dailyloe.com – Undefeated super-lightweight contender Emiliano Vargas claims he knows how to beat champion Shakur Stevenson. Vargas identified a specific weakness in Stevenson’s game during his title-winning performance. Stevenson became a four-division world champion by outpointing Teofimo Lopez in January. He captured the WBO super-lightweight crown with that victory.
Stevenson’s plans to return to the lightweight division were later scuppered. He was stripped of his WBC 135lb title. Rumors of a move to welterweight for fights with Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn have surfaced. It now appears Garcia and Benn will face each other instead.
This means Stevenson will likely remain at super-lightweight for the foreseeable future. Many hot prospects in the division are desperate to dethrone him. One of the most popular is Nevada-based Emiliano Vargas. Vargas is the son of two-time super-lightweight world champion Fernando Vargas.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, Emiliano Vargas explained the weakness he believes he spotted. He referenced Stevenson’s clash with Teofimo Lopez. ‘I think that every fighter has a different approach that you have to take towards them,’ Vargas said. ‘Shakur looked amazing in his last fight, he honestly surprised me.’
Vargas added that he gives his kudos to Stevenson for that performance. ‘But, at the end of the day, I understand that, the right time, God already has it picked,’ he stated. He said if they were to fight down the line, they would have to solve that puzzle. Vargas pointed to body shots as a potential key.
‘Honestly, Teofimo was doing a great job when he was going to the body,’ Vargas observed. He noted Lopez had his moments to the body before Stevenson kept him on the outside. ‘Shakur even said it himself, that he got hit with a body shot one time and he wanted to throw up,’ Vargas recounted.
Vargas stated that he has been hit to the body before and it does not feel good. ‘So, I think that no fighters like body shots,’ he concluded. The 21-year-old Vargas is currently rated as the #5 contender by the WBO. Stevenson reigns as the WBO super-lightweight champion.
This ranking could give Vargas a chance to exploit that perceived weakness. He could potentially replicate his father’s achievements in the near future. The younger Vargas is an undefeated southpaw rising through the ranks. He now publicly lays out his tactical blueprint for facing the division’s champion.[]
Source: Boxing News Online
