Rey Vargas Tops 1/24 Televisa 'Sabados de Box' '15 Run

By Jake Donovan

On the heels of a breakout campaign in 2014, unbeaten Rey Vargas has been tabbed to headline the season premiere of Televisa’s ‘Sabados de Box’ series, which comes January 24 in Ixtapa, Mexico.

The super bantamweight prospect will take on Nestor Paniagua—a rugged veteran from Argentina—in a scheduled 10-round regional title fight.

Also on the show, middleweight contender Marcos Reyes looks to rebound from a tough loss to Abraham Han last October, as he faces countryman David Lopez in the evening’s chief support.

Vargas (22-0, 19KOs) scored four knockouts in as many fights in 2014, bookended by a pair of stoppage wins over spoiler Silvester Lopez. Their first meet in March saw Vargas hit the deck for the first—and to date, only—time in his professional career. The Nacho Beristain-trained prospect dusted himself off and assumed control of the fight, which ended with Lopez forced to quit on his stool after seven rounds due to a knee injury.

Their rematch was far more conclusive, with Vargas stopping the visiting Filipino in eight rounds last November. Sandwiched in between were knockout wins over Vergel Nebran and Daniel Ferreras.

The quick turnaround is part of Vargas’ plan to accelerate his progress and graduate from rising prospect to budding contender by year’s end.

"I know that I can’t look past January 24, but I also have in mind that a win would put me in contention for a world title,” Vargas envisions. “I feel ready to fight for the belt, but first there is "Torito" Paniagua, who I must convincingly defeat in order to fulfill my dream.

The well-traveled Paniagua (25-7-2, 17KOs) enjoyed a rare four-fight stretch at home in Argentina prior to agreeing to travel to Mexico for this upcoming bout. The 35-year old slugger is unbeaten in his last eight starts, including a 4th round knockout in a rust-shaking bout in Santa Fe last month following a 14-month hiatus.

Included among Paniagua’s lengthy résumé are former champs Yuriorkis Gamboa, Anselmo Moreno and Alberto Rossel.

What Vargas lacks in experience on that level, he makes up for in promise and work ethic.

"We had a great training camp under the supervision of Don Nacho,” Vargas insists. “I'm strong and fast in sparring for this fight. I can’t wait to get into the ring to give a good show for the fans of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and those watching on television. This will put me one step closer to a world title.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox