WBA bantamweight champion Seiya Tsutsumi’s next defense will pit him against former Olympian Antonio Vargas
The WBA suffered a rare flare-up of competence today, as Salvador Rodriguez reports that they’ve given bantamweight champion champion Seiya Tsutsumi 30 days to negotiate with mandatory challenger Antonio Vargas.
Tsutsumi (12-0-3, 8 KO) has proven himself arguably the most fan-friendly of the Japanese bantamweight hegemony, which is no mean feat considering his peers. After overwhelming Takuma Inoue for the belt last year, he got off the canvas to force a draw with former rival Daigo Higa last month in a fight he likely should have won outright.
Vargas (19-1, 11 KO), a former Olympian who’s done a solid job of rebuilding himself since a devastating 2019 knockout loss to Jose Maria Cardenas, boasts some action-man bona fides of his own. His February 2024 finish of Jonathan Rodriguez earned John Hansen’s Fight of the Year of the Week stamp and he once again got off the canvas to beat undefeated Winston Guerrero 10 months later.
Vargas’ durability is clearly cause for concern, but this should be an absolute banger while it lasts. Fingers crossed they can get it over the finish line.
Read the full article here
