Antonio Vargas Elevated to WBA Bantamweight Champion
- Matthew Brown
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
05/14/2025
Antonio Vargas is now the WBA Bantamweight Champion.
The 2016 U.S. Olympian has been officially elevated from Interim titleholder to full champion status by the World Boxing Association after Seiya Tsutsumi, the reigning titleholder, was declared medically unfit to defend his title. Tsutsumi, a skilled Japanese champion, revealed that he recently underwent eye surgery and has been designated “champion in recess” by the WBA.
Vargas (19-1, 11 KOs), a Houston-based boxer with Puerto Rican roots, now takes full ownership of the division’s top prize. He originally claimed the interim title with a dominant tenth-round stoppage of Winston Guerrero in December. Prior to that, Vargas had steadily built his resume with impressive victories over former world champion Hernan Marquez and once-beaten Michell Banquez.
Now a full champion, all signs point toward a compelling clash with former WBC flyweight champion Daigo Higa for his first title defense. While nothing has been officially announced, Higa is seen as a logical next opponent, especially given his history with Tsutsumi, whom he fought to a draw in two thrilling encounters.
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