CARSON, CALIFORNIA– In an impressive performance, Regis Prograis claimed the vacant WBC light welterweight title with an eleventh-round knockout of longtime contender Jose Zepeda at the Dignity Sports Health Park. 

Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs) of New Orleans, Louisiana proved to have too many dimensions for Zepeda (35-3, 27 KOs) of La Puente, California. When the flow of the bout called for him to box, Prograis boxed. When Zepeda drew him into an inside action fight, Prograis more than handled himself. 

Zepeda, 139.4, caught Prograis, 139, leaning to the left for the shot that got a rise out of the crowd in the first. Prograis landed well with his jab early in the second, but Zepeda came back late in the round. 

After boxing well at distance for much of the third, Prograis, who entered as the WBC #2 ranked contender, nearly came out of his shoes as he fired off a clean left late in the round. When Prograis went for another sweeping left, Zepeda, the WBC #1 ranked contender, threw his own in concert as the two landed simultaneous hard shots to close out the third.

After getting beaten to the jab, Zepeda drew Prograis into a firefight to close out the fourth, much to the delight of the crowd. The back-and-forth action resumed in the fifth, as neither fighter would let a clean blow go unanswered. 

Prograis controlled much of sixth, turning the fight into a boxing match with his pinpoint jab and movement. Prograis’ feints and ring generalship troubled Zepeda again for much of the seventh. Before the close of the round, an accidental clash of heads drew blood from the nose of Prograis. 

Prograis continued to outbox Zepeda through rounds eight and nine before Zepeda got him to stand-and-trade heading into the tenth. 

The tenth would feature thrilling two-way action throughout, briefly breathing new life into Zepeda’s standing in the bout as Prograis abandoned his jab first style. 

The momentum shift would be brief as Prograis rocked and dropped Zepeda along the ropes early in the eleventh. Referee Ray Corona waved off the contest at 59 seconds of round eleven. 

After the bout, Prograis refused to call out any of the other names at 140-pounds, considering he is now a champion that should be called out by them. 

For Zepeda, the third time did not end up being the charm as all three of his professional defeats have come in world title attempts. 

Valle Decisions Bermudez to Win Light Flyweight Titles

In the co-main event, IBF/WBO 105-pound champion Yokasta Valle (27-2, 9 KOs) of San Jose, San Jose, Costa Rica moved up in weight to claim the light flyweight version of the same two titles from previously undefeated champion Evelyn Bermudez (17-1-1, 6 KOs) of Santa de la Vera Cruz, Santa Fe, Argentina via ten-round majority decision.

Valle, 107.4, was active and determined, but the naturally larger Argentine stood up well to the punches throughout the fight. After getting outworked at times early, Bermudez, 106, timed her right hand well in round four and caught the busier Valle clean. 

Valle kept a busy pace for all ten rounds, but it appeared Bermudez had the power edge and may have taken rounds with a well-placed right hand or two. 

In the end, two judges gave Bermudez very little credit, handing in scores of 99-91 and 97-93 for Valle. The third card was even, 95-95. 

After the win, Valle expressed her desire to meet fellow champion Seniesa Estrada at whatever weight class the fight can be made.

2016 and 2020 Uzbekistani Olympian Bakhodir Jalolov (12-0, 12 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of Sariosiyo, Uzbekistan kept his knockout streak alive with a fourth-round stoppage of journeyman Curtis Harper (14-9, 9 KOs) of Jacksonville, Florida. 

Jalolov, 247.6, controlled the bout from the early stages, keeping Harper, 260, on the end of his long punches from the southpaw stance. 

Harper grew frustrated to the point of intentionally headbutting and hitting on the break during the second round, which earned him a warning from the referee. 

In the third, a straight left from Jalolov dropped Harper hard, who got up seconds before the bell and the round would close just before they could touch again.

Jalolov ended the fight, dropping Harper with a combination near the blue corner in the fourth. Harper rose before the count of ten, but referee Thomas Taylor opted the call the one-sided bout. Official time of the stoppage was 1:53 of the fourth. 

IBF #4/WBC #5/WBO #8/WBA #12 ranked light middleweight Charles Conwell (18-0, 13 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio took a hard-fought ten-round majority decision over veteran gatekeeper Juan Carlos Abreu (25-7-1, 23 KOs) of La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Conwell, 153.8, found himself bleeding from his left eye early in the second after some inside fighting. Despite being bothered by the blood, Conwell pressed the action in the third, briefly stopping Abreu, 154, in his tracks with a clean combination upstairs. 

Conwell continued to force himself in rounds four and five, but some well-placed shots by Abreu worsened the 2016 U.S. Olympian’s cut, creating some drama as the fight moved to the middle rounds. 

Abreu, who entered as the WBC #15 ranked 154-pound contender, had one of his better rounds in round seven as he backed up Conwell with consistent combinations. However, Conwell would land the most telling blow late in the round, as a body shot forced Abreu to wince and drop his hands near the bell. 

As the fight wore on both fighters had their moments as they kept a busy junior middleweight pace in a bout that the three ringside judges would have a wide range of views. In the end, Conwell improved his ranking in what was billed as a WBC semi-final eliminator. One judge had it even, 95-95, while the other two scored it for Conwell, 98-92 and 96-94.

The son of the beloved former champion of the same name, Fernando Vargas Jr. (7-0, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada hammered overnmatched local Alejandro Martinez (3-3-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California en route to a second-round stoppage to open the pay-per-view telecast. 

Vargas, 150, utilized his natural size advantage to control the first round before opening up offensively to start the second. Martinez, 151.2, was outgunned and hit the canvas after a combination early in the round. Referee Ray Corona took a good look at Martinez, but allowed the bout to continue before another two-punch combination forced Martinez to slide to the canvas and forced the stoppage at 2:40 of round two. 

Super bantamweight prospect Nathan Rodriguez (10-0, 7 KOs) of Pico Rivera, California turned back a game Jerson Ortiz (17-6, 8 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua to score a wide eight-round unanimous decision in a bout tougher than the scores would lead you to believe. 

Rodriguez, 123.4, scored a knockdown during an exchange early in the third. Ortiz, 123.8, opted for the offense is the best defense approach and was downed again midway through the round. 

Through three rounds a distance result looked unlikely, but Ortiz landed some windmill shots to some effect in the fourth before Rodriguez turned back the tide late in the round. The two would engage in two-way exchanges down the stretch of the fight, as Ortiz made a fight out of it after the bleak beginning. The judges could not be swayed to credit Ortiz much for his effort, as Rodriguez took the bout and the minor WBC FECARBOX title by scores of 80-70 and 79-71 twice.

In an upset, Eduardo Estela (14-1, 9 KOs) of Montevideo, Uruguay spoiled the previously unblemished record Ruben Torres (19-1, 16 KOs) of Santa Monica, California via a hard-fought eight-round split decision. 

Estela, 136, staggered Torres, 136.2, against the ropes midway through the first, scoring a knockdown and prompting a count from referee Thomas Taylor. Estela pressed for the remainder of the round, but Torres managed to regain his footing. 

Torres fared much better in rounds two and three before Estela closed out the fourth strong, knocking the Californian off balance late in the round. Estela continued as the aggressor through the late rounds, forcing the crowd favorite Torres to fight on the move or with his back to the ropes much of the time. Torres stood his ground and fought at a beneficial distance in the eighth to close out the bout, but in the end it was not enough to leave Carson with his unbeaten record intact. Two judges scored in favor of Estela, 78-73 and 76-75. Torres took the dissenting card 76-75. 

One of two sons of Fernando Vargas on the card, Amado Vargas (5-0, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas passed a tougher-than-expected test in the form of Osmar Olmos Hernandez (1-2) of Santa Clarita, California.

Vargas, 125.8, opened the four-round bout at a frantic pace, eventually downing Olmos Hernandez, 124.4, with an overhand right early in the first round. Two follow-up lefts would cost the young Vargas a point as referee Jerry Cantu ruled they had come after the knockdown was scored. 

Olmos Hernandez finished the first with renewed vigor and carried that energy into the second frame. The stanza would feature back-and-forth action as both Vargas and Olmos Hernandez swung for the fences with little regard for defense. 

As the fight wound down, Vargas settled into more of a boxer’s posture which enabled the offspring “El Feroz” to cruise to a unanimous decision by scores of 39-35 and 38-36 twice.

Slick southpaw Austin Brooks (9-0, 3 KOs) of La Mesa, California pounded away at sturdy Jesus Roman (8-6, 3 KOs) of Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico en route to a third-round stoppage. 

Brooks,129, opted to fight at close range despite his size advantage and was just too quick and strong for the game Roman, 129.6. The Mexican native fought hard throughout but ultimately wilted to the mat after a barrage in third. Referee Jerry Cantu waved off the contest at 2:03 of the round.

Local middleweight prospect Eric Priest (9-0, 7 KOs) of Los Angeles barely broke a sweat before scoring a three-knockdown KO of Luis Alberto Vera (11-22-2, 1 KO) of Buenos Aires.

Priest, 160, flurried Vera, 159.8, to the mat for two quick knockdowns in the opening round. Vera had no answer for anything Priest had to offer and was put down a third time by a stinging body shot moments later. Referee Thomas Taylor stopped the bout immediately after Vera took to a knee for the third knockdown.

Jacob Macalolooy (4-0, 3 KOs) of Union City, California remained unbeaten with a second-round stoppage of Terrance Jarmon (3-2, 1 KO) of Toledo, Ohio to open tonight’s card.

Macalolooy, 146.8, dropped Jarmon, 144, late in the first with an overhand left. The southpaw Jarmon fought in survival mode for the remainder of the first and survived to the bell. However it was just a matter of time before Macalolooy ended the bout, dropping Jarmon early in the second, prompting a stoppage from refereeJerry Cantu at the 1:02 mark of round two.

Jurmain McDonald shocked Evan Holyfield by scoring a one-punch second round knockout in their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

In round two, McDonald placed a perfect right to the face that sent Holyfield face down, and the fight was stopped at 1:56.

McDonald, 153.5 lbs of Jefferson City, MO is now 7-5 with three knockouts. Holyfield, 153 lbs of Atlanta, GA is 9-1.

Fernando Vargas Jr. remained undefeated with a first-round stoppage over Terrance Jarmon in a battle of undefeated super welterweights.

In round one, Vargas dropped Jarmon with a straight left. Seconds later, it was another left that sent Jarmon down for a second time. The fight was ended with…you guessed it…another straight left that put Jarmon down for a third and final time and the fight was stopped at 2:25.

Vargas Jr., 151.5 lbs of Las Vegas is 6-0 with six knockouts. Jarmon, 148 lbs of Toledo, OH is 3-1.

Amado Vargas remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Anel Dudo

In round four, Vargas was deducted a point for a low blow.

Vargas landed 77 of 389 punches; Dudo was 39 of 187.

Vargas, 130.5 lbs of Las Vegas, NV won by 39-36 tallies on all cards and is now 4-0. Dudo, 128.5 lbs of Aurora, CO is now 1-4.

LAS VEGAS, NV (July 24, 2021) – Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas, Jr. (4-0, 4 KOs) and brother Amado “El Malvado” Vargas (3-0, 2 KO), the sons of former two-time light middleweight world champion, Fernando Vargas, returned to action last night, Friday July 23, 2021, in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. The card titled, “Campeonata Nacional “Mosca” Cuentas Pendientes”, was presented by GRAND MEX-ENT, in association with the WBC.

Middleweight Fernando Vargas Jr., won his bout against Abel Luna by way of a third-round technical knockout in impressive fashion

“I wanted to put on a show, and give those who were here live as well as those who paid for the PPV a great show,” said Vargas Jr. “This is just the beginning, I know I have a long road ahead of me, but I am very focused and want to achieve my life-long goal of becoming a world champion.”

Featherweight Amado Vargas won his bout against Fernando De La Cruz by way of a first-round KO.

“It is a good feeling to know that all the hard work I put into training camp paid off and that the result I wanted occurred,” said Amado Vargas, after his first-round knockout. “Fighting is the family business, and I am glad to have been on the same card as my brother, as I continue to grow as a fighter, I will take it one step at a time with short-term goals that lead to bigger goals.”

“We’re really excited about the future of both Vargas brothers,” said Jose De La Cruz, who is the co-manager of the Vargas brothers with Egis Klimas. “A lot is asked of them because of their last name, and the expectations that come with it, but each and every time they step up they deliver. The future looks bright for both of them.”

LAS VEGAS, NV (July 21, 2021) – Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas, Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs) and brother Amado “El Malvado” Vargas (2-0, 1 KO), the sons of former two-time light middleweight world champion, Fernando Vargas, will be action this Friday July 23, 2021, in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. The show titled, “Campeonata Nacional “Mosca” Cuentas Pendientes”, a $12.99 PPV event, is presented by GRAND MEX-ENT, in association with the WBC.

Fernando Vargas Jr., age 24, stands 5? 11? and fights out of the southpaw stance. Campaigning at middleweight, Vargas Jr. aspires of becoming a world champion one day. He knows he has a long road ahead but has tremendous confidence in himself.

“I grew up in boxing having been around the numerous gyms my dad took me to as a kid,” said Vargas Jr., who will be facing Able Luna of Mexico. “I didn’t have an extensive amateur career, but I’ve been sparring top pros since I was a teenager. I believe in myself, and I know I have the drive to make it in boxing. I’m going to do everything possible to make my dreams of become a world champion come true. I’m grateful to my dad for always being in my corner and I can’t wait to fight this Friday in Mexico, where the fans are the greatest.”

Amado Vargas, age 21, stands 5? 8?, and fights out of the orthodox stance in the featherweight division. Known for his great footwork, Amado also has dreams and aspirations of become a world champion.

“I made my pro debut earlier this year and I was able to get the knockout, which was an incredible feeling,” stated Amado Vargas, who spares off against Fernando De La Cruz. “There is nothing like growing up in a boxing family with a dad who accomplished some tremendous feats in this sport, like becoming a world champion at age 21. I just want to follow in my dad’s footsteps but make my own path. This Friday I’ll be fighting alongside my brother for the first time as a pro, and it’s going to be fun. Fighting in Mexico is always fun because the fans are so passionate.”

Fernando Vargas Jr. and Amado are both co-managed by famed adviser Egis Klimas, who was voted 2016 Manager of the Year from the Boxing Writers Association of America, for guiding Vasyl Lomachenko and Sergey Kovalev to the pinnacle of the boxing world, and Jose De La Cruz, who is best known for making Jorge Linares a multiple world champion.