Fernando Javier Vargas (born December 7, 1977) is a Mexican-American former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2007. He was a two-time light middleweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 1998 to 2000, and the WBA title from 2001 to 2002. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the light welterweight division at the 1995 Pan American Games, and reached the second round of the welterweight bracket at the 1996 Olympics.
Vargas is best known for his heated rivalries against Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Ricardo Mayorga.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Fernando Javier Vargas
- Born: December 7, 1977 — Oxnard, California, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
- Reach: 74 in (188 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: Mar 25, 1997 (Win by KO vs Jorge Morales)
- Last bout: Nov 23, 2007 (Loss by MD vs Ricardo Mayorga)
- Total rounds boxed: 183 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Light middleweight, Super middleweight
- KO percentage: 84.6% (22 KO wins in 26 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): IBF light middleweight title December 12, 1998 – December 2, 2000 (won from Yori Boy Campas; five defenses including Raúl Márquez, Winky Wright and Ike Quartey; lost to Félix Trinidad); WBA and IBA light middleweight titles September 22, 2001 – September 14, 2002 (won the vacant titles from Jose Flores; lost to Oscar De La Hoya) — all dates per the bout table
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 31
- Wins: 26
- Wins by KO: 22
- Losses: 5
- Losses by KO: 4
- Draws: 0
- No contests: 0
- Born: December 7, 1977 — Oxnard, California, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
- Reach: 74 in (188 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Light middleweight, Super middleweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 25, 1997 | Jorge Morales | Win | KO | 1 (4), 0:56 | Civic Auditorium, Oxnard, California, U.S. |
| 2 | Apr 26, 1997 | Claude Staten | Win | TKO | 2 (4), 1:24 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 3 | Jun 7, 1997 | Bill Burden | Win | TKO | 2 (6), 2:29 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| 4 | Jun 20, 1997 | Jim Maloney | Win | KO | 1 | Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 5 | Jul 12, 1997 | Eugene Lopez | Win | KO | 1 (6), 1:42 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. |
| 6 | Aug 19, 1997 | Kevin Payne | Win | TKO | 1 (4), 1:47 | Convention Center, Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| 7 | Oct 4, 1997 | Alex Quiroga | Win | TKO | 6 (8), 2:53 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 8 | Nov 22, 1997 | Jose Miguel Fernandez | Win | TKO | 1 (8), 2:56 | Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 9 | Dec 13, 1997 | Eduardo Martinez | Win | KO | 2 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. |
| 10 | Mar 13, 1998 | Dan Connolly | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 0:40 | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| 11 | Apr 14, 1998 | Romallis Ellis | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 1:56 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. |
| 12 | May 9, 1998 | Ron Johnson | Win | TKO | 4 (10), 2:40 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| 13 | Jun 23, 1998 | Anthony Stephens | Win | TKO | 5 (10), 2:33 | The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 14 | Aug 22, 1998 | Darren Maciunski | Win | TKO | 6 (10), 2:57 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 15 | Dec 12, 1998 | Yori Boy Campas | Win | RTD | 7 (12), 3:00 | Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won IBF light middleweight title |
| 16 | Mar 13, 1999 | Howard Clarke | Win | TKO | 4 (12), 2:29 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF light middleweight title |
| 17 | Jul 17, 1999 | Raúl Márquez | Win | TKO | 11 (12), 2:00 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF light middleweight title |
| 18 | Dec 4, 1999 | Winky Wright | Win | MD | 12 | Chinook Winds Casino, Lincoln City, Oregon, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF light middleweight title |
| 19 | Apr 15, 2000 | Ike Quartey | Win | UD | 12 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF light middleweight title |
| 20 | Aug 26, 2000 | Ross Thompson | Win | TKO | 4 (12), 1:07 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF light middleweight title |
| 21 | Dec 2, 2000 | Félix Trinidad | Loss | TKO | 12 (12), 1:33 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost IBF light middleweight title; For WBA light middleweight title |
| 22 | May 5, 2001 | Wilfredo Rivera | Win | TKO | 6 (10), 0:39 | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| 23 | Sep 22, 2001 | Jose Flores | Win | KO | 7 (12), 2:59 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBA and IBA light middleweight titles |
| 24 | Sep 14, 2002 | Oscar De La Hoya | Loss | TKO | 11 (12), 1:48 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost WBA and IBA light middleweight titles; For WBC and vacant The Ring light middleweight titles |
| 25 | Jul 26, 2003 | Fitz Vanderpool | Win | TKO | 6 (10), 2:36 | Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| 26 | Dec 12, 2003 | Tony Marshall | Win | RTD | 7 (10), 3:00 | Casino Del Sol, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| 27 | Mar 26, 2005 | Raymond Joval | Win | UD | 10 | American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. |
| 28 | Aug 20, 2005 | Javier Castillejo | Win | UD | 10 | Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois, U.S. |
| 29 | Feb 25, 2006 | Shane Mosley | Loss | TKO | 10 (12), 1:22 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 30 | Jul 15, 2006 | Shane Mosley | Loss | TKO | 6 (12), 2:38 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 31 | Nov 23, 2007 | Ricardo Mayorga | Loss | MD | 12 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For vacant WBC Continental Americas super middleweight title |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): IBF light middleweight title December 12, 1998 – December 2, 2000 (won from Yori Boy Campas; five defenses including Raúl Márquez, Winky Wright and Ike Quartey; lost to Félix Trinidad); WBA and IBA light middleweight titles September 22, 2001 – September 14, 2002 (won the vacant titles from Jose Flores; lost to Oscar De La Hoya) — all dates per the bout table
- Dec 12, 1998 vs Yori Boy Campas: Won IBF light middleweight title
- Mar 13, 1999 vs Howard Clarke: Retained IBF light middleweight title
- Jul 17, 1999 vs Raúl Márquez: Retained IBF light middleweight title
- Dec 4, 1999 vs Winky Wright: Retained IBF light middleweight title
- Apr 15, 2000 vs Ike Quartey: Retained IBF light middleweight title
- Aug 26, 2000 vs Ross Thompson: Retained IBF light middleweight title
- Dec 2, 2000 vs Félix Trinidad: Lost IBF light middleweight title; For WBA light middleweight title
- Sep 22, 2001 vs Jose Flores: Won vacant WBA and IBA light middleweight titles
- Sep 14, 2002 vs Oscar De La Hoya: Lost WBA and IBA light middleweight titles; For WBC and vacant The Ring light middleweight titles
- Nov 23, 2007 vs Ricardo Mayorga: For vacant WBC Continental Americas super middleweight title
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Vargas2.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=original
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-11-01.
