Vargas earns workmanlike win

The 23-year-old Palo Verde High School graduate was partially successful Thursday at the Hard Rock Hotel, staying undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Aron Martinez in front of a national TV audience on ESPN. But it wasn’t the spectacular performance he had been seeking.

“I was looking to knock him out, but he’s a tough fighter,” Vargas said. “He’s a tough guy. I hit him with a lot of good shots to the body and the head, but he didn’t go down.”

It was Vargas’ debut for Top Rank and his first time fighting for manager Cameron Dunkin. He admitted there was some pressure to look spectacular. And while Vargas (20-0) didn’t measure up in that regard, he still dominated as indicated by the judges’ scorecards. Dick Houck had Vargas winning 99-91, Robert Hoyle had it 98-92, and CJ Ross scored it 96-94.

“I was worried all the time off might have him starting slow,” Dunkin said of Vargas, who last fought on May 5, when he defeated Steve Forbes at the MGM Grand Garden. “We need to keep Jessie busy.”

Vargas said it was hard to find a rhythm against Martinez (18-2-1). But once he established his jab early in the third round, things began to fall into place. He also landed some solid body shots off the jab, and when he kept the fight in the middle of the ring and outboxed Martinez, Vargas did indeed look impressive.

“I was trying to get my timing with the jab, and it took awhile because I expected him to move backward more and I had to adjust,” Vargas said. “But I could feel myself getting sharper as the fight went on. By the end, I felt really good.”

Vargas closed well, putting on a clinic in the 10th round. He did everything trainer Robert Alcazar had implored him to do early in the fight, and perhaps Vargas can carry the momentum from the final round into his next fight, which Dunkin hopes will be in November.

“That last round was beautiful, perfect,” Alcazar said. “We have some things to build on from this fight.”

Dunkin said, in one respect, Thursday’s performance was just what Vargas needed.

“He’s got some things he needs to work on, and three or four more fights like this and he’ll be ready to make a run at a title,” Dunkin said.

Vargas agreed.

“It wasn’t my best effort, but the important thing was to get the win,” he said. “I felt better with myself as the fight went on, and I know the things I need to work on. We’ll build on this win and move forward.”

In the co-feature, super featherweight Jose Felix Jr. survived a second-round knockdown and won a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Cruz. Also, Las Vegas lightweight Jesus Gutierrez (6-0) claimed a six-round unanimous decision over Joaquin Chavez.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.