Now that Antonio Vargas has the interim WBA bantamweight title – earned in a hard-fought battle earlier this month – he is aiming to cash in on the fruit of his labor.
“I want to prove I’m the best bantamweight in the world, and that means facing Seiya Tsutsumi,” Vargas, 19-1 (11 KOs), was quoted as saying in a press release.
The 29-year-old Tsutsumi, 12-0-2 (8 KOs), is the primary WBA titleholder at 118lbs. He won the belt in October, defeating Takuma Inoue by unanimous decision.
All four bantamweight titles belong to Japanese fighters, including Ryosuke Nishida (IBF), Yoshiki Takei (WBO) and the man seen as the best of the division, Junto Nakatani (WBC).
Vargas, a 28-year-old who was born in Texas and now lives in Florida, is willing to go overseas to take on Tsutsumi.
“I’m ready to fight him in Japan or anywhere else,” Vargas said. “This is what being a champion is all about – facing the toughest challenges head-on and coming out on top.”
Vargas suffered his sole defeat in his 11th pro fight, taking a shocking first-round knockout from the 16-4 Jose Maria Cardenas back in 2019. He has won nine straight since, culminating in his 10th-round TKO of Winston Guerrero on December 13. Vargas dropped Guerrero in the first, hit the canvas himself in the second and went on to get the win in an enjoyable fight.
“The road back hasn’t been easy,” Vargas said. “I had to dig deep, fix mistakes and stay focused. Every fight since 2019 has been a step closer to this title. Those tough moments built the fighter you see today, and I’m ready for anything that comes my way.”
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