sports contemporaries, he was born on 25 December 1984 into a middle-class family. He first became interested in boxing after watching the 2000 Olympics. Aged 15, he began a rewarding amateur career that featured eight national titles and culminated in his own Olympic appearance at the 2008 Beijing games, where he was eliminated in the round of 16. But despite not medalling, the chance to represent his country was what really mattered to him. It was after this that he turned his attention to the professionals, leaving behind an impressive 150 wins, with just 12 losses.
He made his debut on 12 March 2010, outpointing 2-0 Daniel Calzada over four. He won seven of his following eight fights, six inside the distance with four straight first round wins (he drew with Byron Gonzalez in his fourth fight). His form caught the attention of the “Golden Boy” himself, Oscar De La Hoya, who promptly signed him to his company Golden Boy Promotions.
Under his new promotional banner, the wins continued. He ran off seven, six inside the limit, to set up his first title opportunity. On 9 August 2013, he met fellow unbeaten Brandon Bennett over ten, with both the vacant NABF and WBO inter-continental belts on offer. After losing the opening round, Vargas set about his opponent, pounding out a unanimous decision.
He outpointed Jerry Belmontes to retain both titles, then followed that up with a points win over Miguel Cotto’s cousin Abner. He was now unbeaten at 19-0-1, 13 by knockout, and about to face his biggest test yet.
Puerto Rico’s Juan Manuel Lopez was a two-weight champion, having held the WBO title at both super bantamweight and featherweight. But two stoppage losses to battle-hardened Orlando Salido had started a steady decline, which continued when he was stopped in four by Mikey Garcia in an attempt at his old WBO 9st title.
On 12 July 2014, Vargas hammered Lopez into a third round retirement. A solid but not devastating puncher, Vargas placed his shots, rocking Lopez with a left hook in the second, and then flooring him with a right in round three. But his lack of defence and upper body movement meant that he took he few licks himself. It was what made him so exciting to watch.
His next two wins both ended in the eighth, first a knockout of Genaro Camargo, and then a TKO of once-beaten Will Tomlinson. The latter earned him an opportunity to join his idols, Julio Cesar Chavez and Juan Manuel Marquez, as holders of the WBC 9st 4lbs title, when he was pitted against the champion, Japan’s Takashi Miura.
Miura (29-2-2, with 22 KO’s) was a powerful southpaw who had made four defences of the belt he had taken off of Vargas countryman Gamaliel Diaz, courtesy of a ninth round stoppage. With Vargas’ aggressive style, this figured to be an exciting match-up. It turned out to be so much more.
Champion
On 21 November 2015 at The Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, and on the undercard of the WBC middleweight title fight between Miguel Cotto and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Miura and Vargas put on a brutal showing.
Vargas started fast, catching the champion clean at range. With just over a minute gone, an overhand right had Miura in desperate trouble. Vargas pounced, trying to find the blows that would separate Miura from the title, but Miura showed his grit, weathering the storm, thumping the challenger with a hard left to remind him that this was not going to be a walk in the park.
Miura was back in the fight in rounds two and three, opening a cut under Vargas’ right eye as they continued swapping blows. By the end of the third, it was starting to swell.
Things took a turn for the worse for Vargas in the fourth. Both were not known for their defensive prowess, and with just under half a minute left in the round, Vargas was caught by a booming left hand that sent him onto the seat of his trunks. It was the first knockdown of his career, amateur and pro. He was up quickly, taking the mandatory eight count, but the cut had reopened as blood began to run down his face.
Vargas corner instructed their man to stay off of the ropes, but Miura was now finding his groove. He slammed heavy lefts into Vargas throughout the fifth, eliciting gasps from the crowd as they landed.
But Vargas durability and determination were keeping things intense. He battled hard in round six, reeling off several combinations to head and body, whilst Miura threw his share too. It was already a punishing fight.
Miura was starting to edge ahead on the cards through seven and eight, but his powerful onslaughts were taking its toll on both men. Vargas eye was badly swollen, and he now had a deep cut on the same eyelid. Miura was also visibly marked around both cheeks. But Vargas resistance took a knock when another left had his legs on shaky ground again. He survived the round, but the effort had taken a lot out of the champion, too.
The moments between rounds can prove to be so significant in a fighter’s psyche. For some, beat up and behind, they find themselves becoming resigned to their fate. But for others, something stirs inside them. A fire is lit, and everything they have absorbed is just an obstacle that has to be overcome. No one said it would be easy, but no one said glory would be denied either.
Vargas came out for round nine with a determination written all over his face. He pounced on Miura, a right hand setting up a left uppercut left hook, left right combo, before a vicious right uppercut left hook sent Miura crashing to the canvas. The crowd hollered at the sudden turn of events.
Miura fell onto his front on his first attempt at rising before standing upright. He desperately tried to hold, but Vargas was not about to be denied. He pounded away at Miura, who instinctively punched back at his tormentor. Hammering away, it took nearly another minute before a big right landed flush, forcing referee Tony Weeks to rescue the beaten now ex-champion.
Vargas had done it. He was the new WBC super featherweight champion. His name would be etched alongside his idols forever.
Now, after such a brutal coronation, many champions would insist on a less taxing maiden defence. But not Vargas. He instead elected to meet one of the toughest fighters in his division. Step forward, Orlando Salido.
Fellow countryman Salido was a two-weight world champion and had given some of the best fighters around the weight a torrid time. At 43-13-4, with 30 KO’s, his record defied just what dangerous fighter he was. Against Vargas, he reminded those who forgot.
A War For The Ages
They met on 4 June 2016 at the StubHub Center, Carson, California. And those in attendance would have this fight etched in their minds for a very long time.
The pair started at range, producing some high-quality boxing. But when two Mexicans meet, it doesn’t take long for the machismo to seep through their porse.
With under a minute left in the opener, a Vargas right caused Salido’s knees to dip. Vargas went on the attack, unloading a barrage as he looked for an unexpected early shower. But Salido was made of sturdier stuff than that, and the bell sounded, ending an exciting start.
Vargas was trying to work at arms length, but Salido was closing the distance. With 30 seconds remaining in round three, Salido got Vargas’ attention with an overhand right, before firing off a flurry of stiff shots. Vargas responded as the crowd voiced their approval.
The fourth saw the action move up another notch. The pair took to the inside as phone booth warfare ensued. Ripping away at each other with uppercuts and hooks, a line was drawn; this was a war of attrition. And Salido reminded everyone why he was so dangerous, as he drove Vargas back with left hooks and overhand rights to finish the round.
The fifth and six were tremendous. The exchanges flowed without any drop in intensity. Vargas, with blood running from a cut over his left eye, hurt Salido in the sixth, briefly forcing him to hold. But Salido once again came storming back. And his body shots in round seven, answered the uppercuts he was absorbing from Vargas.
Vargas tried to start the eighth behind his jab, but Salido was having none of it. Once again, the pair swapped punches at an incredible pace. If there were any fans of slick, defensive boxing in the crowd, they chose the wrong night to be out! This was war!
Vargas was displaying amazing durability, as Salido teed off with hard hooks from both hands. But it appeared the youth of Vargas was starting to ease him ahead as he drove Salido back in round ten. But the veteran was having none of it, drilling the champion with a hard right. It was a brutal round.
By the eleventh, the brutality of the fight could clearly be seen on each man. But fighting was in their genes, and neither man was willing to take a backwards step.
As the crowd roared for the start if the final round, the referee asked the doctor to check on Vargas eye. It was met with boos before being waved back on. Fatigue was clearly etched on their faces, but instinct and pride wouldn’t let either man ease up. It was awe-inspiring.
At the end if the fight, Vargas face was a mess, with cuts over both eyes. Salido’s battle-hardened face showed signs of puffiness around both eyes.
Many at ringside found it impossible to separate either man as victor. That was how the officials felt, too, scoring the fight a draw, with two scores of 114-114 and the third in favour of the champion with 115-113. Vargas had retained in something truly extraordinary.
But two brutal back-to-back fights, combined with a style that was almost built on a take one to land one philosophy, meant that the possibility of suddenly coming undone was always a risk. Especially if the challenger was a heavy-handed knockout out artist. Enter Miguel Berchelt.
Just A Little Too Much
Fellow countryman Berchelt was 30-1, with 27 KO’s, with his only loss being a controversial first round stoppage to Luis Eduardo Florez. He had rebounded with nine straight stoppages and collected the interim WBO 9st 4lbs trinket on his way. However, his record was a perfect indication of his style; a vulnerable puncher.
On 29 January 2017, at the Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio,California, Vargas, like a moth to a flame, found himself caught up in another barn-burner that would stay with fans for a long time.
Vargas opened well, scoring with left hooks to the body and overhand rights, as Berchelt showed patience. Inevitably, midway through the second, the exchanges began. Berchelt’s power became evident as he twice drove the champion back, only to walk onto a right that set him back. The battle had begun.
The action continued heating up rapidly, with both hammering home with crisp combinations. But Berchelt was finding the target regularly with his right hand. Vargas was giving as good as he was getting, though. Until a left hook in the fourth caused his knees to dip briefly. He started to ship a few, and the cuts from his previous championship fights reopened.
This prompted a change in strategy from Berchelt, who now started working behind his jab, concentrating on straight shots. But keeping a relentless warrior like Vargas off was another thing, as he once again drew the challenger into phone booth warfare.
The rounds flew by with such, absorbing two-way action. But Vargas was taken a lot of punishment, and the swelling around both eyes was starting to worsen. Despite hitting Berchelt with everything, the speed and power of the challenger were proving a bit too much to overcome.
And so it was. Vargas was weakening under the constant bombardments, and the cut over his left eye was widening and bleeding consistently. The doctor checked his eye in both the ninth and tenth. He was somehow let out for the eleventh, but he gradually came apart under the attacks of Berchelt. Finally, with just under a minute left, the referee stepped in, rescuing Vargas, bloody and beaten but incredibly brave.
The Return
After allowing his cuts and body to time to heal, Vargas resumed his career eleven months later. He also had a new trainer in his corner, Joel Diaz. Diaz main goal was to tighten up his charges defence and try to imploy him to box more. Their first test in this new partnership would be Britain’s Stephen Smith.
Smith (25-3, 15 KO’s) had unsuccessfully challenged twice for world titles. Beating Vargas would set up a third attempt.
At the Mandalay Bay Events Centre, Nevada, on 9 December, the former champion found it difficult to curb his natural instinct, but luckily Smith was not a big puncher. Ahead on points, the fight was stopped at the end of the ninth after an accidental clash of heads left Smith with a gory looking torn left ear, like something out of a gangster flick. It went to the cards, where Vargas was awarded a unanimous technical decision.
Back out in April, he dropped and stopped Rob Salka in sixth as he sought out a chance to regain his title. That opportunity would arise in his next fight where he would once again cross swords with Berchelt.
Berchelt had grown into his role as champion. He had made four defences and was looking like the number one in the super featherweight division. A repeat win over Vargas would cement that.
Succumbing To The Scorpion
The rematch was held on 11 May 2019 at the Convention Centre, Tucson. It had been originally set for March, but a hand injury to Berchelt had caused a delay.
Vargas boxed conservatively in the first, but once again, his instinct took over. Berchelt was trying to keep the distance, too, as his punches carried more venom at length. But Vargas kept coming, determined to take back his former title.
This time round, though, Berchelt’s power was proving the difference. By round four, Vargas already had a cut on the bridge of his nose, and his eyes were beginning to swell underneath, as he soaked up left hooks to the body and right uppercuts to the head.
The fierce competitor in Vargas rose in the fifth as he drove the champion back as the crowd cheered him on. It was an impressive effort, but it would prove his last hurrah.
Berchelt’s fists were causing serious visual damage to the challenger. And it was no surprise that Vargas corner decided to rescue their man between rounds. The wars and age were taking their toll.
The Slide
Vargas registered two wins over nondescript opposition before being matched with up and coming countryman Isaac Cruz.
Cruz (21-1-1, 15 KO’s) was not only a swarming, aggressive type of fighter, but he was also thirteen years younger than the 36 year old former champ.
Now up at lightweight, Vargas boxed a more disciplined fight but the youth of Cruz proved the deciding factor. As Vargas started to slow down the stretch, he was badly cut above his right eye and sent to the canvas from a succession of blows. He made it to the final bell but lost a unanimous decision.
Out of the ring for ten months, he next met unbeaten southpaw prospect Jose Valenzuela who was 11-0, with 7 KO’s. And it should have been his final appearance as he was blasted out by one big left midway through the opening round, his punch resistance finally deserting him.
But there would be one final fling. Now a shadow of the fighter he once was, Vargas dropped a split-decision to one Guillermo Avila Godinez, who sported a 19-12 record. He walked off into the sunset. His final record: 27-5-2, with 19 KO’s.
Vargas achieved a unique distinction when his fights with Miura and Salido were voted Fight of the Year for both 2015 and 2016 by the Boxing Writers Association of America. He is the only fighter still to have achieved this.
Many of today’s fighters believe that respect is earned by how many titles you win. Whilst there is an element of truth in that, the thing that earns respect more than anything is when a fighter gives his all. We look at boxers as super-human, able to give and take so much more than us mere mortals ever could.
Vargas was one of those, a very special breed, able to thrill us through sheer will and determination. It puts him on the extraordinary table of fighters you just can’t help but love. And that is a very proud table to be sat at indeed.
Dean Berks
Berks Boxing Corner 