McDonnell V Vargas WBC Super-Bantamweight Title
Matchroom Boxing Promotions
25th February 2017
Hull Arena
Hull, England
TV
UK – Sky Sports
US – Not Shown
Gavin McDonnell 16 (4 KO’s)-0-2 V Rey ‘King’ Vargas 28 (22 KO’s)-0-0
WBC World Super Bantamweight Title Fight (Vacant)
Gavin McDonnell faces his toughest test to date on the 25th February and if he is to become the WBC champion he will have to show that he is at the world level like his twin brother Jamie (WBA ‘Regular’ Bantamweight Champion) has shown. Praise has to be given to McDonnell’s team and promoters as he has taken the right path and progressed his career the way any young fighter should be thinking off doing it, on his way to this Title shot he fought and won for the following belts, British Central Area, British, WBO Inter-Continental, European, & the WBC Silver. He is currently ranked #2 by the WBC.
Although McDonnell does not have a reputation of knocking people out he has a work ethic than many fighters can’t match and his overall fitness level is impressive and he has won nearly all of his contest comfortably but I have a feeling it will be his chin that is tested the most in this bout. If McDonnell is victorious he will make British history by being half of the first twins ever to hold World Title belts at the same time.
Rey Vargas is currently ranked #1 by the WBC and he is your typically Mexican on paper, granite chin and with twenty two knockouts from twenty eight contests it suggests he can dig as well, but there some question marks over the opponents he has faced but as they are unknown and he is relatively unknown are these question marks justified?
He has only fought twice outside of Mexico so it is hard to know what level he is really at so this makes him a dangerous fighter as there is a lot unknown about him, but as most Mexicans are tough I am sure he will be a stiff test for McDonnell and the fact he is ranked so high by the WBC and he seems to ooze confidence would suggest he is a quality fighter.
In the lead up to this fight Vargas wasn’t happy that the fight was in Britain and he fears that McDonnell could get hometown bias so he has outlaid his plan to beat the Englishman.
Vargas said:
“It is a risk going to England, but I’m not scared, I’ll know I will get booed when I go into the ring but I know when I win and step out of the ring they will applaud me. I am going to win this fight, the idea is to go for the knockout otherwise they could rob you, I’d be very proud to take the WBC belt home”.
Other fighters appearing on the card are as follows:
Luke Campbell 15 (12 KO’s)-1-0 V Jairo Lopez ‘Doberman’ 21 (14 KO’s)-6-0
WBC Silver Lightweight Championship Fight
Tommy Coyle ‘Boom Boom’ 22 (10 KO’s)-4-0 V Kofi Yates ‘Casper’ 14 (1 KO)-2-0
Super Lightweight Fight
Ryan Burnett 15 (9 KO’s)-0-0 V Joseafat Reyes 6 (1 KO)-7-1
Bantamweight Fight
David Allen 9 (6 KO’s)-2-1 V Lucasz Recowieciz
Heavyweight Fight
Jacob Wooley 8 (6 KO’s)-0-0 V Jordan Ellison 6 (1 KO)-9-0
Super Featherweight Fight
Dec Spelman ‘Kid Nytro’ 10 (6 KO’s)-0-0 V Nathan King 14 (1 KO)-27-0
Light Heavyweight Fight
Conor Seymour 7-0-2 V William Warburton 22 (3 KO’s)-106-9
Super Welterweight Fight
Carl Chadwick ‘Chad’ 4 (1 KO)-1-0 V James Carney ‘Bam Bam’ 4 (3 KO’s)-1-2
Lightweight Fight