Emiliano Vargas (1-0, 1 KO), the youngest son of former 154lb Champion “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas, becomes the next blue-chip prospect to sign a contract with Top Rank Boxing. The 18 year old prospect will be competing in the lightweight division, making his Top Rank debut on Saturday, November 12th on the doubleheader card that features WBO Middleweight Champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (12-0, 8 KOs) and WBA Strawweight Champion Seniesa Estrada (22-0, 9 KOs). Without a doubt, Top Rank has the deepest stable of young talent in boxing, and adding “El General” only enhances to the excitement for the future of the promotion.

Emiliano’s two older brothers are also professional boxers, with Amado (4-0, 2 KOs) and Fernando Jr (6-0, 6 KOs) fighting on the 26th of November on the Regis Prograis vs Jose Zepeda undercard. All three brothers have talent and athletic ability, but it is clear that the youngest of the three brothers has the highest ceiling of them all. Emiliano started boxing as a young child, before both of his older brothers, and has a quality pedigree as a result. He was a seven-time amateur national champion and compiled a stellar 110-10 record in the amateur ranks.

He made his professional debut on the 14th of May at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Vargas won his debut with an impressive first round stoppage, and hopes to continue having entertaining performances now that he is under the Top Rank banner. Since he is only 18 years old, there is no point rushing his career. Hopefully, Emiliano will be kept very active in developmental fights that help him grow his skillset as he continues to progress. He has sparred with Two Division World Champion Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) and former WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Jamel Herring (23-4, 11 KOs) in the past which can only help speed up the progression of the young star. His main sparring partner for this upcoming fight has been Former Three Division World Champion Jorge Linares (47-7, 29 KOs), which I am sure has provided positive learning experiences for Emiliano against another formidable world class fighter.

Fernando Vargas is one of my favorite fighters of all time, so ever since I was aware that he had sons in the sport, I made sure to follow them on their journeys. Emiliano always stood out to me. As an amateur, he passed my “eye test” with flying colors, and he is someone who I always figured had a bright future ahead of him when he turned to the pro game. Top Rank has a history of promoting young fighters with famous relatives. Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, has been in the spotlight since his debut, and I believe Emiliano can be promoted similarly. He is the son of a former notable world champion who was involved in a number of classic fights against hall of fame talents, and has the amateur pedigree to back himself up, unlike Ali Walsh.

Top Rank has done a great job at developing the slew of young prospects they have at their disposal. They have all but mastered the ability to give their prospects winnable matchups, but against opponents who will test them and help them learn on the job. I anticipate seeing Vargas in the ring every couple of months on significant undercards, continuing to build up his record as he gets accustomed to professional boxing. Just like many other Top Rank prospects, the future is bright with Emiliano, and I am excited to watch him continue on his journey which could potentially end up with him at the top of the sport.

“I can’t wait to fight. Like my dad says, ‘El legado Vargas continúa.’ The legacy is everything, but at the same time, I am here to write my own story and make my family proud. This is my legacy as much as my dad’s. This is something that is so deeply embedded in my family and as a Mexican. I want to be a Fernando Vargas, a Julio Cesar Chavez. There is something so beautiful about a whole country having your back. I’m proud of my roots. I can’t wait to perform and have the fans embrace me just like they embraced my dad.”

“It’s about how I perform, but Top Rank will help me get to that next level.”