Rey Vargas: El Rey The Super Bantamweight King Of Guadalajara-El Martillo De Romanza.

CST, would you throttle Ms. Horvath?

 

After the various degrees of peril versus Amagada, Donaire, Marroquin, and Cordoba you'd be remiss to say a talent like Vargas doesn't have a chance here.

That said, yes, his chances would improve greatly if he weren't taking such a big and sudden leap in class. Then again, even at full refinement beating Ridongeaux is a tall order for anyone.

El Chacal is a real enigma. On a given night he can shut out every man in his weight range, including the elites - but he can also be rocked &/or given a bit of push-back at times by a substantially lower grade.

To me he's kind of equivalent to Mayweather (or maybe even more than his equal, in technical skills...and yes I realize the scope of that statement) with a "merely average" chin. It doesn't matter how slick and how crafty and intelligent you are; everybody gets clipped now and then. Mayweather does, and recovers immediately without leaving his feet. Rigondeaux does (at the hands of lesser opponents than Mayweather's) and things get hairy for him. Sort of like glimpsing into a crystal ball of what Mayweather's career would've been like if he couldn't take a punch as well - and provides a strong argument for his chin being every bit as good as his most ardent fanatics claim, while detractors sneer that he's just lucky to never get hit. That argument is a fallacy. Mayweather gets hit, Rigondeaux gets hit, Whitaker got hit - every defensive master gets hit. An excellent chin behind that skill-set makes for a safety net for guys on their level...a net Rigondeaux is operating without, meaning he needs to be all the more careful.

Putting into context the accolades Vargas has received already without having stepped up in class yet from the likes of Beristain and many of us discriminating observers from the outside, along with the scares Rigondeaux has occasionally had, it would by no means be Tyson vs. Douglas if Vargas pulled it off.

 

It wouldn't shock you if green Vargas knocked out Rigondeaux? Would shock me for sure, even if I know Rigo has chin vulnerabilities.

 

Excellent and insightful post.