Fernando Vargas Jr., like his father Fernando Vargas Sr., has a flair for the dramatic.
On Friday night at Southwest University Park, Vargas Jr. knocked down Jose Carlos Cardones twice in the first round, stopping him at 2 minutes, 49 seconds into the first round when Cardones' corner threw in the towel.
Vargas Sr. is coaching his son and the Vargas family is 2-0 with two knockouts in El Paso.
On May 5, 2001, at the Don Haskins Center, Vargas Sr. defeated Wilfredo Rivera by sixth-round stoppage.
Vargas Jr., who like his father competes at 154 pounds, first dropped Cardones with a right hook and then finished him off with a combination of punches. He is now 15-0 with 14 knockouts.
He then turned the ring over to the fans, who asked for photos and autographs with his former world champion father.
Nathan Rodriguez wins
Featherweight Nathan Rodriguez improved to 15-0 with 10 knockouts with a fourth-round TKO victory over Jose Saento. Saento's corner stopped the bout after the fourth round due to injury.
Rodriguez used his height and reach to his advantage in a hard-fought battle that lasted three rounds.
“I felt like I was strong. It was a tough match,” Rodriguez said. “I felt like I hurt him a couple of times, but it was a learning experience that I can use going forward.”
Promoters happy with event
Nathan's father, Marvin Rodriguez, promoted the bout under his MarvNation banner, who also promotes Vargas Jr.
“We try to get our guys to play the best game possible and I think Nathan and Fernando showed what they're capable of,” Marvin Rodriguez said. “We want to keep the competition going and we look forward to big things in the future. We had a good crowd in El Paso.”
Attendance figures were not released, but the crowd was particularly lively during Vargas Jr.'s bout.
“I would love to come back to El Paso,” Marvin Rodriguez said, “I've had a good reception here.”
Abel Mendoza remains unbeaten
Unbeaten lightweight Abel Mendoza of El Paso improved to 41-0 with a six-round decision victory over Germán Melas. Mendoza won by scores of 59-55, 59-55 and 60-54.
Mendoza started slowly but picked up the pace in the final three rounds to outfox Meraz.
“I wanted to get the knockout,” Mendoza said. “I felt better in the later rounds. I'm 41-0 and I'm just looking to keep working my way up to the title.”
Cruiserweight Barry is 4-0
The El Paso resident improved to 4-0 with a fourth-round knockout of Idris Wasi. All four of Barry's fights have been won by knockout.
“He was a tough fighter and he knew how to survive,” Barry said. “It was a good win and a learning experience.”
Barry is scheduled to fight again on Saturday, July 27th at the El Paso County Coliseum.
Other battles
- Santos Ortega improved to 8-0 with a victory over Roman Garcia in a six-round super bantamweight bout by scores of 60-54, 59-55, 59-55.
- ST Pipers won by knockout in the first round against Ramon Stewart and then knocked him down two more times before the bout was stopped.
- Jaime Cuesta displayed his superior boxing skills in a dominant four-round bout against Carlos Padilla, winning 40-36 on all three scorecards.
Read more: Boxing NewsNathan Rodriguez, a 19-year-old professional boxer, enters Friday's bout in El Paso with a perfect record.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com or @Fchavezeptimes on X.
