Vargas returns with win!

26/03/2005

Vargas returns with win!

After 15 months of inactivity, Fernando Vargas returned with a solid but unspectacular win over a tough opponent, Ray Joval.  Vargas defeated Joval by unanimous ten-round decision in front of an adoring crowd in Corpus Christi, Texas.  The official scores were 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94.  Joval, a top ten middleweight in Boxingtalk's ratings, had small cuts over both eyes.  Vargas showed some rust, and was somewhat hurt in the ninth, but the outcome was never really in doubt.  Although he weighed in at 162, Vargas said afterwards his next fight will be at junior middleweight. He called out a paper champion, Javier Castillejo, for his next fight. Vargas is still rated #7 by Boxingtalk at 154 pounds, just ahead of #8 Castillejo, who was basically given the WBC title. Still, Castillejo would be a reasonable next step for Vargas.  [Editor's note: check out Boxingtalk's FREE round by round report below]  source: HBO Boxing After Dark