Mikey Garcia 40-1 (30) claimed his first win at welterweight with a hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision win over Jessie Vargas 28-3-2 (11) at The Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas on Saturday night.
The fight was competitive early before the 32-year-old Garcia sent Vargas to the deck with a right hand in the fifth.
In the seventh Garcia had Vargas hurt again, but the 30-year-old dug deep to rally down the stretch.
When the final bell rang all three judges gave the fight to Garcia by scores of 116-111, 116-111 and 114-113.
“Jessie is experienced. Has a good left hook. My dad and brother warned me. It’s a sneaky hook,” Garcia said.
“I was able to make adjustments. I answered a lot of questions. Jessie is a solid welterweight, big and strong. I showed I’m resilient. I performed well and overcame the size difference well.”
Garcia said he would target Manny Pacquiao next or a rematch with his conqueror Errol Spence Jr.
“We have been talking about Manny or rematch with Errol Spence Jr,” he said. “I think everyone would like to see me and Manny. The fight with Manny has been talked about for many years. I love the idea of fighting Manny.”
Vargas was humble in defeat.
“I hope you all enjoyed it. I’m down I didn’t get the victory. My team did a great job of instructing me. I’ll be back soon enough and to the drawing board,” Vargas said.
“We use this as experience to become a better athlete. I think the knockdown was the difference.
“I think he can compete against anyone. Professional athletes have ups and downs. I stunned him in fourth round.
“I think Pacquiao and Mikey is a good fight. Mikey is a Mexican warrior. I would compare Mikey to Manny. He stays near the top of the division. I think he is best at 140 but good st 147.”
