Vargas vs Smith

Who won Vargas vs Smith?

Francisco Vargas beat Stephen Smith by technical decision in their 9 round contest on Saturday, December 9th, 2017, at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino Events Center, Las Vegas.

The scorecards were announced in favor of winner Francisco Vargas.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Super Featherweight division, which meant the weight limit was 130 pounds (9.3 stone or 59 kg).

Vargas vs Smith stats

Back in December 2017, Francisco Vargas stepped into the ring with a record of 23 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws.

Stephen Smith made his way to the ring with a record of 25 wins, 3 losses and 0 draws.

Francisco Vargas was the older man by 1 year, at 33 years old.

Vargas had a height advantage of 1 inch over Smith. That also extended to a 4-inch reach advantage.

Both Francisco Vargas and Stephen Smith fought out of an orthodox stance.

Vargas was arguably the less experienced fighter, having had 2 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2010, 1 year and 8 months later than Smith, whose first professional fight was in 2008. He had fought 5 more professional rounds, totaling 169 compared to Smith's 164.

Francisco Vargas went into the fight ranked number 2 by the WBC at super featherweight.

Stephen Smith was ranked number 9 by the WBC in the 130lb division.

Vargas vs Smith form

Francisco Vargas had stopped 3 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had lost to Miguel Berchelt on January 28, 2017, by technical knockout in the 11th round in their WBC World Super Featherweight championship fight at Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, United States.

Prior to that, he had drawn with Orlando Salido on June 4, 2016, by majority draw in their 12 round contest in their WBC World Super Featherweight championship fight at StubHub Center, Carson.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Takashi Miura on November 21, 2015, by technical knockout in the 9th round in their WBC World Super Featherweight championship fight at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Events Center, Las Vegas.

Before that, he had won against Will Tomlinson on March 12, 2015, by technical knockout in the 8th round at Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio.

He had beaten Genaro Camargo on December 13, 2014, by knockout in the 8th round at Salón Las Palmas, Pesqueria, Mexico.

Smith had beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had lost to Jason Sosa on November 12, 2016, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Super Featherweight championship fight at Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Prior to that, he had defeated Daniel Eduardo Brizuela on May 29, 2016, by technical knockout in the 7th round at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Going into that contest, he had been beaten by Jose Pedraza on April 16, 2016, by unanimous decision in their IBF World Junior Lightweight championship fight at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, United States.

Before that, he had won against Devis Boschiero on September 19, 2015, by technical knockout in the 6th round at Olympia, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

He had defeated Barrington Brown on April 4, 2015, by points in the 6th round at Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Stephen Smith had been fighting more than Francisco Vargas.

Going into this contest, Francisco Vargas had last fought 10 months and 11 days ago, while Stephen Smith's last outing had been 1 year and 27 days ago.

Vargas' last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 26 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 7 months and 6 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 48 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 9.6 rounds on average.

Smith's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 8 months and 5 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 6 months and 15 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 43 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 8.6 rounds on average.

What time did Vargas vs Smith start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino Events Center, Las Vegas, United States, which was around 2:00 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Vargas vs Smith?

Vargas vs Smith was broadcast on HBO in the US, while the fight was broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports Action.

What were the odds on Vargas vs Smith?

Francisco Vargas was a 3/10 (-330) favorite going into the contest, while Stephen Smith made his way into the ring at 5/2 (+250) with oddsmakers.