Callum Walsh vs. Fernando Vargas Jr. squared off in a light middleweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. Sept. 13, 2025) live on Netflix inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. After 10 competitive rounds, Walsh proved himself the better boxer in a clear victory.
Both men were light on their feet to start the contest, and Walsh opened the fight with a leaping lead hook. Walsh pressed through the early feeling out process, and a Vargas Jr. body jab knocked him off balance. Vargas Jr. worked his
jab while Walsh really looked for the right hook in this clash of Southpaws. Lots of single shots for each man, but Walsh did find some success in putting Vargas Jr. on the ropes late in the first.
The fighters opened up a bit more in the second, and they both found success to the body. Walsh tended to operate in bursts, firing hooks in quick combination. Vargas Jr. did better work staying behind the jab and continually working, which helped to break Walsh’s trademark pressure.
The third round began with a good surge from Walsh. He found a lot of success in doubling up hooks to the body. Walsh’s leaping punches saw him move in-and-out effectively, and he generally just threw more strikes. Outside of the jab, Vargas Jr. didn’t initiate enough and was a little hesitant on the counter, leading to Walsh’s best round of the fight.
The Irish prospect was ahead after three rounds.
Vargas Jr. started to heat up a bit more in the fourth. He began pushing forward more and really ripping his hooks to the body. Before he could gain too much momentum, however, Walsh landed a nice left hand that really settled down his opponent. In the final minute, he really stung Vargas Jr. with some quality power connections. The fifth continued in a similar pattern at a similar pace. Vargas Jr. kept pushing hard, but he was getting hit harder by the longer and more accurate power shots of Walsh. The other story of the fifth was the continued low blows of Vargas Jr., who was warned repeatedly by the referee to keep his punches above the belt.
Vargas Jr. opened round six hot. A hard right hook to the body seemed to earn Walsh’s respect and back him off, allowing Vargas Jr. to fire in longer combinations. Walsh finished the round nicely with a couple solid left hands, but it wasn’t enough to win back the round.
The seventh round began with an aggressive series of left straight attempts from Vargas Jr. — one of ‘em landed well! The duo pressed forehead-to-forehead often, and Walsh accurately needled body punches into the target. Towards the end of the round, he looked low and went high with an overhand, stinging Vargas Jr. in one of his better lands of the fight.
With three rounds remaining, Walsh seemed to be ahead, but the fight as a whole was close.
Both men were a little guilty of standing still and letting their opponent fire back in the eighth as fatigue began to set in. Walsh landed the better shots, however, in large part because he was more consistently getting his head off the center line as he punched. After the round, Fernando Vargas Sr. was screaming at his son to turn it up in the remaining six minutes.
The speech didn’t help much. Vargas Jr. tried to press, but he was a bit slower than in previous exchanges after 24 minutes of combat. As a result, he ended up walking into a lot of Walsh’s punches rather than landing his own blows. The tenth round didn’t feature the shocking comeback knockdown that Vargas Jr. needed, but it was probably the best of the fight. Vargas Jr. emptied the tank with his pressure and did throw more, resulting in some solid lands. At the same time, Walsh sniped him coming in often, producing some good exchanges both at distance and in close quarters.
After a full 10 rounds, there was little doubt that Callum Walsh deserved the victory. I’m not sure the win grew his star much, but experience is always an asset when talking about a 24-year-old prospect.
Result: Walsh via unanimous decision
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