What is Fernando Vargas's Net Worth?
Fernando Vargas is a former professional boxer who has a net worth of $500 thousand. Fernando Vargas competed from 1997 to 2007. During his career, he held both the IBF and WBA light middleweight titles, and had heated rivalries with such fighters as Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Félix Trinidad. After retiring from boxing, Vargas starred alongside his family on the reality television show "Welcome to Los Vargas."
Early Life and Education
Fernando Vargas was born on December 7, 1977 in Oxnard, California to Alicia and Javier. He has a brother named Rogelio who also became a professional boxer. Vargas was educated at Channel Islands High School.
Amateur Career
Vargas established his boxing prowess during his hugely successful amateur career, during which he compiled an incredible 100-5 record. In 1992, he won the 132-lb. championships at the Junior Olympics Box-Offs and came in second place at the Junior Olympics. The year after that, Vargas won the triple crown of amateur boxing, consisting of the Junior Olympics Box-Offs, the Junior Olympics, and the Junior Olympics International tournament. He continued his success in 1994, winning the 132-lb. gold medal at the US Olympic Festival and the 132-lb. division at the US Junior Championships, and becoming the youngest fighter ever to win the US Championships. In 1995, Vargas won the bronze medal in the light welterweight division at the Pan American Games. He concluded his amateur career by boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where he reached the second round of the welterweight bracket.
Professional Career
In March of 1997, Vargas made his professional debut, and beat Jorge Morales in just 56 seconds. He went on to defeat his subsequent five opponents in quick succession. By the time he fought in his first world championship, he had won all 14 of his professional bouts to date via knockout. Vargas claimed his first world title in 1998 by knocking out Yori Boy Campas for the IBF light middleweight title. He successfully defended the title throughout the entirety of 1999 by defeating Howard Clarke, Raúl Márquez, Winky Wright, and Ike Quartey. Vargas ultimately lost the IBF title in late 2000 to Félix Trinidad, who knocked him out in the final round. The next year, Vargas beat Jose Flores to claim the vacant WBA and IBA light middleweight titles. In September of 2002, he lost the titles to Oscar De La Hoya in an epic showdown at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. After the fight, Vargas tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended for nine months.
In his first fight since his loss to De La Hoya and his subsequent suspension, Vargas beat Fitz Vanderpool by TKO. Following that, he knocked out Tony Marshall. However, during the fight, Vargas suffered a back injury that he declined to have surgery to fix. As a result, he was rendered inactive for about two years. Upon his return to boxing in March of 2005, he beat Ray Joval via unanimous decision. Later in the year, Vargas beat Javier Castillejo. Kicking off 2006, Vargas lost to Shane Mosley when the fight had to be stopped due to Vargas's eye becoming dangerously swollen. In a rematch in July, Vargas once again lost when the fight had to be stopped. He was scheduled to fight Ricardo Mayorga in September of 2007, but the bout was postponed when it was discovered that Vargas had a severe iron deficiency that needed to be remedied. When the fight finally took place in late November, Mayorga won by majority decision. Not long after that, Vargas officially retired from professional boxing. In 2011, he planned to return to face super middleweight Henry Buchanan, but the bout was canceled for unknown reasons.
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Film and Television Appearances
Outside of the boxing ring, Vargas has appeared in some films and television shows. In 2006, he ventured into acting to play the role of gang member TKO Martinez in Nick Cassavetes's crime drama film "Alpha Dog." Others in the cast include Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, and Dominique Swain.
In 2014, Vargas appeared alongside his family on the reality television show "Welcome to Los Vargas," which aired on the cable channel Universo. Elsewhere, he participated on the Telemundo reality competition show "Top Chef Celebrity" alongside such fellow celebs as Judith Grace, Sissi Fleitas, and Pedro Rivera.
Legal Issues
In 2001, Vargas was sentenced to 90 days on house arrest on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit a crime. The incident had occurred in 1999, when he and four friends were accused of assaulting a man named Doug Rossi, who had attempted to break up a fight between Vargas and another man.
Personal Life
With his wife Martha, Vargas has three sons named Fernando Jr., Amado, and Emiliano, all of whom followed their father into the world of professional boxing.
