Former WBO junior middleweight champion Liam ‘Beefy’ Smith 31-3-1 (18) proved weight does matter when he stopped Jessie ‘The Pride of Las Vegas’ Vargas 29-4-2 (11) in the 10th round of their all-action encounter at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
The fight was the main support bout to Katie Taylor’s successful defence of her undisputed lightweight championship against Amanda Serrano.
Vargas, 32, was coming off a two-year layoff following his loss to Mikey Garcia at welterweight. It was his first genuine contest at 154-pounds.
Vargas started well but the 33-year-old Smith was never going to make it easy for him. Although the Brit suffered a cut over his right eye in the third frame, he stuck to the game plan and progressively broke Vargas down.
The left hook to the body was a particularly potent weapon for Smith, who took the ascendancy by the fourth and continued to back Vargas onto the ropes where he dug in with hard shots upstairs and down.
Vargas showed his grit but he was on a hiding to nothing. The eighth and ninth were all Smith and in the 10th referee Steve Willis called a halt to the action with Vargas taking a pummelling on the ropes. The official time was 0:41.
Before the bout Smith warned Vargas what he was in for.
“You question if he wants to be here,” said Smith. “I have this thing in my mind; he’s running for Congress, he hasn’t boxed for two years, he’s only got one fight left on his contract, so is this his last hurrah? Give me one more payday and I’ll move into politics?
“He’s very good technically, he’s got that typical Mexican-American style and he likes to fight, meaning, he’s more of a boxer but he doesn’t shy away from a fight.
“I know he’s a nice guy but for some reason, there’s a bit of needle there. I boxed Sam Eggington in March 2019 and Eddie mentioned Jessie’s name in the ring and I thought, ‘yeah, you promote him, I’d like that’. We jumped on it, he fought Garcia which was cool — but that was two years ago, and he could have fought me in those two years.
“I met Jessie at MSG at the Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz fight when [brother] Callum [Smith] was on the card and we shook hands on the fight, so it just did my head in a bit not because I was chasing him and he’s a big money fight or a world title fight, I was after him because neither of us were going to get a title shot and it’s a very good fight.
“When I look at the landscape of the 154-pound division, I believe I can be world champion again. If I didn’t, I would retire because I’m happy, I’ve got two lovely daughters, I’ve ruled the world – so I could retire a happy man. People would bite your hand off for the career I’ve had, but I am realistic when I look at the champions and contenders and think ‘I can beat him, him and him’ so I am not done yet, I still have that fire in me.
“He’s only lost to Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, Mikey Garcia and soon, to Liam Smith. We’re in boxing to be in good fights and he’s one that I want to get rid of.
“Ultimately, I’m going to be too big and too strong for him. I’m a fully-fledged 154-pounder, I’ve been there my whole career and he’s gone from light welter to welter and now super welter. If you can make 147-pounds you are not a proper 154-pounder just yet and I think that’s going to play a part.
“Jessie – make sure you are ready. If this is your last hurrah, let’s give the fans a great fight and one they can talk about. I do think that you are going to get that, I’m not just saying that, I like to be in good fights. I don’t come to hold, I don’t come to make it a bore fest or awkward; I come to fight and I think he’s got that in him too, so I think you are going to get a good fight but a Liam Smith win.”
