“The New Generation” JESSIE VARGAS (20-0, 9 KOs)…

• Ranked WBA #9, WBO #10, WBC #16 at 147 pounds…

At the age of 23, Jessie is a four-year pro. A rising young contender who fought at 140 pounds for the first three and a half years of his career, he moved up to the welterweight division in February, 2012.

He continues to build momentum – Jessie has stepped up in class of opposition in recent fights, and scored three of his career-best wins in his last four fights.

Jessie is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision win against Aron Martinez in his last fight on September 13.

After the fight, BoxingScene.com's Jake Donovan wrote [excerpts]: Jessie Vargas remained unbeaten after cruising to a unanimous decision over Aron Martinez in their 10-round headliner Thursday evening at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Scores were 99-91, 98-92 and an absurdly close 96-94 in favor of Vargas.

The bout was exciting yet one-sided…. Vargas repeatedly invited Martinez to trade whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Martinez was game, but couldn't manage more than a round or two of sustained success. Vargas was quicker to the punch and the busier fighter over the course of the 10-round contest. [End Donovan item]

In his three previous fights, Jessie won a 10-round unanimous decision against former IBF junior lightweight world champion Steve Forbes on May 5, and on February 24, he won a 10-round unanimous decision against Lanardo Tyner. In September, 2011, he won a 10-round split decision against Josesito Lopez, who went on to knock out Victor Ortiz and win the WBC Silver welterweight title.

Jessie said, "Moving up to 147, I felt stronger, I felt solid. I fought a guy who was a natural 147-pounder, and his punches didn't feel any different to me. I felt like the stronger fighter there. I'm just excited to make a name for myself at 147 pounds.

"I'm learning more with my strength and conditioning coach, and I'm learning more with Robert Alcazar, so we're just getting better and better every fight. I'm becoming a complete fighter, and what I mean by complete fighter is knowing everything - knowing how to counterpunch, knowing how to box. We're trying to have the best Jessie Vargas. I look at fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard, the best of the best, and I'm just trying to get there.

“I started working with Robert Alcazar as my trainer about two weeks before my fight against Walter Estrada. But I’m a fast learner – people said they noticed a difference in my last fight.

“I just felt that I had to make a change. I’ve always had my eyes on Robert - I always liked de la Hoya’s style, and Robert trained him for many years. I just figured his style could blend in well with my style. Right off the bat, we hit it off.

“It’s made a difference - I would say better footwork, a lot quicker reaction, and working the distance a lot better. Those are the main things. Every detail is important.

“I would say my style is aggressive, but in a smart way. I hit hard with both hands, my left and my right. That’s an advantage for me. I would also say that at times I like to brawl a little bit, which is something that I’m looking into changing a little bit more - I like to brawl a lot more than I should. I always like to give the fans a great fight, and the fans love when someone brawls. I love giving it to them from time to time.

“The main thing is that I have two or three different styles that I can bring out. Whatever I see that would make the fight easier, that’s what I’ll bring to the fight.

“Each fight has been a challenge. You can tell by the records of the opponents I’ve been fighting, it’s not too bad. They come to win.

“I’m a very humble guy. I’m just trying to be the best at what I do.”

Fight by Fight – 2012 - in his last fight on 9-13-12 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Aron Martinez (18-1-1): the bout headlined at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino; Martinez gave a good effort, but Jessie outworked him, landed the harder punches, and dominated most of the fight; Martinez was cut over his left eye; scored 98-92, 99-91, 96-94; after the fight, Jessie said, "I wanted the knockout. Things didn't go exactly as we planned, but we did win, and that was the plan. It was a good fight for the fans. I take nothing away from him. He came to fight and he took some great shots."...

On 5-5-12 in Las Vegas he won a 10 round unanimous decision against former IBF jr. lightweight world champion and late substitute Steve Forbes (35-10): the bout was on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto main event, and Jessie dominated; he consistently outboxed and outworked Forbes, and landed the harder punches; scored 98-92, 100-90, 97-93…

On 2-24-12 in Las Vegas he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Lanardo Tyner (25-6-2): the bout headlined at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Tyner gave a good effort and it was a competitive fight, but Jessie generally outworked him and had the edge in nearly every round; there were repeated fouls - Jessie floored Tyner with a low blow in the 1^st round; both continued to punch after the bell ended the round, and both continued to punch after the bell ended the 2^nd, as well; Tyner landed a low blow in the 4^th round, but after taking time to recover, Jessie came back and floored him with a low blow later in the round; both punched after the bell ended the 5^th; Lanardo was given time to recover after Vargas landed a low blow in the 8^th round; scored 99-91 on all three scorecards…

2011 - on 9-17-11 in Las Vegas he won a 10 round split decision against Josesito Lopez (29-3): the fight was one of the co-featured bouts on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz main event; it was a significant step up in class for Jessie, and it was a good, close fight; Jessie started fast and outworked Lopez in the early rounds, but Lopez rallied in the middle rounds – he landed the harder punches, rocked Jessie several times, and began to wear him down; Lopez was cut over his right eye by a clash of heads in the 6^th round, and Jessie was penalized one point for low blows in the 8^th; but Lopez slowed his pace in the late rounds and Jessie outworked him; it looked like the decision could go either way, and and the crowd has a mixed reaction to the announcement of the decision - scored 95-94, 96-93 Vargas, 95-94 Lopez; after the fight, Jessie said, “I think it was a good 10-round decision. He is one hell of a fighter - nothing but respect for him. I was surprised he could take the power of my punches. I think I fell into his game plan and away from mine, but my corner straightened it out toward the end.”…

On 7-8-11 in Primm, NV, he knocked out 35 year-old lefthander Walter Estrada (39-14-1): the fight headlined at Buffalo Bill’s, and Jessie quickly overpowered him; he scored a devastating knockdown with a left hook in the 2^nd round, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 0:33; after the fight, Jessie said, “When I saw him fall, I thought to myself, ‘This is a rough sport.’ I saw it all in slow-motion - he slipped, and when he came back up was when I connected with the left hand. I was set for it.”…

On 4-8-11 in Primm he TKOd former WBA super lightweight world champion Vivian Harris (29-5-1): the fight headlined at Buffalo Bill’s, and Jessie quickly overpowered him; he rocked Harris, who had lost his last two fights by knockout, with the first punch he threw, and Harris leaned on the ropes and clinched his way through most of the 1^st round; he did not continue after the round…

On 2-24-11 in Los Angeles, CA, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against late substitute Cristian Favela (31-29-5): the bout headlined at Club Nokia, and Favela took the fight on two days’ notice; he gave a good effort and several rounds were close, but Jessie generally outworked him and landed the sharper punches, and won by scores of 78-74, 79-73, 77-75…

2010 – on 12-11-10 in Las Vegas he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Ramon Montano (17-8-2): the bout was on the undercard of the Amir Khan-Marcos Maidana main event; Montano gave a good effort, but Jessie dominated most of the fight; he wore down Montano with body punches in the early rounds, and generally outboxed and outworked him throughout the fight; scored 79-73, 78-74, 80-72…

On 9-30-10 in Los Angeles he TKOd 39 year-old Pablo Sarmiento (34-13-2): the bout headlined at Club Nokia, and was Sarmiento’s first fight in six years; Jessie stunned him with a jab in the 1^st round, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches that dropped Sarmiento to the seat of his trunks moments later and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 1:31; after the fight, Jessie said, “He moved real awkwardly. I couldn’t hit him with straight punches, and I didn’t want to get caught coming in. The first time I caught him, though, I knew he felt it. Then I knew I had him. What I want is to fight top-10 fighters, guys like Marcos Maidana and Devon Alexander. I know I’m an eight-round fighter. I’m anxious to fight these guys, though. I know I have to be patient. I have to do what my promoter wants me to do.”…

On 6-24-10 in Los Angeles he knocked out 38 year-old lefthander Ernie Zavala (21-4): the bout was co-featured at Club Nokia, and Zavala was fighting for the second time after a five-year layoff; Jessie dominated the fight - he scored a knockdown with a right hand-left hook combination in the 1^st round, gave Zavala a severe beating, and Zavala’s right eye swelled shut in the middle rounds; Jessie staggered Zavala in the 6^th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 0:33; after the fight, Jessie said, “He was a tough guy. He went all six rounds, so I give him all the respect in the world. I’m glad the crowd liked it - that’s what I try to do, please the crowd. I love fighting here. I was born in L.A., so these are my fans. I’ll fight anyone they put in front of me. Hopefully, I’ll be in the top-10 soon.”…

On 5-1-10 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKOd Arturo Morua (25-13-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley main event, and Jessie dominated; he consistently outworked Morua, landed the harder punches, and steadily wore him down; he staggered Morua with a left hook-right hand combination in the 6^th round, then rocked him with a two-handed series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 1:20…

On 2-25-10 in Los Angeles he knocked out previously undefeated Robert Luna (5-0): the fight was on the undercard of the Victor Ortiz-Hector Alatorre main event, and Jessie quickly overpowered him; he scored three knockdowns in the 1^st round – the first and second with left hooks, the third with a right hand - and the referee stopped the fight at 1:56…

On 1-29-10 in Las Vegas he won a 4 round unanimous decision against lefthanded Richard Kinney (4-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Beibut Shumenov-Gabriel Campillo II main event, and Jessie dominated; he consistently outworked Kinney, landed the harder punches, and won by shutout scores of 40-36 on all three scorecards…

2009 – on 12-2-09 in Philadelphia, PA, he TKOd Travis Hartman (10-15-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkins-Enrique Ornelas main event, and Jessie quickly overpowered him; he scored two knockdowns with left hooks to the body in the 1^st round; Jessie scored two more knockdowns with left hooks to the body in the 2^nd, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:31…

On 9-19-09 in Las Vegas he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Raul Tovar (6-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez main event, and Jessie dominated; he scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 2^nd round, and scored another knockdown with a left hook in the 3^rd; scored 60-52, 60-52, 59-53…

On 4-17-09 in Primm he won a 6 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated lefthander Anthony Lenk (5-0): the fight was on the undercard of the Yuriorkis Gambos-Jose Rojas main event, and Jessie dominated; Jessie scored a knockdown with a right hand that dropped Lenk on the seat of his trunks in the 1^st round; Lenk outworked Jessie in the 2^nd, but Jessie bloodied his nose; Lenk outworked Jessie in the 3^rd round, but Jessie buckled his knees with a left hook, then staggered him again in the 4^th; Jessie scored another knockdown with a right hand in the 6^th round, and won by scores of 58-54, 57-55, 59-53…

2008 – on 12-5-08 in Santa Ynez he won a 4 round unanimous decision against Antonio Soria (2-2): the fight was on the undercard of the Carlos Abregu-David Estrada main event; Soria gave a good effort, but Jessie dominated the fight; he consistently outworked Soria and landed the harder punches, and Soria’s right eye swelled nearly shut; scored 40-36, 40-36, 39-37…

On 11-1-08 in Carson, CA, he TKOd Michaelangelo Lynks (6-8-2): the fight was on the undercard of the Vic Darchinyan-Cristian Mijares main event; Jessie scored a knockdown in the 1^st round; he rocked Lynks repeatedly in the 2^nd, and Lynks did not continue after the round…

On 10-4-08 in Temecula, CA, he won a 4 round unanimous decision against Trenton Titsworth (2-2-1): the bout was on the undercard of the Yuriorkis Gamboa-Marcos Ramirez, Sergio Martinez-Alex Bunema, Alfredo Angulo-Andrey Tsurkan tripleheader, and Jessie dominated; during a clinch in the 2^nd round, Titsworth kissed Jessie on the ear and licked his face, and Jessie floored him when the referee broke up the clinch – Jessie was penalized one point for punching to the back of the head, and Titsworth was penalized two points for lack of professionalism; scored 39-34 on all three scorecards…

He debuted at the age of 19 on 9-5-08 in Primm and knocked out Joel Gonzalez (1-0): the fight was on the uncercard of the Antonio DeMarco-Jose Reyes main event; Jessie scored a knockdown in the 1^st round, and Gonzalez was counted out at 0:59…

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Jessie said, “I was born in Los Angeles, California. I have two sisters – one that’s a year and a half younger, and one that’s eight years old. My mom owns a very small business, and my father right now is not working. My parents are from Mexico – Acapulco. I’m the only boxer in the family.

“My dad was the first one to move to Las Vegas. I was probably about five when he moved down here and got an apartment, and we followed him about a month, two months after. We brought two families here – one from my mom’s side. It was my mom’s sister and brother. We brought them down because at that time, there were a of of jobs here. My dad also took in my mom’s younger brother. In Mexico, he had a big accident to where they were going to take his leg off because they didn’t have doctors there. My dad decided we’re going to bring him down here and he could stay with us and he’d have better medical care. He lived with us from when he was about 10 to about 23, so I kind of had another brother. When I was about seven, we had a full house. My dad’s the type of person who likes to help out whenever he can.

“My dad was the one to put me into boxing. He figured it was best for me to have an after-school activity instead of being out with my friends, getting into trouble. He gave me a couple of options, like ‘What do you want to do?’ I told him I wanted to learn how to defend myself, and we went into karate. That was for about two or three months – I went to yellow belt. I told him, ‘You know what? I don’t like it,’ and that’s when he took me into boxing. I was fascinated by the sport – having someone in front of you, and you have to outsmart them. I just fell in love with the sport.

“I started boxing when I was eight years old. My dad took me to Richard Steele’s gym, Nevada Partners. Richard showed me the basics, but then I started  training with Roger Mayweather. He also trained professionals, so sometimes he would move to the Laila Ali gym and I would stay at Nevada Partners, ‘cause it was an amateur gym. Roger was my trainer all the way until I changed to Robert Alcazar.

“I think I had around 140 amateur fights. I must have had close to 20 losses. I was on the Mexican national team for a year, from late ’07. I had to go live in Mexico City that whole year - they had the Olympic committee there. We were there with a whole bunch of athletes – track, swimmers, everything. The national team have their own trainers there.

“I fight righthanded, but I’m kind of both – ambidextrous. I throw a baseball with my right, I throw a football with my left, I bat with my left, I write with my right. I kind of mix it up. Anything I can’t do with my left, I can do with my right.

“I’m single and I have a daughter. She was two on July 4. I graduated from Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas. Now I’m taking some classes at College of Southern Nevada, just some communication classes. It’s not for a degree, just to get started.

“I still live with my parents. I feel very comfortable living with them – they keep me grounded, I guess you could say. My mom, she’s like, my personal chef. She cooks for me and whatever I need, she knows how to make it. My dad helps out when I need vitamins and things like that. I’m in the position I’m in now because of their help. Put it like this – it’s like going to a nice restaurant, I have it at home. So, I mean, why move out?”…

AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Jessie said, “You have to finish in first or second place in the Qualifiers to go to the Olympics, so I was eliminated. But it was a great experience. They were great fights, but I wasn’t too good with the points system because I’m the type of fighter that, each punch I land, I want to make sure you feel it. I didn’t go the Olympics with the rest of the team.”…

2008 AMERICAN OLYMPIC QUALIFIER - Guatemala City, Guatemala, 141 pounds [Jessie was on the Mexican team]: in his first fight on 4-25-08 he won a 9-6 decision against Carlos Sanchez of Ecuador; in his second fight on 4-26-08 he lost a 15-7 decision against Jonathan Gonzalez of Puerto Rico…

2008 AMERICAN OLYMPIC QUALIFIER - Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, 141 pounds [Jessie was on the Mexican team]: in his first fight on 3-13-08 he lost a 25-8 decision against Rosniel Iglesias of Cuba…

2008 DUALS USA – MEXICO - San Diego, California, 141 pounds [Jessie was on the Mexican team]: on 1-18-08 he won a 15-12 decision against Andre Sherard of the U.S.A.…

2007 MEXICAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico, 141 pounds - SILVER MEDALIST [Jessie was on the Mexican team; incomplete results]: in the finals on 12-7-07 he lost a 12-8 decision against Luis Grajeda…

2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Chicago, Illinois, 141 pounds: in his first fight on 10-23-07 he lost a 19-14 decision against Andrey Lukyanchuk of Ukraine…

2007  NATIONAL GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMPIONSHIPS - Chattanooga, Tennessee, 141 pounds - SILVER MEDALIST: in his first fight on 5-2-07 he won a decision against Edgar Zubia; in the quarterfinals on 5-3-07 he won a 5-0 decision against Danny O’Connor; in the semifinals on 5-4-07 he won a 4-1 decision against Tahree Carroll; in the finals on 5-5-07 he lost a 5-0 decision against Brad Solomon…

2006 NATIONAL GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMPIONSHIPS – Omaha, Nebraska, 141 pounds: in his first fight on 4-24-06 he lost a 5-0 decision against Brad Solomon…

STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style and good punching power…has good skills and movement…had a strong amateur background…

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 20 fights…102 total rounds…

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 5.1 rounds…

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 45 %...

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 10 rounds – 4 (4-0)…8 rounds – 2 (2-0)…