Francisco Vargas and Jhonny Gonzalez in talks for potential match

Fresh off of his victory over Stephen Smith via technical decision (ear explosion), Francisco Vargas already has a potential opponent for 2018. Promociones del Pueblo’s Oswaldo Küchle recently told ESPN that talks have begun to pit Vargas against PdP’s Jhonny Gonzalez.

I dig it.

Vargas (24-1-2, 17 KO) had been out of action for nearly eleven months following his tough loss to Miguel Berchelt, but looked solid against Smith, winning at least seven of nine rounds on all three scorecards. Surprisingly, he’s just four years younger than the ludicrously experienced Gonzalez (65-10, 54 KO), who has chewed up seven straight since his loss to Jonathan Oquendo.

Gonzalez is shopworn, fighting above his ideal weight, and occasionally struggles to pull the trigger, but his left hook is among the best single punches in the sport. This could wind up being a lot of fun if Vargas can’t impose himself early.