Emiliano Vargas sits at 17-0 with some solid recent KOs, like his TKO of Agustin Quintana in February, but he’s still fighting for regional belts like the WBO Latino title.
“Emiliano Vargas, he’s not ready to fight me yet, and he hasn’t fought anybody,” Garcia said during a live stream. “You haven’t even fought a guy on the level of Luke Campbell, and you’re talking about fighting me?”
Emiliano recently spoke about a potential rivalry with Ryan, even drawing comparisons to the history between Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas, his father, even as he continues to build his record against lower-level opposition.
Ryan rejected that comparison outright, viewing Emiliano as a prospect still fighting his way up rather than someone positioned for a fight at that level.
“You haven’t fought anyone yet. Your last fight was a fluke,” Ryan said. “You didn’t hit him like that so they could stop the fight.”
The De La Hoya vs. Vargas comparisons are great for marketing, but Ryan is right to call a timeout on that narrative. Oscar and Fernando were both established world class threats when they met.
By firing Emiliano now, Ryan is forcing the kid to take a real risk. If Emiliano wants that “KingRy” payday, he’ll have to stop fighting anti-development rivals and take on a top 10 contender.
Ryan basically tells Emiliano, “I’m the prize now.” If Emiliano can go out and land a legitimate name, the demand for this fight will skyrocket. Until then, Ryan is content to let him stay in the prospect lane as he looks for legacy-defining unification fights.
