“Teo’s an amazing fighter,” Vargas told a group of reporters. “I respect him a lot, but if he’s gonna stay at 140 pounds that’s on him. I have a great relationship with him. It’s just business at the end of the day. He’s a great fighter.”
“ I’m the new era of boxing,” Vargas said. “All my favorite fighters are 30, 36, 28, 30. So, there’s a lotta new stars that are coming up, and I’m definitely one of them. However the cards may fall, they fall. And it’s my job just to sign the contracts and fight the fights.”
Defeating Lomachenko added The Ring, WBA, WBC franchise and WBO 135-pound championships to Lopez’s IBF belt. He became a two-weight champion when he outboxed former undisputed junior welterweight champ Josh Taylor to win The Ring and WBO belts in June 2023.
“I respect Teo 120 percent,” Vargas said. “I don’t want a clip to come up and you guys turn it around [and say] I’m trashing Teo. I got nothing but love and respect for Teo. And however the deck falls, it falls. But I’m the new era of boxing, and a lotta other fighters are.
“And I believe — and this isn’t anything cocky — every fighter who’s became world champion said the same thing. I believe it wholeheartedly. … It’s definitely gonna happen.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing
