By Jim Dower: Jessie Vargas and Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (33-0, 24 KOs) have been ordered by the International Boxing Federation to fight in an IBF welterweight title eliminator with the winner to face IBF 147 lb champion Errol Spence Jr. However, Vargas’ promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing USA/DAZN hasn’t mentioned wanting to have him go after Spence for his IBF title.
Hearn has ideas of having the 29-year-old Vargas (28-2-2, 10 KOs) challenge WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter. Vargas is ranked #3 by the World Boxing Council, and Hearn feels that he should be given a title shot against Porter based on him being the 2nd highest rated contender in the WBC’s top 10. If the WBC orders Vargas to face #3 rated Abdukakhorov in a title eliminator for their organization, then Hearn will likely try and put a deal together to get Vargas a voluntary title shot against Porter. It’s highly unlikely that Hearn will agree to have Vargas fight a tough guy like Abdukakhorov in a title eliminator for the IBF OR WBC.
Why would Hearn let that happen when he’s got deep enough pockets with his Matchroom Boxing/DAZN promotion to lure Porter into fighting Vargas in a voluntary defense. Hearn would likely have little problems letting Vargas fight the 25-year-old Abdukakhorov in a title eliminator with the IBF or WBC if he had the confidence that he could beat him.
Unfortunately, Vargas has shown in his last two fights against Dulorme and Broner that he lacks the talent at 147 to beat fringe level fighters. Dulorme wasn’t even ranked in the top 15 at welterweight, and yet he fought Vargas to a 12 round draw on October 6 on Hearn’s DAZN card at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Vargas vs. Abdukakhorov is a toss-up fight. Both guys are about the same in terms of talent. Vargas has shown in his last two fights that he’s not good enough to beat the likes of Adrien Broner and Thomas Dulorme, both of which fought to a 12 round draw against him. Vargas was lucky get a draw against those two fighters because he could have lost the two fights. The scoring in those two fights were favorable to Vargas with him receiving a lot of rounds that he didn’t deserve.
Abdukakhorov, nicknamed ‘The Punisher,’ is a three-year pro from Uzbekistan. He has good power, but he’s not big for the 147 lb weight class, and his hand speed is nothing special. Abdukakhorov should probably be fighting at 140, because he looks too slender for the welterweight division when you compare him to sturdy fighters like Keith Thurman, Spence, Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia.
If Hearn and Vargas reject the IBF’s decision to order him to fight Abdukakhorov, then the sanctioning body will look at the next highest available contender to face the Uzbekistan fighter. It might be Keita Obara or Rashedi Ellis.
Vargas hasn’t looked good since his loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2016. Vargas isn’t cut out for the 147 lb division, and he needs to think about moving back down to 140. Hearn probably thought he had a good fighter when he inked Vargas recently to his Matchroom Boxing stable, but his last two fights against Broner and Dulorme have shown otherwise.