KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The boxing gym is Antonio Vargas’ second home.
“I’ve been doing this since I was 9,” he said. “Man, so this is kind of like all I know, and it’s a happy place for me.”
The Kissimmee native is preparing for the 22nd fight of his pro-career against Daigo Higa in Japan on July 30.
But, this fight is for a belt.
Last month, he was named World Boxing Association bantamweight champion of the world.
“It feels good, I wanted to fight for it,” Vargas said. “So, I don’t really feel like I got the belt because the champion I was supposed to fight, he got hurt.”
It has been a 180-degree flip for his life and boxing career.
Six years ago, Vargas was questioning everything after a bout against Jose Maria Cardenas.
“The first time I got knocked out, it was definitely an experience, man,” he said. “Something that — because as a fighter, that’s the last thing you want to happen here, is for you to get knocked out.”
He came back with a vengeance, winning his next two fights.
But, his love for the sport was waning.
“I didn’t fight for like two years,” said Vargas. “Man, it did mental damage to me. Kind of discouraged my confidence. I was working at his warehouse job and I’ll never forget. I’m like, ‘Man, if I got to do this nine-to-five stuff for the rest of my life, I’m not going to be happy.’”
Vargas put the gloves back and began fighting again — not for himself this time, but for his two kids.
“I want to leave a legacy for my children, that when they see me, they’re like, ‘Hey, man, that’s, that’s my father right there,'” said Vargas. “He lost, but he got back up and he was able to become somebody great again.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
