By Chris Robinson

Things have changed dramatically for young Jessie Vargas in the past few months. The undefeated welterweight contender (19-0, 9 KO’s) went from being a staple at the Mayweather Boxing Club, having been around Floyd Jr. for several years and even signed under his Mayweather Promotions banner, to then accepting an exclusive deal to join forces with Top Rank.

What hasn’t changed in the 23-year old Vargas are his ambitions, as he has his mind locked in on a world title opportunity in the near future while keeping a close eye on all action going down at 147 pounds.

I caught up with Vargas on Monday afternoon and discussed a variety of topics within the sport. Vargas shared with me his thoughts on Andre Ward’s resounding victory over Chad Dawson, revealed why he believes Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are on their way out of boxing, assessed Tim Bradley as a future opponent, and much more.

This is what Jessie had to share…

People in the boxing game rating Andre Ward higher than Manny Pacquiao following his thorough destruction of Chad Dawson…

“I give Ward much respect for everything he’s accomplished; he’s undefeated. I would say Pacquiao, because he’s come up to multiple weight divisions and has got so many world championships in different divisions. You take nothing away from Ward. Ward is still very young. It’s everyone’s different opinion, you know. Some are going to rank others better than others. I say Pacquiao should be ranked better than him.”

Why Juan Manuel Marquez would again cause trouble for Pacquiao if they fought a fourth time…

“I thought the third fight, I thought Marquez beat him. The first fight I thought Marquez beat him. I think Marquez has his number. But it would still be an interesting fight. A lot of us think it’s going to be the same fight. Marquez will outbox him and Pacquiao isn’t going to know what to do, just as what happened last time.”

His goal of facing Pacquiao in the future…

“I mean, you have to understand, that Pacquiao is getting close to forty years old. Anytime you are getting close to your forties, expect that younger lion to take you out. And that’s what’s happening. And as much as I want to say it, I don’t like calling out any fighters, that’s my goal, is to get that Pacquiao fight and take that older lion out. I’m the younger lion. Bradley, he’s not a power puncher and somehow Pacquiao respected him. I’m a stronger fighter than Bradley, I’m a natural 147 [pounder] now. But in order to even be talked about in the same light as Pacquiao I have to prove myself. That’s what I’m planning on doing from now on. Every fight, isn’t just to win; it’s to impress and show my fans and earn their respect [that I] should be in the ring with Manny Pacquiao.”

Seeing flaws in WBO welterweight champ Tim Bradley…

“I think he has a lot of flaws, I think he has a lot of weaknesses. He beat Devon [Alexander], but Devon didn’t want to fight. I only speak with the truth. From what I see, in  my opinion, Devon didn’t want to fight, because he couldn’t get off because Bradley never gave him his distance. I think with me, it would be a different story.”

Whether a fight with Pacquiao was his reason for signing with Top Rank…

“I knew it was a possibility. They’re also very good at what they do. They’ve been around since Muhammad Ali was fighting. Top Rank is great company and at the end of the day, they offered me a better deal. That’s all it was. This is my job, just as you have your job and everyone has their job; and at the end of the day, whoever gives you a better paycheck, that’s who you’re going to work with.”

Floyd Mayweather’s victory over Miguel Cotto on May 5th and how many fights he has left in him…

“I thought that was a great fight. Everyone thought that was a great fight. Floyd stood there and fought and you have to give him a lot of respect for that. He moved up in weight and he gave a great fight. Now, Floyd, how many fights he might have, I would say maybe two. He’s also getting close to forty and they’re on their way out. Maybe two, maybe three. But they’re on their way out. I think their time is coming to a close. Even though, with Floyd, you see him getting stronger, but I definitely think it’s getting harder for him.”

Still interested in a Pacquiao-Mayweather faceoff…

“I hope [Pacquiao] stays there for me. But this is what we want and first, we have to prove ourselves. I’m not calling him out, I’m just hoping that I get that fight sometime in the future. If Floyd and Manny fight, it would be a great fight. A fight that everyone wants to see, including myself.”