Jr. Welterweight prospect Jesse Vargas doesn?t fit the mold of your every day 21-year old for various reasons. For one, the Los Angeles native is void of partying or falling prey to any of the distractions that come with the nearby Vegas strip in Nevada where he currently resides. Second is the fact that unlike a lot of hopefuls in the sport Vargas seems to have a great backing around him as infamous Roger Mayweather is his trainer with Mayweather Promotions serving as his backer.
In talking to Vargas you will be hard pressed to find any stories of grief and hardship coming up or anything completely out of ordinary taking place in his young career. Not to say that Vargas isn?t charismatic in his own ways, just that he comes off as someone who is completely focused on his career and is content to continue making strides in his flourishing journey.
Vargas relocated from Los Angeles to Las Vegas when he was six and claims that he didn?t live in the best of neighborhoods early on. Knowing that trouble could possibly be just around the corner Vargas wanted to learn how to defend himself. He toyed with the possibility of trying out karate before discovering boxing and falling in love with the sport.
Vargas claims that his best memories of the city as a youth were fun times and of course, the strip. At the same time he was disciplined to the point where he would focus solely on his career while staying out of trouble. From the minute he began to box Vargas recalls being connected to one of the sport?s most recognizable families.
?I?ve been knowing the Mayweathers since I started,? Vargas claimed. ?There is a gym out here in Las Vegas, Nevada Partners, and that?s where Roger started training me. He had been my only trainer. That?s where I met the Mayweathers. Floyd was training there in around 1998 or 1999. I started training with Roger and I would see Floyd there all of the time. He was fighting for one of his first titles.?
At the time Floyd was just hitting the public?s eye and would win his first title with a decisive stoppage over crafty veteran Genero Hernandez in October of 2008. Floyd?s ride was just beginning and the Mayweather name was again thrust back into the spotlight. Vargas remembers taking in much from the family along the way.
?I?ve learned a lot over the years from Roger,? Vargas stated. ?The list will just go on if I have to explain what I learned from Roger. From Floyd well of course I learned that if you want to be the best you have to learn from the best. I always pay attention to Floyd and try to learn what I can from him.?
Vargas notes that he was about nine years old when he met Floyd and that he has been like somewhat of a mentor to him. Vargas points out that while Floyd is smart inside of the ring he also has a business savvy about him outside of the ropes that very few people can appreciate.
Mayweather impressed audiences with a dominant decision over Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand on May 1st of this year. Vargas had an appearance on the undercard against veteran Arturo Morua and was in camp as Floyd trained rigorously for his clash with Shane. Vargas notes that the gym atmosphere was definitely contagious.
?We would have different hours,” Vargas said. “I would train before he would but I would try to stay to see him train. The reason being that he had the best set up here. It was smart to stick around, tune in, and learn from him.?
Hours before the Mayweather-Mosley contest Vargas could be found scoring a 6th round TKO over Morua in one of the chief undercard attractions. The win boosted his record to 10-0 with 5 knockouts and while Vargas was able to take away a lot of positives from the fight he insists that much work lies ahead.
?It was nice,” he continued. “I got a taste of everything. Fighting at the MGM, as a boxer, there isn?t anything bigger than that. It felt good fighting on a card as good as Mayweather-Mosley. My performance, I think I did good and I am wanting to get better with each fight. I am never going to be satisfied.?
Asked for his future goals in the sport, Vargas insists that he has his eyes on the WBC belt and is out to always please the crowd. Still less than two years into his career as a professional it is obvious that it will take a little bit of time before Vargas? championship aspirations become reality. All the modest fighter can do for now is appreciate the situation he is in and continue to keep his focus in tact.
?I?m here now and I am blessed to be here. I am real happy with the Mayweather team and I wouldn?t have it any other way. I mean I don?t know anything else. It?s normal to me. In Vegas the boxing life can be hard because there are a lot of temptations out there. But if you have the right discipline you can make it.?
