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Rey Geovani Vargas Roldán (born November 25, 1990) is a Mexican
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC
featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, th ...
title since July 2022 and the WBC
super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...
title from February 2017 to August 2020.


Amateur career

Vargas won 7 national championships in Mexico as an amateur, as well as a gold medal in the 2009 Panamerican Championships. He competed in the 2009 World Championships but was defeated by Luke Campbell in the first round.


Professional career


Early career

Vargas debuted as a professional in May 2010. He won the IBF Youth title in his 11th fight. Vargas won 15 of his first 16 fights by way of knockout. The first fighter to go the distance with him since his second fight was Yuki Murai. In March 2014, Vargas was knocked down for the first time against Sylvester Lopez. Vargas went down in round 2 but won the bout after Lopez suffered an injury and was unable to continue. The two rematched on November of that same year, Vargas won the second fight with a round 8 TKO. Vargas went down once again in round 2 of an eight-round fight against Lucian González, after an overhand right. Vargas was able to survive and get the unanimous decision (78-73, 78–74, 77-75). In June 2016, Vargas won a shut-out unanimous decision (120-108, 120–108, 120-108) over Alexis Kabore. With the win, Vargas became the
mandatory challenger In professional boxing and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight or be forced to vacate their title as champion. A mandatory defence is the opposite of a voluntary defence, where the champ ...
to the WBC's super bantamweight titlist, Hugo Ruiz. In September 2016, Vargas defeated former WBA
super flyweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council responded to pressure from Asi ...
champion
Alexander Muñoz Alexander Muñoz (born February 8, 1979) is a Venezuelan professional boxer who has held the World Boxing Association, WBA super flyweight title twice; from 2002 to 2004, and from 2007 to 2008. He also challenged for the WBA bantamweight title in ...
with a 5th-round TKO. Muñoz went down four times until the referee finally stopped the contest.


WBC super bantamweight champion


Vargas vs. McDonnell

On 25 February 2017, he faced
Gavin McDonnell Gavin McDonnell (born 30 March 1986) is a British professional boxer who has challenged twice for a world super-bantamweight title: the WBC title in 2017, and the WBA title in 2018. He is the twin brother of fellow boxer Jamie McDonnell. Pr ...
for the vacant WBC
super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...
title. The title fight took place in Hull, England. Vargas established control of the fight early on, using his length and head movement to keep the hometown fighter at bay, while landing short combinations. McDonnell attempted to rally back during the later rounds, but he was ultimately unable to turn the scorecards around. Vargas won a majority decision (117-111, 116–112, 114-114) to become a world champion.


Vargas vs. Rios

Vargas' first defense would come on the Cotto- Kamegai undercard at the
StubHub Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...
, against
Ronny Rios Ronny Rios (born January 22, 1990) is an American professional boxer. He has held the WBC- NABF super bantamweight title since 2019 and challenged for the WBC super bantamweight title in 2017. and the unified WBA (super) and IBF super bantamweigh ...
. Vargas was also able to out-box Rios, controlling the bout by fighting at range. Vargas won via unanimous decision (118-110, 118–110, 115-113). Vargas made a second defense against
Oscar Negrete Oscar Manuel Negrete Padilla (born 18 July 1987) is a Colombian born American boxer. He current NABF Bantamweight champion since June 30, 2017. At his amateur career best result was a gold medal at light-flyweight at the 2010 South American Ga ...
in another Miguel Cotto undercard, in this case his farewell bout against
Sadam Ali Sadam Ali (born September 26, 1988) is an American professional boxer who held the WBO junior middleweight title from 2017 to 2018. He also challenged once for the WBO welterweight title in 2016. Early life Ali was born in 1988 in Brooklyn, New ...
. The match was in December 2017 at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
, and was televised on HBO. Vargas was cut twice by headbutts but used his length effectively to cruise to a wide unanimous decision (119-109, 119–109, 120-108).


Vargas vs. Negrete

Vargas made his second title defense against the WBCNABF
bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Bra ...
champion
Oscar Negrete Oscar Manuel Negrete Padilla (born 18 July 1987) is a Colombian born American boxer. He current NABF Bantamweight champion since June 30, 2017. At his amateur career best result was a gold medal at light-flyweight at the 2010 South American Ga ...
, who moved up a weight class in order to challenge Vargas. The bout was scheduled as to co-main event to the
Miguel Cotto Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez (born October 29, 1980) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2017. He is a multiple-time world champion, and the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four weight classes, ...
and
Sadam Ali Sadam Ali (born September 26, 1988) is an American professional boxer who held the WBO junior middleweight title from 2017 to 2018. He also challenged once for the WBO welterweight title in 2016. Early life Ali was born in 1988 in Brooklyn, New ...
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
super welterweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA an ...
title fight. It took place at the
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on 2 December 2017 and was broadcast by Showtime. On 24 November, Vargas' head trainer
Ignacio Beristáin Ignacio "Nacho" Beristáin (born July 31, 1939, in Actopan, Veracruz, Mexico) is a Mexican trainer in the sport of boxing. Beristain is a member of the Boxing Hall of Fame and is considered one of the greatest trainers in the history of boxin ...
revealed it would be their last fight together, as they agreed to part ways afterwards. Vargas won the fight by a wide unanimous decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 119–109 for him, while the third judge scored it 120–108 in his favor. Vargas was cut above each eye, with one cut happening due to an accidental headbutt in the seventh round, while the second cut came about for the same reason in the eight round.


Vargas vs. Hovhannisyan

Vargas made his second title defense against the twice-defeated Azat Hovhannisyan on 12 May 2018, at the
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in
Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee) is a town in southwestern Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,293 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Verona, Italy. Verona is located so ...
. Hovhannisyan was ranked #9 by the WBC at super bantamweight. The fight was booked as the co-main event of a
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
super welterweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA an ...
title fight, same as his previous defense, between
Sadam Ali Sadam Ali (born September 26, 1988) is an American professional boxer who held the WBO junior middleweight title from 2017 to 2018. He also challenged once for the WBO welterweight title in 2016. Early life Ali was born in 1988 in Brooklyn, New ...
and
Jaime Munguia Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and ...
. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 116–112, 118–110 and 117–111. Vargas was once again cut by headbutts, once in the eight and once in the twelfth round.


Vargas vs. Manzanilla

Vargas made his fourth title defense against the WBC Silver super bantamweight champion Franklin Manzanilla on 9 February 2019 at the Fantasy Springs Casino in
Indio, California Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, Califo ...
. It took place following a nine-month absence from the sport caused by a shoulder surgery, followed by a respiratory infection. Manzanilla was ranked #3 by the WBC at super bantamweight. The bout served as the co-main event to the
DAZN DAZN ( "da zone") is a global sports entertainment platform. Different to traditional linear and satellite broadcasting, DAZN is an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service meaning that it is delivered directly to viewers via the internet. The ...
broadcast card headlined by a junior lightweight title fight between Alberto Machado and Andrew Cancio. Vargas won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges awarding him a 117–110 scorecard. He sustained three different cuts from head clashes. Manzanilla was twice deducted a point for hitting on the break. Vargas landed 207 of 719 total punches (28.8%) while Manzanilla landed 93 of 581 total punches (16%).


Vargas vs. Kameda

Vargas made his third title defense against the one-time
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Bra ...
champion
Tomoki Kameda Tomoki Kameda (born July 12, 1991) is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a former WBO bantamweight champion, having held the title from 2013 to 2014, and former WBC super bantamweight title challenger, having fought for the title in 2019. P ...
on 13 July 2019 at the
Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignity ...
in
Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...
. Kameda had earned his right to challenge with a decision victory over Abigail Medina to capture the WBC interim
super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...
championship. The bout was headlined a
DAZN DAZN ( "da zone") is a global sports entertainment platform. Different to traditional linear and satellite broadcasting, DAZN is an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service meaning that it is delivered directly to viewers via the internet. The ...
broadcast card. Vargas justified his role as the betting favorite, Vargas justified his role as the betting favorite, as he won the fight by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 117–110 in his favor. Vargas out-landed Kameda 173 to 133 in total punches, but only 122 to 120 in power punches.


WBC featherweight champion


Vargas vs. Baez

On 13 August, the WBC declared Vargas their
super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...
champion-in-recess, as he suffered a broken leg in training which left him unable to defend for the remainder of the year. During this year, Vargas also departed from
Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is an American boxing promotional firm based in Los Angeles, California. The company was established in 2002 by eight-time world champion (in six divisions) Oscar De La Hoya, borrowing his nickname "Golden Boy." Histo ...
and signed with
Premier Boxing Champions ''Premier Boxing Champions'' (PBC) is an ongoing series of televised boxing events connected to manager Al Haymon. PBC was initially promoted as an effort to return boxing to mainstream broadcast and cable television, as opposed to premium chann ...
. For his first fight under the PBC banner, Vargas was booked to face Leonardo Baez. The fight took place on 6 November 2021, on the
Canelo Álvarez vs. Caleb Plant Canelo Álvarez vs. Caleb Plant, Billed as Road to Undisputed was a super middleweight Unified championship, unification professional boxing match contested between WBA (Super), World Boxing Council, WBC, WBO and The Ring (magazine), ''The Ring ...
undercard. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with one scorecard of 99–91 and two scorecards of 100–90.


Vargas vs. Magsayo

On 9 March 2022, it was announced that Vargas would challenge the reigning WBC
featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, th ...
champion
Mark Magsayo Jessel Mark Araula Magsayo (born June 22, 1995) is a Filipino professional boxer who held the WBC featherweight title in 2022. As of March 2022, Magsayo is ranked as the second best featherweight in the world by '' The Ring'' and the third bes ...
in what was the champion's first title defense. Magsayo was ranked #2 by The Ring at featherweight. The fight was officially announced for 9 July 2022. It headlined a It headlined a Showtime card which took place at the
Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...
in
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
. Despite his role as the challenger, Vargas entered the fight as the favorite, with most odds-makers having him Magsayo a +105 underdog. He won the fight by split decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 115–112 in his favor, while the third judge scored the bout 114–113 for Magsayo. Vargas was knocked down with a counter right in the ninth round, but his opponent failed to capitalize on it. He landed 196 of 687 total punches (29%) and 135 of 339 power punches (40%), compared to Magsayo's 132 total punches and 92 power punches.


Vargas vs. Foster

On 24 August 2022, Vargas received permission from the WBC to enter into negotiations for a title unification bout with the reigning WBA "Super" featherweight champion
Leo Santa Cruz Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * ''Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts a ...
. As Vargas and Santa Cruz failed to reach an agreement, Vargas was instead permitted by the WBC to move up a weight class and face O'Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC super featherweight title.


Professional boxing record


See also

*
List of world super-bantamweight boxing champions This is a list of world super-bantamweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often rec ...
*
List of world featherweight boxing champions Championship recognition Public Acclamation: 1884 to 1921 Champions were recognized by wide public acclamation. A heavyweight champion was a boxer who had a notable win over another notable boxer and then went without defeat. Retirements from the ...
*
List of Mexican boxing world champions In Mexico, boxing is considered a major sport, having produced over 200 world champions in professional boxing. Mexico ranks first worldwide between countries with most boxing world champions and is the second country to have world champions accred ...


References


External links

*
Rey Vargas - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings
a
Box.Live
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vargas, Rey 1990 births Living people People from Otumba Mexican male boxers Boxers from the State of Mexico World Boxing Council champions World super-bantamweight boxing champions World featherweight boxing champions