27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meet Fernando Vargas Jr - the son of a world champion boasting knockout power
Fernando Vargas Jr returns to the ring this weekend, looking to extend his 16-0 record by defeating Gonzalo Coria.
A super welterweight, Vargas Jr is the son of former world champion Fernando Vargas. Since making his debut as a pro in 2020, Vargas Jr has gone the distance just once in 16 fights, with 14 knockouts and a technical decision win.
Vargas Jr hopes to continue his road to a world title shot through a fight with Gonzalo Gaston Coria. That bout headlines a card at Thunder Studios, Long Beach on Saturday, with the action live on DAZN.
Fernando Vargas Jr's start to boxing life
Fernando Vargas Jr had a solid career in the unpaid code, accumulating a 36-4 record before turning pro at 24 years old in 2024.
Fighting out of his father's gym in Las Vegas, the Fernando Vargas Fighting Foundation, Vargas Jr only donned the gloves properly as a 17-year-old. Within four years he was competing for a spot on the US squad for the 2020 Olympics, controversially losing a semi-final bout in the Olympic trials.
Prior to turning professional, Vargas Jr sparred with world champions Kell Brook and Shawn Porter.
Vargas Jr's first fight was staged behind closed doors in Mexico because of the COVID-19 pandemic. His opponent Pablo Rosas retired after the second round, giving Vargas Jr the first stoppage win of his career.
He would win his first 11 fights by stoppage before being taken the distance by Luis Flores in 2023. After that unanimous decision victory, normal service was resumed with a run of three stoppages.
In Vargas Jr's most recent right, he won by technical decision in the fifth round, meaning he has only heard the final bell once in his pro career.
Vargas dynasty – Fernando Vargas Jr's boxing family
Fernando Vargas Jr constantly makes reference to the 'Vargas dynasty' on social media.
His father, Fernando Vargas Sr, was a two-time champion at light middleweight, holding the IBF and WBA straps at different spells.
Aside from his stints as champion of the world, Vargas Sr was known for his bouts with Oscar De La Hoya, Richardo Mayorga, and Felix Trinidad.
It is not just his birthname that he shares with his father, with Vargas Jr also donning the same nickname of 'El Feroz'.
Vargas Jr is not the only fighter carrying the family name into the ring, with his two brothers also boxers.
The eldest of three brothers, Vargas Jr is the most experience of the trio. 24-year-old Amado Vargas is a lightweight boasting a 13-0 (6) record, whilst youngest sibling Emiliano Vargas is also unbeaten, the 21-year-old 14-0 (12) at super lightweight.
At the start of May, Emiliano picked up the NABF junior super lightweight title, with Vargas Jr in attendance. Vargas Sr is often seen in the corner for his son's fights.
In the public eye thanks to their father's exploits as a boxer, the family were the subjects of their own reality TV show in 2014. Titled Welcome to Los Vargas, a pun on the family name and the fact they lived in Las Vegas, the show followed the family for 13 episodes.
