Antonio Vargas vs Jonathan Rodriguez Preview February 24th, 2024
Jonathan Rodriguez of Puerto Rico takes on Antonio Vargas of Houston, Texas in a WBA Bantamweight eliminator this Saturday, February 24th. The 12-rounder from Orlando, Florida can be seen live in most nations in DAZN. Rodriguez last fought in November when he stopped former world champion Khalid Yafai in just 137 seconds for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Bantamweight Belt. Vargas was last in the ring in October when he beat Hernan Marquez by a 10-round unanimous decision.
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Vargas vs Rodriguez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jonathan Rodriguez +125
- Antonio Vargas -155
My Pick
Rodriguez is just 25 years old and fights put of the USA. He climbs through the ropes with a mark of 17-1-1 with 7 Ko’s and has 76 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2018 following his amateur career. He measures 5-feet-54-inches tall, but unfortunately there’s no reach information for him. Rodriguez carries around below-average power as 41.8 per cent of his victories have been by stoppage but you’s have a hard time convincing Yafai of that.
Just eight of Rodriguez’s 19 opponents have entered the ring with a winning record and he lost to one of them as Manuel Flores stopped him in the fifth round in 2020 for his lone career loss. However his last five opponents have had winning marks. His lone draw was a six-round split decision with Roberto Pucheta in 2021. His biggest win came in June of last year when he stopped Brian Cannady in the second round to win the vacant WBC USA Silver Bantamweight Title. He also beat Wilner Soto by six-round unanimous decision three months earlier.
Vargas is 27 years old and carries around a record of 17-1-1 with 9 Ko’s. He’s got 83 rounds of experience to his name since turning pro in 2017 following an extensive amateur career. He captured a a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games as a flyweight and boxed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, losing in the round of 16 to Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan. His lone defeat as a pro came at the hands of Jose Maria Cardenas when he was stopped in 113 seconds in May, 2019.
Vargas beat Jorge Perez via an eight-round unanimous decision to win the vacant NABA Jr Bantamweight Title. He also has wins over Felipe Rivas, Lucas Rafael Baez, Jesus Martinez and Michell Banquez. Eleven of Vargas’ 18 pro opponents have had winning records and he has won 53 per cent of his fights by stoppage, including four of the past five. Vargas measures just over 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 66-inch reach which gives him a 1.5-inch height advantage on Rodriguez.
Prediction…
Rodriguez and Vargas match up closely to each other in just about all areas so this fight may come down to the will to win and heart. Whoever lets his hands go the most and shows he wants to win it will have the edge. This is a close call but I’m leaning towards Rodriguez after seeing him dismantle Yafai a few months ago.
A tossup with Rodriguez coming off of a big win.
Play: Rodriguez +125 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Antonio Vargas betting • Jonathan Rodriguez betting