Antonio Vargas Reveals His Plan To ‘Solidify A Win’

Later today, Antonio Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) will battle it out to retain his WBA throne against Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. As the hours inch closer, Vargas only has one plan in mind: neutralize his opponent.

In a conversation with the Ring Magazine, Vargas opened up about his plans to shock the boxing community on fight night.

“I’ve prepared my whole life for this moment. I’ve done everything that I can do in training camp,” he said. “There are a couple of things I’ve seen that I think I can take advantage of during the fight. I’ll be able to see more of the openings as the fight goes on…Neutralizing him is all about timing, punch placements, and landing the cleaner shots while catching him on the exchanges.”

It could be said that both Rodriguez and Vargas are very different fighters stylistically. Rodriguez is an elite technician. He’s a southpaw who constantly changes angles, shifts his feet, controls distance, and disrupts opponents’ timing. Vargas, by contrast, is a more straightforward bantamweight. He’s athletic, physically strong, and willing to engage, but he doesn’t have Rodriguez’s variety of angles or ring craft. So this could be why Vargas feels like he should be extremely clever while making use of openings. He recognizes how difficult it is to outpoint Bam over 12 rounds.

Moreover, if the fight becomes a pure boxing match, Bam’s superior footwork, angles, and adaptability are likely to take over. However, Vargas is confident that he’ll be able to figure out the pace as the fight progresses.

“Every fighter has a different rhythm and timing so as the rounds go by, it will be a little easier to figure out his style. He’s definitely a unique fighter. He likes to shift and use angles more than other fighters, so that’s what I’ve been training for,”he said. “I believe I need to get at least a couple of knockdowns to solidify a win or stop him to win this fight. If it’s a close fight, they’re probably going to give it to him.”

“Open Up Other Doors”

Meanwhile, it looks like Naoya Inoue is the ideal opponent for fighters. Just like his upcoming opponent, Vargas also shed light in the interview on his plans to use the fight as a potential stepping stone to an Inoue fight.

“It definitely motivates me. I’ve been the underdog many times throughout my career,” Vargas said. “This is what I need to show people who I am. Having a victory over this kid will put me in a position to fight Inoue and open up other doors for me. After I get the win, it will be the beginning of bigger fights to come.”

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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