Fighting in Las Vegas - the modern-day mecca for professional boxing - will have to wait for Toledo's Devin Vargas.
The 2004 United States Olympic heavyweight hyperextended his elbow earlier this week during a training session in Chicago. He was preparing for a scheduled Showtime ShoBox undercard bout with Chris Arreola (17-0, 15-0 KOs) next Friday at The Palms.
The injury forced Vargas to drop out of the fight. The 25-year-old was returning to Toledo yesterday afternoon to meet with a doctor concerning the injury.
"It's nothing serious," said Vargas, sounding optimistic by telephone prior to having the injury examined.
Nevertheless, the Toledo native, who is 11-0 overall with six knockouts since turning pro after the 2004 Olympic Games, will miss out on fighting for the first time in Las Vegas as a professional. Vargas, who has been anticipating his first fight in 2007, last fought in November and totaled only three fights in 2006.
Vargas, who had trimmed down from 240 pounds to 211 over the past three months, had been waiting for an opportunity like the one that presented itself in recent weeks to take on Arreola in a bout pitting two unranked up-and-comers in the heavyweight division. The matchup was also intriguing for the Glass City fighter since Arreola defeated Vargas' older brother, Dallas, in a National Golden Gloves 178-pound championship fight in 2001.Vargas recently signed with Chicago-based boxing adviser Mike Joyce to manage his career after his father, Ray, gave up managerial responsibilities. Vargas has spent some time over the past few months training in a Chicago gym. He also eliminated fast foods from his daily diet to help him return to the weight he fought at as an amateur.
The main event for the Showtime production features heavyweights Eddie Chambers and Dominick "The Southern Disaster" Guinn.
Contact Donald Emmons at:
demmons@theblade.com
or 419-724-6302.
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