Despite accepting a fight against Adrien Broner on somewhat of a short notice, two-time world champion Jessie Vargas said he’ll be ready to come out victorious in what he thinks will be a favorable and entertaining matchup for him.
Vargas spoke to Fightful ahead of his bout against Broner, which is set to headline the April 21 Showtime-televised card from the Barclays Center. Vargas accepted the fight after Omar Figueroa Jr., Broner’s original opponent, suffered a shoulder injury. With a new team and some momentum after his latest win back in December, Vargas is confident of his upcoming fight.
When it comes to this particular matchup, Vargas has noticed a few key elements in Broner’s style that he believes will favor Vargas. Vargas credits Broner for being a tough, versatile fighter, but Vargas also credits his team, which includes the likes of Stitch Duran and Mike McCallum, in giving what he believes is the best training camp of his professional career.
“[I see] several things in his style [that would benefit me.] He has a different style. He comes out and try to outbox his opponent and keep his distance or he can also put the pressure on and attack strong, explosive punches. He can also take a punch. The thing is, he takes a lot more punches than I do. What I mean by that is that he’s willing to take a punch to know exactly where I’m at and what I’m doing. I see the ring rather differently than he does. Having that ring generalship and having control is something different between us. I can call him out and everything, but come fight night, that’s the live shot. We can plan for something, but come April 21, it’s a live moment and you have to be ready for whatever comes to you. That’s the thing. Any fighter that is preparing for an opponent has to be ready for a wild card and anything can happen. That’s what I’m preparing for. He can come in and outbox me or he can try and pressure me. He’s going to find difficulty in any style that he comes out with [against me] and I feel like I’m the better fighter,” Vargas said.
One thing that Broner certainly is known for is his trash talk in the buildup to many of his biggest fights. Some fans may like it and some may be against it, believing that it may take away from the fights. Vargas said trash talking may not be his thing, it could be effective in bringing some added attention to fights. Regardless, Vargas said it will not bother him or his mentality heading into the fight.
“Not really. It might make more attentions for the fans, whether they like it or hate it. It does gain attention for the fight. That’s his style, that’s the way that he is. I was brought up a little different, I’m a little quieter than he is. It doesn’t matter what he’s going to try and do. He can talk as much trash as he wants outside the ring. They pay me to fight inside the ring and come out with the victory and that’s exactly what I plan to do. I do my work inside the ring and he can talk before or after the fight. That’s not going to throw me off my gameplan. I’m sure he’s going to prepare in the best way possible and I’m glad that he’s focused and the fight can be entertaining and the fans can love it,” Vargas said.
Broner vs. Vargas will cap off a Showtime tripleheader that will include two title fights: Gervonta Davis vs. Jesus Cuellar for the WBA super featherweight title and Jermall Charlo vs. Hugo Centeno Jr. for the interim WBC middleweight title. Fightful will have live coverage of the event from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
