Emiliano Vargas has barely slept since he arrived in Corpus Christi, Texas on Tuesday.
The highly regarded, 19-year-old lightweight prospect is anxious to fight Friday night in the same arena where his father, Fernando Vargas, drew a capacity crowd in March 2005. Fernando Vargas, a former junior middleweight champion and one of the most popular fighters of his era, trains the youngest of his three sons and has informed Emiliano what it was like when he was on the comeback trail 18 years ago in Corpus Christi.
“I was definitely picking his brain,” Emiliano Vargas told BoxingScene.com. “You know, for my father to come here to Corpus Christi and tell me about the fans and relive some of these moments, I can’t wait to live ‘em, too. He basically told me on my run on the boardwalk here, he said, ‘Everything that you’re living, I lived.’
“And it’s true. It’s definitely a blessing and I can’t wait to fight in front of these beautiful fans in Corpus Christi, a big boxing city. My father sold it out, so that only tells you how many Mexicans are here.”
The card on which Vargas will fight Friday night, headlined by IBF featherweight champ Luis Alberto Lopez (26-2, 18 KOs) and optional challenger Joet Gonzalez (26-3, 15 KOs), will take place the night before Mexican Independence Day.
Las Vegas’ Vargas (6-0, 5 KOs) will fight for the sixth time in the past 10 months when he opposes Spain’s Alejandro Guardado (5-0, 1 KO) in a six-round bout ESPN will air as the opener of a tripleheader at American Bank Center that is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. EDT. The activity Vargas’ promoter, Top Rank Inc., has afforded the developing prospect has helped him learn at an accelerated rate since he signed with Bob Arum’s company last October.
“Too many fighters wanna be prima donnas, wanna be about this, be about that,” Vargas said. “I’m a fighter at the end of the day, so I’m gonna fight.”
Guardado has beaten opponents with a combined record of 40-159-6, but he has the best record of any of the seven professional foes Vargas has signed to fight.
“He’s a 5-0 guy, a sturdy guy,” Vargas said. “And, you know, I’m just excited to step up the opposition and definitely show live on ESPN, around the world, that I am what they say I am. This is definitely an amazing opportunity for me. I’m grateful to Top Rank, just for allowing me to hop on these big cards, on these big dates. I’m just ready to take advantage of these opportunities.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.