Pacquiao vs. Algieri Undercard: Preview and Prediction for Vargas vs. DeMarco
Jessie Vargas will make the second defense of his WBA Junior Welterweight Championship on Saturday night, taking on former lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco at the Cotai Arena in Macau, China, on the Pacquiao vs. Algieri undercard.
Vargas is a young, undefeated rising star. He captured the title with a hard-fought decision over previously unbeaten Khabib Allakhverdiev in April and successfully defended the belt in August on HBO.
DeMarco is an exciting former world champion who has probably seen his best days. He’s only 28 years old, but ring wars have left him a bit older than that number might indicate.
Both men are action fighters, and you can expect an exciting contest with a world championship on the line.
This is your complete preview and prediction for Vargas vs. DeMarco!
Tale of the Tape
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| Jessie Vargas | Antonio DeMarco | |
| Record | 25-0, 9 KO | 31-3-1, 23 KO |
| Age | 25 | 28 |
| Height | 5'10" | 5'10" |
| Weight | 140 (last fight) | 146.5 (last fight) |
| Reach | 71" | 71" |
| Stance | Orthodox | Southpaw |
| Hometown | Los Angeles, California | Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Rounds | 156 | 176 |
| Last Fight | UD 12 Anton Novikov (8/2/14) | UD 10 Lanardo Tyner (8/23/14) |
All stats and information per BoxRec.com.
Main Storylines
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Vargas is a fighter on the rise, and he'll be looking to make the most of another opportunity to appear on a Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view undercard. In fact, if he looks impressive, it could be the last time he’s in a support bout and not the main event.
The 25-year-old junior welterweight titlist has been prominently mentioned as a possible future opponent for the Filipino icon should both men take care of business on Saturday night in Macau.
Vargas faces a tremendous amount of pressure to look good against a faded former champion, lest he miss out on his big opportunity.
DeMarco doesn’t ever send you home without knowing that he gave you all he had.
The former lightweight champion is a blood-and-guts warrior. He’s tough but limited, and he’s shown a propensity for the dramatic. When you watch him, you don’t get cheated.
DeMarco has been through a lot of wars for a 28-year-old and hasn’t beaten an opponent of note since being thrashed by Adrien Broner late in 2012. He’s been campaigning at welterweight—against low-level foes—since and will be dropping down for what figures to be one of his last real shots.
Strengths
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Vargas has tremendous athletic ability and innate boxing skill.
He’s a tall, rangy fighter who can use his jab to control the distance of the fight, keeping opponents on the outside and frustrating their attack.
Vargas doesn’t have tremendous power—nine knockouts in 25 fights—but he isn’t afraid to mix it up in the trenches. He puts his punches together well and varies his attack between the head and body.
DeMarco has been through the wars and is battled-tested. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it.
He has a solid jab, which he uses to set up his accurate left hand. That’s his money punch, and his defense isn’t as bad as advertised. He transitions well from defense to attack.
DeMarco can never be counted out of a fight. If you don’t believe me, see his bloody come-from-behind win over Jorge Linares in 2011, but don’t do it on a full stomach.
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Weaknesses
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Vargas really isn’t much of a puncher, but he doesn’t seem to know that.
He mixes it up more than a fighter with his length and boxing ability probably should. That makes him more exciting, yes, but it leaves him vulnerable to guys who can either outmuscle or outpunch him.
DeMarco has been battered and beaten a few more times than should make you comfortable. Adrien Broner blasted him—ditto for the late Edwin Valero—and that makes him older in boxing terms than his age.
He’s vulnerable to fighters who can overwhelm him with pressure. Vargas likes to mix it up inside, and he’s clearly the faster fighter. That caused DeMarco all sorts of issues against Broner, and it could be a factor once again.
Jessie Vargas Will Win If...
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Vargas matches up well physically with DeMarco, but the challenger—based on track record—should be the stronger puncher on fight night.
That makes it incumbent on the champion to fight smart and take full advantage of the stylistic edges he’ll carry into the contest.
He doesn’t need to walk right in, mix it up and get caught.
Vargas has a great left jab, and he’ll be the faster and more accurate fighter by a fair margin. He should start out the fight boxing from the outside, keeping DeMarco on the end of his jab, frustrating him and busting him up.
DeMarco has been known to swell in his fights, and Vargas could inflict a bit of damage before opening up his attack in the middle rounds.
Once he has his man frustrated and hurt, Vargas should use his speed to duck in and out of range, uncorking combinations and overwhelming DeMarco.
Stopping him, unless on cuts, doesn’t seem terribly likely, but Vargas could employ this strategy and win a fairly wide decision.
Antonio DeMarco Will Win If...
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DeMarco isn’t going to outbox Vargas, so he needs to turn this into a fight.
Unlike Broner and Valero, Vargas doesn’t have huge power on his shots, and DeMarco could conceivably force his way onto the inside without having to pay too high a price.
Once he’s there, he needs to attack and hope Vargas’ natural instinct to excite kicks in—even when it’s not the best strategic choice—and convinces him fight.
DeMarco is the more powerful puncher, though most of his knockouts came at lightweight, and they say power is the last thing to go for a fighter.
His best bet is to attack ferociously and test that theory out on Vargas.
And the Winner Will Be...
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There's just too much here that indicates we're dealing with two fighters heading in opposite directions to feel comfortable picking DeMarco to score the upset.
The 28-year-old Mexican is a warrior, and he's almost never given the fans a bad fight. But he's been through a few beatings and hasn't yet shown he's recovered from the Broner loss.
Vargas, on the other hand, is surging, taking his first world title and then winning an exciting fight over the little known but talented Anton Novikov in his first defense.
Add the motivation of a Pacquiao fight sitting on the table, and you have a young, hungry fighter with the opportunity of a lifetime on the line.
Vargas will be smart and patient, outboxing DeMarco early, frustrating him and busting him up a bit late for a clear unanimous-decision victory.
Prediction: Vargas UD 12 DeMarco (117-111)
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