Fernando Vargas was known for taking the hard fights early in his career.
His son, Fernando Vargas Jr. (14-0, 13 KOs) stopped former contender Brad Solomon (29-7, 9 KOs) this past Saturday in Stockton, California.
Vargas Sr. is the lead voice in the corner for Vargas Jr. His three sons, Amado, Fernando Jr., and Emiliano are taking a slower path to the title and a more curated approach. Emiliano is promoted by Top Rank Inc., and Amado and Fernando Jr. are promoted by MarvNation. The elder Vargas states that his career and his own experiences have shaped the way that he moves his sons through the sport.
“Did I jump into some big fight – yeah,” reflected Vargas. “I should’ve probably waited. All of that served for experience for my boys – so it doesn’t happen again.”
Vargas spoke carefully naming off each world champion he beat. Vargas wanted to fight the best and was fearless with his ambition. One notable example was his match against Luis Ramon “Yori Boy” Campas in 1998 for the IBF junior middleweight title.
Vargas was only 20-years-old at the time. He won the fight and the title by way of a seventh-round technical knockout. Two years later, Vargas faced Félix Trinidad, a boxing legend who had already achieved a Hall of Fame career and titles in multiple weight classes.
Despite not winning the fight, Vargas proved to the world that he was unwilling to back down from any challenge or challenger. His spirit as well as his fighting style made him the beloved boxing cultural figure he is today.
“I beat five world champions,” added Vargas. “Yori Boy Campas, Raul Marquez, Winky Wright, Ike Quartey, Javier Castillejo – and the four world champions and Hall of Famers that beat me didn’t walk away easy, because I was in their ass, too!”
Arguably, his losses defined his career just as much as his victories, with defeats to Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley twice and Ricardo Mayorga.
Vargas never backed down. When asked if he sees anyone willing to take the hard fights like he did, early in his career, in the sport today Vargas responded quickly: “I don’t see it.”