KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The boxing health club is Antonio Vargas’ second residence.
“I have been doing this since I used to be 9,” he mentioned. “Man, so that is form of like all I do know, and it is a joyful place for me.”
The Kissimmee native is making ready for the twenty second combat of his pro-career towards Daigo Higa in Japan on July 30.
However, this combat is for a belt.
Final month, he was named World Boxing Affiliation bantamweight champion of the world.
“It feels good, I wished to combat for it,” Vargas mentioned. “So, I don’t actually really feel like I received the belt as a result of the champion I used to be presupposed to combat, he received damage.”
It has been a 180-degree flip for his life and boxing profession.
Six years in the past, Vargas was questioning every part after a bout towards Jose Maria Cardenas.
“The primary time I received knocked out, it was undoubtedly an expertise, man,” he mentioned. “One thing that — as a result of as a fighter, that is the very last thing you wish to occur right here, is so that you can get knocked out.”
He got here again with a vengeance, successful his subsequent two fights.
However, his love for the game was waning.
“I did not combat for like two years,” mentioned Vargas. “Man, it did psychological injury to me. Type of discouraged my confidence. I used to be working at his warehouse job and I will always remember. I am like, ‘Man, if I received to do that nine-to-five stuff for the remainder of my life, I am not going to be joyful.’”
Vargas put the gloves again and started preventing once more — not for himself this time, however for his two youngsters.
“I wish to depart a legacy for my youngsters, that after they see me, they’re like, ‘Hey, man, that is, that is my father proper there,'” mentioned Vargas. “He misplaced, however he received again up and he was capable of develop into any individual nice once more.”
