Rey Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs) fights Nick Ball (19-0, 11 KOs) tonight (Friday, March 8) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They fight for Vargas’s WBC featherweight title on the undercard of Anthony Joshua–Francis Ngannou.
Vargas’s career has been filled with inactivity, despite a long championship run. He won the vacant WBC super bantamweight title in 2017 against Gavin McDonnell, made five defenses of it, and was a staple of Golden Boy’s schedule. Yet his bouts going 12-rounds and his fighting in a lighter weight class seemed to undermine his profile.
Vargas’ title run came at an odd time in Golden Boy Promotions’ existence, too – around two years after a good portion of their roster went to the then- newly formed Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). It was a rebuilding era, and that was when Vargas came to prominence.
He didn’t fight in 2020, which was not uncommon for many fighters, due to the Covid pandemic. His return, though, was on PBC cards put together by TGB Promotions. That was in 2021; Vargas had moved up to featherweight. He fought Leonardo Baez, and a year later defeated Mark Magsayo for the WBC featherweight title.
Vargas then lost to O’Shaquie Foster, for the WBC super featherweight title. He would have become a three-division world champion but since 2021 Vargas he has averaged just a fight a year.
That first defeat also led to a change. He no longer had the Hall of Fame trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain in his corner; his father took over instead. There have been few mentions this week of his existing training conditions, though some observers have been quick to point out his last loss as a foreshadowing of his future endeavors.
“The last fight that you are talking about, you know he wasn’t in my division,” Vargas said at pre-fight press conference. “I wanted to try something new in my life to go after a challenge, and that is what I do – take challenges. That proves to myself that I am ready to fight anyone.”
With glasses like a high-school English teacher, Vargas doesn’t look the stereotype of a fighter. He is rather unassuming. His frame is long and lean. His media workout involved him wearing what looked more like a golf jumper than traditional boxing attire.
Despite being one of the world’s best featherweights, Vargas has a habit of remaining in the background. He enters Friday’s fight as the champion, yet he enters it off a loss, and after more than a year-long absence from the ring.
“This fight, I take it very seriously, this is a mandatory fight,” he said. “I am ready to defend my title. I am ready to talk with fists, not with words.”
Vargas appeared to be the best featherweight in the world when he beat Magsayo, yet he moved up and lost.
Most of the build-up to Friday’s fight has been around if Ball wins.
If he does, there will resume speculation about a fight with the newly-crowned WBA featherweight champion Raymond Ford, who seemed done with making the featherweight limit after winning his title last Saturday against Otabek Kholmatov.
Ball is signed to Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, and Ford to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom. Warren is increasingly confident that his fighter will win.
“I understand every promoter is happy to see his fighter inside the ring,” Vargas said. “There are only two people in the ring. It is only going to be him and myself [I am ready to fight]. We can fight today, tomorrow, or any time possible. I am ready to fight.
“My record speaks [for itself]. I am a two-time world champion. This coming Friday it will be no exception. I am going to prove myself, I have been proving it throughout my whole career. This coming Friday you will see Rey Vargas [as good as you have seen him], giving everything in the ring.”