Antonio Vargas leans to higher power as Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez awaits
It feels like a foregone conclusion that unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez will win his third divisional title when he takes on WBA bantamweight beltholder Antonio Vargas on Saturday.
While Florida’s Vargas, 19-1-1 (11 KOs), is wearing the strap now and has the pedigree of being a former U.S. Olympic boxer, he’s nearly a 14-to-1 betting underdog and has struggled in his past two bouts versus competition far inferior to Rodriguez, 23-0 (16 KOs).
For the 29-year-old Vargas, however, the widespread lack of belief in his chances is only making him work harder ahead of the DAZN-televised clash at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
“Obviously, I understand he's done a lot of good things in the sport of boxing and he's trying to build a legacy. I respect that part,” Vargas said of Rodriguez. “As for myself, it motivates me to train harder and to really get this win, because I’ve got to beat a big name like this to get the recognition I've been fighting all these years to get.
“It puts me in a place of hunger, discipline and focus, because I know after I beat this guy, it will show I've been training and working hard to build my own legacy as a fighter.”
Vargas emphasized to Boxing Scene that faith has brought him to what “is definitely the biggest fight of my career.”
Vargas said he believes he’s been the beneficiary of divine intervention, pulling from his religious faith to survive knockdowns in two of his past three fights while emerging through last year’s demanding title defense against Daigo Higa in Japan to keep his belt via draw.
“Just looking back on the last few fights, I see the hand of Christ over me, and my confidence in my strength comes from him, and I wouldn't even be in this position to take a fight like this if I wouldn't have got to draw my last fight,” he said.
After rising from the canvas after early fight knockdowns by Jonathan Rodriguez and Winston Guerrero to stop both men in 2024, Vargas gained the draw versus Higa last year by knocking him down late last July.
“One thing I can say – that wasn't me. That was the hand of Christ giving me the strength I needed. To put that guy down just to even the playing field… I know when I need to go into the same place with ‘Bam,’ the same guy who strengthened me and delivered me in my last couple of fights is gonna be the same guy who’s gonna strengthen me, and give me what I need to get the victory,” Vargas said.
“That’s the difference that comes from within myself. I believe on June 13, we're gonna see that, and I'll be able to testify to who he is and how he's been able to strengthen me and help me to overcome.”
That’s deep faith considering three-belt super-flyweight champion Rodriguez, 26, has knocked out or stopped his past five opponents while posting the scalps of the best 115lbs fighters of the prior generation – Juan Francisco Estrada, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras.
With a victory Saturday, Rodriguez is expected to hotly pursue undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue for a super-fight in Japan.
Vargas, however, is convinced he's about to thwart the grand plans with help from a higher power.
“Every time I feel that pressure, you can probably see my mouth moving… when I got dropped [by Guerrero] and I was hurt really bad and on the floor, I'm like, ‘Jesus, help me Lord,’” Vargas said. “I remember getting up and I've never dealt with the my legs being wobbly like that, and fear gripped me even more. I remember that the ref gave me the eight-count and I remember once the ref was done man. I remember [Guerrero] coming to finish me. I remember holding him and I went blank the last 30 seconds of that round, and I still was blank in the corner.”
Vargas recalls only the instruction to start winning rounds, and a lesson from the Bible.
“Those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered, and when I cried in my desperation, God heard me. The only part I could take credit about is the training,” he said.
Vargas said beyond the spiritual assistance, he scouts opponents to identify weaknesses he can take advantage of.
What has he taken from the “Bam” sessions?
“He’s been dropped [by Estrada] so there's definitely some openings there,” Vargas said. “Every fighter has them. It's just about finding them, and training hard enough to bring the openings out – catching them between shots and making sure that he hits the canvas.”
Vargas said the fact Rodriguez needs to move up in weight to meet a world champion is another advantage since the champion intends to weigh near 130bs after rehydrating for fight night.
“Over the years, I've been seeing my body grow and develop as a man, so it's definitely a strength – I'm pretty sure people are gonna see the size difference,” he said.
Vargas said he and Rodriguez’s mutual promoter, Eddie Hearn, has motivated him by pointing to the recent bouts as proof he carries “the heart of a warrior.” Hearn advised Vargass to “endure” the Rodriguez pressure and become “the best version of myself.”
Vargas reflected on the start of the journey to get here. He started boxing when his father scoffed at his grade-school’s recommendation that the then nine-year-old Vargas required Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder medication, instead taking him to a boxing gym to burn off the extra energy.
“A week after that, the school said, ‘Hey, the medication is working.’ My dad just smiled and I fell in love with the competition,” Vargas said. “If I could play a role in leading kids off medication and leading them towards sports and health, I would like to be an advocate to help the next generation coming up.”
His voice and mission will certainly resonate if he can find a way to defy the odds and defeat “Bam” Rodriguez.
ANNOUNCED: Ring junior bantamweight champion Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez will step up to bantamweight to challenge WBA champion Antonio Vargas on June 13th in Glendale, Arizona, live on DAZN 
