Emiliano Vargas may only be 14 fights into his professional boxing career, but he is no stranger to excellence inside the ring. Not only does he boast his own unblemished professional record, but Vargas was raised by his mother, Martha, and his father, Fernando, who was a two-time world champion. While he was born after his father won his first world title, Emiliano Vargas grew up learning from a father and trainer who had firsthand experience sharing the ring with Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Félix Trinidad. However, more recently, Emiliano had the opportunity to spend time with a great, his father did not step into the squared circle with — Manny Pacquiao.
Before Manny Pacquiao fought Mario Barrios to a majority draw in a battle for the WBC Welterweight Championship, Vargas was spotted, alongside his brothers, getting road work in with the International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee. Before entering the ring on Saturday for a showdown with Alexander Espinoza, Top Rank’s Crystina Poncher asked Vargas about his experience working with the former world champion.
“He’s a legend,” Vargas said. “It gave me so [many] emotions…just seeing him train. If he ran, everybody ran. If he stopped, everybody stopped. [There were] 150 people who were waiting for him to give them his autograph or sign photos. For me, I love to be around that. At the end of the day, you want to be around who you want to be. I want to be great just like him and just like my father.”
Vargas will have an opportunity to prove himself to be a great, young fighter yet against on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. He’s set for an eight-round battle with Alexander Espinoza.
