Rey Vargas: ‘I want to leave my mark as someone who achieved unique things’

Rey Vargas believes that fighters must stand out from the crowd to build their brands.

That might explain why the 32-year-old Mexican will be fighting in a third weight class in his past four fights when he takes on O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC 130-pound title Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio (Showtime).

Vargas (36-0, 22 KOs) wants to push his limits, which he believes will take him to the next level in his career.

“My ideal weight is 126,” Vargas told Boxing Junkie through a translator. “Yes … I had one fight at 122, two at 126 and now 130. Even though that’s unusual it’s my goal to achieve unusual things, to cross frontiers that others don’t dare go past. I want to leave my mark as someone who achieved unique things.

“And who knows? Maybe after 130, I’ll venture to lightweight (135).”

It should be noted that there was a two-year gap between his last fight at 122 and first at 126, in part the result of a broken leg suffered during a training run.

He was naturally bigger when he returned to boxing as he approached his 31^st birthday. And he certainly looked comfortable at the new weight, nearly shutting out capable Leonard Baez in a 10-rounder in November 2021.

That earned him a shot at then-WBC beltholder Mark Magsayo, who had outpointed longtime champion Gary Russell Jr. to win the title in his previous fight.

Vargas relied on his superior skillset and experience to outclass Magsayo, although he suffered a flash knockdown in the ninth round. Two judges had Vargas winning 115-112, eight rounds to four. The third somehow scored a one-sided fight 114-113 for Magsayo.

Nevertheless, Vargas, who won a major title in a second division, made a strong statement.

“It was a really important win for my career,” he said. “Being a two-division champion is something I don’t take for granted. I also have to give credit to Mark Magsayo. He was the type of high-quality opponent to take my career to another level.”

Of course, a victory over Foster (19-2, 11 KOs) would give Vargas a world title in yet another division.

Will he stay at 130 if he wins? Would he really consider going up to 135 to seek a belt in a fourth weight class? Or will he go back down to what he acknowledges is the weight that best suits him, 126?

He’ll make that decision based on how he feels in the fight on Saturday and after discussing options with his team.

“It’s really about seeing what the landscape is like,” he said. “If, God willing, I win the title at 130, I could go down to 126. I could stay at super featherweight. I could go up to lightweight, which to be honest would be too big for me in terms of weight.

“I don’t take anything off the table. It’s about really setting new goals and stacking success upon success.”

Story originally appeared on Boxing Junkie