The fight between Jessie Vargas and Wale Omotoso was not only about each fighter keeping their undefeated record, but also about gaining a larger fan base. Coming into the fight neither fighter had shown enough entertainment value to draw in a larger fanbase. Omotoso was known as a powerful puncher but very raw, and Vargas was known as a slick boxer who didn't like to trade punches.
In fact Vargas is very similar to Oscar De La Hoya, a Mexican-American fighter who doesn't draw much interest from Mexican fans or Mexican-American fans. That is mainly because that fanbase loves ring warriors, fighters who trade heavy handed, high volume punches, and regularly paint the ring red with their own blood. But Vargas is too skilled to take that kind of punishment. But that doesn't mean he doesn't listen to what the fans want, especially since the fans are what will make you or break you.
So against the heavier handed Omotoso, Vargas came out throwing power punches. He planted his feet and looked to trade heavy shots with Omotoso in order to make a fan friendly, exciting fight. Unfortunatelty for Vargas that plan wasn't perfect, he was dropped in the 2nd round form a body shot. After that scare he went back to jabbing and moving in and out. He boxed well and controlled most of the fight He won the unanimous decision, although the scores were a little wide in his favor.
Omotoso who isn't the most skilled boxer needed to take the fight inside if he wanted to win. Early on it seemed as if that would happen, but once Omotoso buzzed Vargas with that body shot, Vargas wised up. The man who discovered Omotoso was also credited with finding Manny Pacquiao and Sergio Martinez and has said that Omotoso is the best fighter he has discovered. And a few years back he was viewed as the best prospect in boxing, but since then his progress has stalled and he hasn't progressed as much as he might have.
Both fighters seem to have bright futures, bust each has aspects of their game they need to work on. Omotoso needs to tighten his boxing skills and not throw as many wide looping punches. And Vargas needs to continue to show a willingness to trade power punches on the inside, and take some punishment to give the fans a good show. But next time either fighter is on TV fans should tune in, something exciting is bound to happen.
In fact Vargas is very similar to Oscar De La Hoya, a Mexican-American fighter who doesn't draw much interest from Mexican fans or Mexican-American fans. That is mainly because that fanbase loves ring warriors, fighters who trade heavy handed, high volume punches, and regularly paint the ring red with their own blood. But Vargas is too skilled to take that kind of punishment. But that doesn't mean he doesn't listen to what the fans want, especially since the fans are what will make you or break you.
So against the heavier handed Omotoso, Vargas came out throwing power punches. He planted his feet and looked to trade heavy shots with Omotoso in order to make a fan friendly, exciting fight. Unfortunatelty for Vargas that plan wasn't perfect, he was dropped in the 2nd round form a body shot. After that scare he went back to jabbing and moving in and out. He boxed well and controlled most of the fight He won the unanimous decision, although the scores were a little wide in his favor.
Omotoso who isn't the most skilled boxer needed to take the fight inside if he wanted to win. Early on it seemed as if that would happen, but once Omotoso buzzed Vargas with that body shot, Vargas wised up. The man who discovered Omotoso was also credited with finding Manny Pacquiao and Sergio Martinez and has said that Omotoso is the best fighter he has discovered. And a few years back he was viewed as the best prospect in boxing, but since then his progress has stalled and he hasn't progressed as much as he might have.
Both fighters seem to have bright futures, bust each has aspects of their game they need to work on. Omotoso needs to tighten his boxing skills and not throw as many wide looping punches. And Vargas needs to continue to show a willingness to trade power punches on the inside, and take some punishment to give the fans a good show. But next time either fighter is on TV fans should tune in, something exciting is bound to happen.
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