Jessie Vargas ends Congressional campaign ahead of Liam Smith fight

The odds were slim to begin with, but we’re definitely not getting a Fighting Congressman this year. Chris Mannix reports that Jessie Vargas, who previously announced his intentions to run for Congress in Nevada’s 4th District, has ended his campaign ahead of Saturday’s bout with Liam Smith.

Vargas (29-3-2, 11 KO) didn’t have much of a chance. He was already facing a crowded Republican primary, which included a State Assemblywoman and a 2020 primary runner-up. Victory there would have led to a clash with a two-term incumbent, and considering this valiant underdog hasn’t actually updated his campaign website since launching it last November, I question his chances.

But hey, there’s always 2024.

In the meantime, Vargas has what looks like an uphill battle against Smith. Not only will this be his junior middleweight debut, he’ll be making it on the heels of a two-year layoff against a man who’s been on the warpath since falling to Jaime Munguia. We’ll see how he does with one fewer distraction.