Emiliano Vargas is sitting 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 livestream. “You haven’t even fought a guy on the level of Luke Campbell, and you’re talking about fighting me?”
Emiliano has recently spoken about a potential rivalry with Ryan, even drawing comparisons to the history between Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas, his father, despite still building 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 nobody. Your last fight was a fluke,” Ryan said. “You were not beating him like that for them to stop the fight.”
The De La Hoya vs. Vargas comparisons are great for marketing, but Ryan is right to call a time-out on that narrative. Oscar and Fernando were both established world-class threats when they met.
By dismissing Emiliano now, Ryan is forcing the kid to actually take a risk. If Emiliano wants that “KingRy” payday, he’s going to have to stop fighting developmental opponents and take on a top 10 contender.
Ryan is basically telling Emiliano: “I am the prize now.” If Emiliano can go out and flatten a legitimate name, the demand for this fight will skyrocket. Until then, Ryan is content to let him stay in the prospect lane while he hunts for legacy-defining unification bouts.
Read the full article here