Rey Vargas defends title with an easy win over Franklin Manzanilla
On the undercard of Alberto Machado – Andrew Cancio, Rey Vargas successfully defended the WBC super bantamweight title for the fourth time with a unanimous decision win (117-111 on all three scorecards) over #3 ranked contender Franklin Manzanilla.
Extremely tall for the division, the 5’11” Rey Vargas’ best attribute is the ability to use his height and reach to outbox his foe. However, in round two, Manzanilla scored a knock down with a counter left-hook. Vargas got up and survived the round.
Outside that brief scare, Vargas controlled the action by maintaining distance and outboxing Manzanilla. Though aggressive throughout, Manzanilla couldn’t come up with enough effective punches to further bother the champion.
The Breakdown
Coming into this bout, Vargas expressed concerned about the what he felt was the dirty and rough-house tactics of Manzanilla. Starting in the seventh, the challenger bored in, wading with wild shots and fighting rough.
An accidental head butt resulted in a cut over Vargas’ left eye in the seventh, as well as a cut over and under his right hand in round eight. Manzanilla also began to also hit on the break, frustrating his opponent. Manzanilla had a point taken away from in rounds seven and eight as a result of his antics.
The champ composed himself in round ten and cruised to victory reestablishing the jab and distance. He controlled the action, outside of being knocked down in the second round. Because of the cuts suffered, he will be out of actions for some time.
Afterwards, however, he wants to unify the Super-Bantamweight division. A possible opponent next for Vargas could be WBC Interim Super-Bantamweight champion Tomoki Kameda, who was at ringside; probably there to do some scouting.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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