Samuel Vargas understands he is not given much of a chance to defeat Vergil Ortiz tonight at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
That is fine, according to Vargas. The fringe welterweight contender has been through a lot, in and out of the ring. If there is anything that life has taught him, it is to never give up.
Vargas will square off against Ortiz in a 12-round bout that will stream live on DAZN (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).
The 31-year-old was scheduled to face Ortiz on March 28 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, but the fight was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vargas has not fought since June 29 of last year when he defeated veteran Silverio Ortiz of Mexico by unanimous decision. In his previous fight three months before the victory over Ortiz, Vargas lost a split-decision to former world titleholder Luis Collazo.
Having spent the last several weeks training for the Ortiz fight in Las Vegas, Vargas believes he is in the best shape of his career when he steps inside the ring against Ortiz.
“It’s like night and day in Las Vegas,” Vargas told BoxingScene over the phone in a recent interview. “I’m away from home, but the sparring is excellent in Vegas. I spar against unbeaten fighters and contenders. All from California, Atlanta, or Europe. I’ve gotten great work against those top fighters.”
Vargas is best known for losing to top welterweights Errol Spence, Jr., Danny Garcia, and Amir Khan. He was game against all three fighters, but each fighter’s pedigree and power overwhelmed Vargas late in each fight.
Vargas was in a similar position back in December 2018 against then-unbeaten Gabriel Pereiro, defeating the Argentine fighter by unanimous decision. He believes all the pressure is on unbeaten fighters like Ortiz, which could play into his hands.
“I believe all the pressure is on Ortiz,” said Vargas, who made his pro debut in February 2010. “I’ve seen the different times he has fought that he still gets hit. I haven’t seen a lot of fighters that follow up, especially to the body. These fighters don’t throw a jab at hime. I believe I have all the intangibles to all that to him.”
“You can’t get experience in the ring and that’s what I have. I’ve been hurt and know how to recover. Has he? Experience is everything.”
Vargas is originally from Bogota, Colombia, where he faced a difficult financial upbringing. He moved to Toronto, Canada, where he currently resides.
Aside from the experience in the ring, Vargas attributes his upbringing in Colombia to strengthening his mental fortitude, which he believes is a huge advantage.
“All the adversity I’ve been through, you can’t get that. I’ve been through a lot with my family. I’m very blessed thus far. I am a warrior in many ways in life and in the ring. I’m not going to just lie down and stop. Life makes you who you are.”
“I know what I’m capable of doing and I have to go in there and execute against Ortiz.”
Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
