Though Keyshawn Davis has long been chasing a fight with Gervonta Davis, Emiliano Vargas might be setting his sights on Keyshawn Davis sooner rather than later. Though ‘The Businessman’ flaunts an unbeaten 13-0 record, Emiliano Vargas has one extra fight under his belt and is also boasting an unblemished career with even greater knockout power than Keyshawn Davis. But this time, it’s not the Olympic silver medalist he’s facing. So, who is he fighting?

In just a few hours, Emiliano Fernando Vargas, who, alongside Teofimo Lopez, was recently seen training with Manny Pacquiao ahead of his Mario Barrios showdown, will step into the ring against Ecuador’s Alexander ‘Diamante’ Espinoza in an 8-round junior welterweight clash. The bout is part of the undercard for the Bruce Carrington vs. Mateus Heita fight at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York. So, which of the boxers has the better chance of winning? Let’s take a look.

Predicting Emiliano Fernando Vargas vs. Alexander Espinoza: Who has better stats and record? 

Top Rank believes Emiliano Vargas is something special, and his lineage supports that claim. Known as ‘El General,’ he is the youngest son of the legendary Fernando ‘El Feroz’ Vargas, who dominated the super welterweight division through the late 90s and early 2000s. Now, Emiliano Vargas enters the ring with an undefeated record of 14 wins, no losses, and 12 of those victories coming by way of knockout. Alexander Espinoza, meanwhile, holds a record of 20 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw, with 9 of his victories also ending in knockouts.

The numbers point to Vargas having a clear power advantage, boasting an impressive 86% knockout rate compared to Espinoza’s 45%. However, Vargas is the less experienced professional, with 10 fewer fights under his belt and a debut that came in 2022, 8 years and 7 months after Espinoza began his career in 2013. Moreover, Vargas has also logged significantly fewer rounds, with 40 compared to Espinoza’s 131. On paper, the matchup looks evenly balanced, but other factors could shift the momentum on fight night. So, let’s take a closer look at those factors.

Emiliano Fernando Vargas vs. Alexander Espinoza height, weight, reach comparison, and more

Fighters like Emiliano Fernando Vargas are manna from heaven on nights like these. A rangy, fast, and explosive switch-hitter, he fights with the urgency of someone who knows he isn’t getting paid by the round. Standing 5′9″ (175 cm) with a 72″ (183 cm) reach, most fighters with his physique would prefer to keep their distance. Perhaps against tougher opposition, that might be the smarter approach. But Vargas is different; he’s like a homing missile. He frustrates, then detonates, outboxing opponents from range before closing in to land fight-ending shots.

Alexander Espinoza, on the other hand, is the latest fighter attempting to halt Vargas’ momentum. Like most who face an undefeated 21-year-old prospect, the Ecuadorian enters as the underdog. Standing at 5′7″ (170 cm) and weighing the same 139.6 lbs as his opponent (according to the latest official weigh-in), he fights with an orthodox stance but carries an 11-year age gap, being 34. On paper, he is no pushover. However, there are warning signs of a potentially short night ahead. How, you ask? Espinoza has been knocked out in two of his three defeats, once by Roger Guerrero, who is currently on a losing streak of eight fights, seven of those by stoppage, and again by Rogelio Jimenez. These results raise doubts about his ability to withstand someone with Vargas’ firepower.

Jokes aside, Jimenez is far from elite himself, having even lost to 4-7-1 Carlos Eduardo Reyes. You don’t need to be extraordinary to beat Espinoza, with all due respect. And this feels like the kind of challenge Emiliano Fernando Vargas has already surpassed. His opposition will need to improve from here, but for now, an easy win for the young Emiliano Vargas seems likely. Still, if the 20-3 veteran Espinoza can produce a clever new strategy, anything is possible. That said, who do you think will win between Emiliano Fernando Vargas and Alexander Espinoza?