Colombian-born boxer Samuel Vargas has found a home in Mississauga, Ontario, where he packed the house last Saturday night and captured the Canadian welterweight title, knocking out dangerous Manolis Plaitis at Hershey Centre.
Vargas-Plaitis headlined a stellar card presented by United Promotions in association with Hennessy Sports.
Vargas (9-0-1, 3 KOs), who was a refugee before moving to Mississauga, is starting to make noise in boxing circles. Coming off of the 2011 Canadian Fight of the Year, in which he battled last October at home with Quebec arch-rival Ahmad Cheikho, Samuel put Cheikho’s Quebec-based stable-mate Plaitis (17-2-1, 8 KOs), to sleep at 2:49 of the opening round in an early Knockout of the Year candidate.
In his last two fights, Vargas has shown surprising power, stopping former Canadian light welterweight champion Plaitis and Cheikho in consecutive fights, after Samuel went the full distance in seven straight fights after his 2010 pro debut. Vargas’ last two victories have also given his Ontario ‘team” a decisive advantage over Quebec in the providences’ ongoing rivalry.
Where has his power come from? “I just keep learning every fight,” the soft-spoken fighter explained. “I didn’t have a long amateur career and I’ve learned how to throw a good punch. All of my improvements and added power are thanks to my trainer, Billy Martin.
“Because of where I came from, through all of the struggles, this fight meant much more to me than winning my first title belt. This country means so much to me. I can’t put into words what winning this Canadian belt really means to me. This was a great accomplishment because of the long road I’ve taken. There were a lot of people there cheering my name. It was exciting.
“You know, I love Montreal. Four of my first five pro fights were there. The people are very nice, but, right now I don’t think they like me too. Hey, that’s boxing.”
“Samuel Vargas is a legitimate rising star in boxing, not just in Canada,” his promoter Adam Harris (Hennessy Sports) commented. “Fans just love watching him fight. Why not? In his last two fights, he’s turned in the 2011 Canadian Fight of the Year and possible 2012 Knockout of the Year. Samuel is our ace in the hole against Quebec fighters.”
Popular Ajax (Ontario) middleweight and another fan favorite, Brandon “Bad Boy” Cook (5-0, 2 KOs), won a bloody unanimous six-round decision (60-54, 59-55, 58-56) in an entertaining co-feature against upset specialist Chris Aucoin (4-6-1). Both fighters left considerable blood on the mat and kept fans screaming throughout the bout. Cook is co-promoted by Hennessy Sports and Buxton promotions.
