Jessie Vargas-Liam Smith possible for Ruiz-Joshua II undercard

It’s not Jaime Munguia, but Jessie Vargas could still have a decent test in his official 154-pound debut. ESPN Deportes reports that the former two-division champion has an “offer” to face Liam Smith on the December 7th Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua 2 undercard in Saudi Arabia.

Vargas (29-2-2, 11 KO) has been eyeing a move to super welterweight since consecutive draws against Adrien Broner and Thomas Dulorme, most recently stopping veteran Humberto Soto at a 151-pound catchweight. He pursued a fight with WBO champion Jaime Munguia, which reportedly fell apart after the latter’s team insisted on a 156-pound catchweight and led to Munguia fighting Patrick Allotey next week.

“Beefy” Smith (28-2-1, 16 KO) has scored knockouts of Sam Eggington and Mario Alberto Lozano since an unsuccessful crack at the aforementioned Munguia last year. Unlike Soto, he’s a legitimate 154-pounder, and his relentless style should mesh well with Vargas’ proclivity for firefights. He’s also in the WBO top 10, so if Munguia moves to 160 in the near future as expected, the winner of this fight could find himself in a position to challenge whoever claims the vacant belt.

The official Diriyah lineup currently consists only of the main event, though super flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada is eyeing a unification fight with Kal Yafai on the undercard.