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Callum Walsh Deals Fernando Vargas Jr. His First Defeat at Allegiant Stadium

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Robert LaMar | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 6:20 PM ET

Las Vegas, Nevada — On a historic night headlined by Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, junior middleweight prospect Callum Walsh cemented his rising-star status by handing Fernando Vargas Jr. the first loss of his professional career.

Walsh (15-0, 11 KOs), the 24-year-old Irish southpaw trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, outworked Vargas (17-1, 15 KOs) across 10 competitive rounds to win a unanimous decision. The judges scored it 100-90, 99-91, and 99-91, all in Walsh’s favor.

From Allegiant’s Foundation to Its Spotlight

The bout carried special significance for Vargas Jr. The 28-year-old son of two-time junior middleweight champion Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas once labored as a construction worker helping build Allegiant Stadium. On Saturday, he walked into the same arena as a co-main event attraction, backed by thousands of Mexican fans who cheered his every connection.

But despite moments of success, Vargas was unable to overcome Walsh’s superior volume and pace.

Walsh’s Work Rate the Difference

Callum Walsh Fernando Vargas Jr by unanimous decision to improve his record to a perfect 15-0 pic.twitter.com/L2upQSbdth

— Source of Boxing (@Sourceofboxing) September 14, 2025

Walsh immediately showed poise after an early scare in the first round, when Vargas dropped him with what looked like a right hook to the chest. Referee Harvey Dock ruled it a slip, and Walsh quickly returned to work.

From the second round onward, Walsh pressed the action, ripping shots to the body and sneaking his left hand through Vargas’ guard. CompuBox tallied 74 of 339 punches landed through five rounds for Walsh, compared to 64 of 180 for Vargas.

Though Vargas displayed his best work in Rounds 4 through 7. Landing clean one-twos that drew roars from the pro-Mexican crowd he slowed dramatically down the stretch. Fighting past the seventh round for the first time in his career. Vargas struggled to keep pace with Walsh’s unrelenting pressure.

By the eighth and ninth, Walsh was in full command, throwing over 100 punches per round. He punctuated the performance with a snapping left hook in the 10th, sealing the verdict on the scorecards.

Final totals showed Walsh outlanding Vargas 182-159, underscoring his higher activity and sharper finish.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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