WBC names Vargas-Salido 2016 Fight of the Year

During the WBC’s annual convention today, the commission announced that the Francisco Vargas vs Orlando Salido bout was named their 2016 Tecate Fight of the Year. The other two fights in contention were Carlos Cuadras vs Roman Gonzalez and Jorge Linares vs Anthony Crolla.

Vargas-Salido, a brutal battle that ended in a draw, makes Francisco Vargas the first fighter in the WBC’s history to win back-to-back honors for the award. Vargas was notably apart of an epic war with Takashi Miura last year which also earned Fight of the Year honors.

"As we looked at all the fights that could have been considered for the 2016 Tecate Fight of the Year, I was reminded of all the former champions who have raised a WBC belt in the past and our commitment to excellence in the sport," said Mauricio Sulaimán, WBC President. "2016 was an emotional year as we lost Ali, and we wanted to recognize a fight he'd have been proud to witness. That said, I'd like to congratulate Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido on a legendary bout that I believe was dedicated to Ali's memory and is very well deserving of the Tecate Fight of the Year Award."

Vargas is currently scheduled to take on Miguel Berchelt on January 28th in Indio, CA for his next outing.