Emiliano Vargas Calls Out Keyshawn Davis: “I’ll Beat Him When The Time Is Right,” Fueling Top Rank Rivalry

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20-year-old light welterweight prospect Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) told the media last night that he’ll “beat” Keyshawn Davis when the “time is right” following his second round knockout victory over Giovannie Gonzalez (20-8-2, 15 KOs) in their undercard fight at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Las Vegas.

A Shrinking Window

If the Vargas-Keyshawn fight doesn’t happen soon, it might be too late because Keyshawn already looks like a full-blown middleweight after he rehydrates for his fights. He looked like pure death making weight for his last fight against WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk on February 14th. I’ve never seen a fighter that drained-looking before. He looked skeletal at the weigh-in.

With Keyshawn being in that condition, his days at 135 are numbered. Emiliano may need to follow Keyshawn up to 154 or 160 for them to fight, and it’s questionable whether he has the frame to go that high. He’s not a weight bully at 140.

Recently, Keyshawn seemed resentful about the praise Emiliano Vargas has been getting from fans and the huge applause he’s received during his fights.

Davis said this in the remark about the young Vargas: “I will beat all of their [backsides] on the same night. Tell them to set it up.”

Both fighters are with Top Rank, but Emiliano seems to be getting more attention from fans than Keyshawn because of his ability to slice through his opposition, score one-punch knockouts, and obviously have a famous father.

The son of former 154-lb champion Fernando Vargas, Emilano lit up the crowd with his one-punch knockout over Gonzalez. That shot would have stopped anyone, including the massive lightweight Keyshawn, who should arguably be competing at 140 due to his size.

Vargas showed off his power, knocking out Gonzalez with a left hook to the head in the second round. The shot put Gonzalez flat on his back, forcing an immediate stoppage by referee Robert Hoyle at 2:06 of the round. There was no way that the fight could have continued with Giovannie being put down like that.

A Star Outshined?

“They took the most controversial part of that interview. I gave him his flowers. He’s a champion, right?” said Emiliano Vargas to the media last Saturday night, talking about Keyshawn Davis. “I’m not a s*** talker. I just say how it is, but if you want to criticize me, I’m going to criticize you.”

Emiliano is missing the point. The underlying reason for Keyshawn going after him with his bitter-sounding comments likely has nothing to do with the “controversial part” of his interview. Davis doesn’t seem happy that Emiliano is the new kid on the block, only 20, and is already getting more love from fans than he is.

Keyshawn views himself as the young gun at 26, but Top Rank has a new star that is rising past, and he hasn’t even won a world title. Popularity has nothing to do with holding world titles in this modern era of the sport. Belts are passe now. Now, it’s about Hollywood stardom and having that ‘It’ factor.

“I think he’s a great fighter. I think I beat him when the time is right. I’m only 20 years old,” Vargas said about Keyshawn. “All these other champions, all these other fighters, they’re 27, 28, 30. So, I’m doing a phenomenal job. I’m not looking at anybody else’s race or career, because I know I have something special. People want to see me fight.

“It was sold out tonight. They [Top Rank] put me early. I’m not fighting for a world title. I’m not a champion yet. I’ll be fighting later on live ESPN when the time comes. I just know that I’m not there yet. I’m definitely a superstar in the making.”

“I’m going to let the experts do their job, that’s Top Rank. They know how to bring them slowly,” said Emilano’s dad, Fernando Vargas, when asked who does he want his son to fight. “People criticize you whether you’re going too slow or too fast [with his career]. I was criticized for going to fast. I don’t want them to criticize him for that. We’re going to let Top Rank do what they do, and we’re going to continue to get better.