Little-known Samuel Vargas will be out to jettison one of the biggest fights of 2017 when he meets Danny Garcia in a 10-round welterweight fight this weekend.
The action will be broadcast live from the US on SuperSport 6 starting at 4am on Sunday.
Garcia, the WBC champion, has already signed to fight undefeated WBA champion Keith Thurman in March, so a loss at this stage would be catastrophic.
The American, though, is a heavy favourite against the Canada-based Colombian who is threatening an upset, but doesn’t appear to have the arsenal to trouble the slick champion.
Garcia has outlasted many big names, among them Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse and Erik Morales, and has a fan-friendly style that is very effective. The only thing that may trouble him is the pressure that comes with being favourite, but also this being his homecoming fight in his home state. He is even co-promoting the event.
Vargas fancies his chances: “I’ve been an underdog my whole life. I just keep persisting, keep my will and keep working hard. If you work hard and you have faith and you believe, things will eventually happen. We’re ready for a tough fight. We know who Danny is. Two-division world champion. He hits hard, but we’re ready for all of that. We’re going to be there to take the win.”
Garcia is smart enough to know that there are big risks attached to fighting a contender determined to gatecrash his party. Better still, he’s good enough to dispense with him in a manner befitting one of the best welterweights in the world.
