Vargas Predicts He'll Make Sadam Ali Quit; 'Not On My Level'

By Keith Idec

Jessie Vargas brashly predicted during a conference call Thursday that he’ll make Sadam Ali quit March 5 in Washington, D.C.

“He’s not on my level,” Vargas said. “I’m here to prove he’s not on my level. Of course I’m saying it, but I’m gonna prove it that night as well. It’s just two different breeds and on March 5th, I’m gonna show it. I’m very confident coming into this fight. My strength is better than ever, my speed, and how comfortable I feel in the ring. And I’m just having fun in there. And I’m gonna have fun March 5th.”

Las Vegas’ Vargas (26-1, 9 KOs) and Brooklyn’s Ali (22-0, 13 KOs) will fight for the vacant WBO welterweight championship in the opener of HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” doubleheader from the D.C. Armory. Vargas lost to Timothy Bradley by unanimous decision in his last fight, but his right hand hurt Bradley badly with 21 seconds left in the fight. With Bradley trying to survive, referee Pat Russell mistook the 10-second warning for the final bell and stepped in to end the fight about eight seconds early.

Before losing to Bradley, Vargas defeated three unbeaten boxers during a four-fight span in 2013 and 2014. In addition to battling Bradley, Vargas believes victories over previously undefeated opponents Wale Omotoso, Khabib Allakhverdiev and Anton Novikov give him a decided advantage against the less-tested Ali.

“He doesn’t have the experience that I have,” Vargas, 26, said. “I’ve been in there with world-class fighters. In the beginning of my career, I’ve beaten several undefeated records already. I plan to do the same March 5th. But first of all, he doesn’t have the experience. He hasn’t really had to dig deep. He hasn’t been in those wars. … He has never experienced being in the ring with someone like me. Young, hungry, strong, fast, in his prime. He hasn’t faced any fighters like me.”

The 27-year-old Ali, a 2008 American Olympian, scoffed at Vargas’ quitting prediction later on the call.

“This might piss him off, but honestly that just makes me laugh,” Ali said. “I mean, he’s really confident. He’s really, really confident. And that’s good. That’s the way a fighter should be. But make me quit? Heh. That is not an option for me.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.