LAS VEGAS – Fernando Vargas’ youngest son sent what he believes is another message Saturday night to those that wonder whether he is an overhyped prospect.
Vargas viciously knocked out veteran Giovannie Gonzalez with a left hook in the second round of an eight-round junior welterweight bout on the Mikaela Mayer-Sandy Ryan undercard at Fontainebleau’s BleuLive Theater. The 20-year-old Vargas rocked Gonzalez with a right uppercut several seconds before his left hook knocked Gonzalez flat on his back.
A stunned Gonzalez spit out his mouthpiece, but he managed to beat referee Robert Hoyle’s count. Gonzalez stumbled once he reached his feet, which caused Hoyle to stop their bout.
Las Vegas’ Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) has won four straight bouts by knockout. The 35-year-old Gonzalez (20-8-2, 15 KOs), of Stockton, California, lost by knockout for the fourth time in eight years as a pro.
Vargas, who is promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc., is one of Fernando Vargas’ three boxing sons. Vargas, a former junior middleweight champion, trains his sons.
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.