Looking like his 'daddy,' Emiliano Vargas scores another knockout victory

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Emiliano Vargas is a chip off the old block.

Vargas dominated Giovannie Gonzalez before scoring a highlight-reel knockout win last Saturday at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

The 20-year-old Vargas, who was born in Oxnard and now lives and trains in Las Vegas, improved to 13-0 with 11 knockouts.

Gonzalez was game, but the taller and stronger Vargas landed at will, throwing and landing two- and three-punch combinations to Gonzalez’s head and body. Late in the second round, an uppercut stunned Gonzalez. Vargas followed up with a right and left hook to the head, dropping Gonzalez flat onto his back. Gonzalez struggled to get up, prompting referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight at 2:06.

“I don’t think I got hit with a solid, clean shot,” Vargas told to a group of reporters immediately after the fight. “My opponent had 20 wins and 15 knockouts, but I didn’t allow him to hit me. We’ve been working on our defense. I’ve become a master with my left, my jab, my feints.

“It had been six months since my last fight. I was itching to get back in the ring.”

Vargas, who is the son of two-time world junior middleweight and Channel Islands High graduate Fernando Vargas, announced his next fight will take place on Sunday, May 4. Naoya Inoue of Japan will defend his Ring Magazine and undisputed junior featherweight championship against San Antonio’s Ramon Cardenas as part of a card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“I’m excited about it. I’m just looking forward to continuing to win,” said Vargas. “I know I’m an all-around great puncher, like my Daddy. I know I’m a special fighter. When it’s time for me to be a world champion, I will be a world champion. I know I have something special, something that other fighters don’t have.”

Vargas had not fought since Sept. 20, 2024, when he stopped Larry Fryers in the fifth round. He has stopped nine of his last 10 opponents.

Vargas is the youngest son of Fernando Vargas. His older brothers, Fernando Jr. and Amado Vargas, are also unbeaten prospects.

Delgado returns to action​

Lindolfo Delgado will face Elvis Rodriguez in a compelling junior welterweight clash Saturday night at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The 10-round bout will precede the main event bout between heavyweights Richard Torrez, a 2021 U.S. Olympian who resides in Tulare, and Italy’s Guido Vianello.

Both fights will stream live on ESPN+ starting at 2:30 p.m.

Delgado (22-0, 16 KOs), who represented Mexico at the 2016 Olympics, has become a legit contender in the 140-division. Delgado is trained by Channel Islands High graduate and former world junior lightweight titleholder Robert Garcia.

In his last bout on Dec. 7, 2024, in Phoenix, Delgado dropped Jackson Marinez of the Dominican Republic twice before the fight was stopped in the fifth round.

The 30-year-old will face another Dominican fighter in Rodriguez on Saturday.

Rodriguez (17-1-1, 13 KOs) last fought on Sept. 27, 2024, in New York City, defeating Kendo Castaneda by decision over 10 one-sided rounds. The southpaw Rodriguez has won his last six bouts since suffering the only defeat of his career at the hands of Kenneth Sims Jr. in May 2021.

Garcia also has two other unbeaten fighters on the Top Rank card. Unbeaten featherweight Albert Gonzalez (12-0, 7 KOs) of Perris will face Australia’s Dana Coolwell (13-3, 8 KOs) in an eight-round bout.

Welterweight Art Barrera, Jr. (7-0, 5 KOs), who is 19 years old, will square off against Daijohn Gonzalez (12-5, 6 KOs) of Davenport, Iowa, in a six-round bout.

Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. He also covers boxing for Ring Magazine. He can be reached on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Looking like his 'daddy,' Emiliano Vargas scores another knockout win

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