Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank
Jessie Vargas (25-0, 9 KOs) won a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over Anton Novikov (29-1, 10KOs) at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 12-round Light Welterweight fight was the first televised bout of an HBO triple-header that included a Light Heavyweight showdown between Sergey Kovalev and Blake Caparello taped from the Revel Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a Welterweight fight between Brandon Rios and Diego Chaves.
Vargas, who was born in Los Angeles, California, but who now calls Las Vegas, Nevada his home, started the bout early with a stiff jab, controlling the fight and distance with combination punches.
Novikov, however, used his eight years as a professional to drag Vargas into a physically exhausting fight.
The 26-year-old Russian worked the body early, despite being rocked in the fifth round by a powerful right hand.
By the middle rounds, Vargas was clearly tired, discarding his jab for counter hooks and right hands.
Vargas’ exhaustion allowed Novikov to close the distance on the scorecards, outworking Vargas in rounds 10 and 11 before a reinvigorated Vargas landed combinations in the 12th to end the fight.
Judges Burt Clements and Dave Moretti scored the bout 118-111, while Glenn Trowbidge scored the bout 117-111.
The bout was hard to score, but it seems that Vargas got the benefit of the doubt in his new home.
