by Cliff Rold

Being a warrior takes a toll.

It doesn’t matter how endearing it is. If there is a fan in the last couple years that doesn’t count Francisco Vargas amongst their favorite fighters to watch, they might not be watching the right sport. He’s everything that makes boxing special.

He’s not the fastest guy. His defense is a liability.

He never disappoints. Vargas uses everything he has available to him to give the fans every single cent of their money’s worth with heart, class, and fire. On Saturday, he found himself in one war too many. It was bound to happen.

But take no credit from the victor; it took a gutsy, hungry young talent to force Vargas to his first loss. 

Let’s go the report card.

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Vargas B; Berchelt B/Post: B-; B

Pre-Fight: Power – Vargas B+; Berchelt B+/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Defense – Vargas C+; Berchelt C+/Post: D+; C+

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Vargas A; Berchelt B/Post: A; A

Understanding how Miguel Berchelt won on Saturday comes down to three simple words: he couldn’t miss. In a fight where they passed the thousand-combined punches thrown mark with several rounds still to go, Berchelt just landed too many. His right hand was a steady presence on the face of Vargas and it showed by the end of the night.

Both eyes were cut, the left grossly so. Both eyes were swollen, his right barely a slit. Yet, through at least nine rounds, almost all of which he lost, it never felt like Vargas was out of it. He has a fantastic ability to find gas between rounds.

There was a pattern for much of the night. Berchelt would batter Vargas as rounds wore on, sending Vargas to the corner looking like he was on the verge. Vargas would come out for the next round and start putting it on the younger man, landing hard until the gas tank started to empty again. It was the attribute that allowed for the miracle turn around against Takashi Miura. It was there in the Salido war.

The sands ran out of the glass this time.

Berchelt’s youth and lack of miles helped. There were moments where he looked like he might gas himself in the middle rounds but he wasn’t taking as much punishment and had the steadiness to chip away until it went his way. By the end, he’d drained everything the older man had and was pouring it on.

That’s the way sports go. Eventually, the next generation arrives to take their place. Berchelt has bounced back from an early loss to prove a new force in a thrilling field at 130 lbs. No, he doesn’t look like a threat to Vasyl Lomachenko. He does look like he can make more war with the likes of Miura (who was impressive in his own savage affair against Miguel Roman on the night) and Salido.

Vargas will rest, heal, and hopefully get work on the scarring around his eyes. Perhaps he has one more memorable affair for us. If not, his short presence in the title scene produced two Ring Magazine Fights of the Year and that’s more legacy than most who bandy the word around can say for themselves.

He gave us another battle last Saturday night.

Report Card and Staff Picks 2017: 1-3

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com