What do our parents pass down to us? What are we if not for that inheritance? These are the sorts of existential inquiries that should be reserved for the fully grown, but for Emiliano Vargas, undefeated professional junior welterweight and son of boxing legend Fernando Vargas, such questions had to be considered early. Early meaning at least since he was a chubby 10-year-old who just wanted to shed a few pounds in his father’s gym—a place where two life altering revelations were made clear. Emiliano had not only inherited his father’s talent, but his love for the sport as well.

“I would do it for free,” he tells me. “I already did it for free for nine, ten years [as an amateur].” It’s one of those self-evident truths for those aware of Vargas’ pre-professional acumen that still shocks the system. Perhaps there is a reason that the majority of boxing narratives center a rise out of poverty and obscurity. Most people, average people, don’t choose a literal fight for survival.

“I’ve been in fights where it feels like they’re fighting my father more than they’re fighting me,” Vargas says. “People just want to say they beat Fernando Vargas’ son.”

In many ways the meritocracy of sport means that Emiliano’s last name does little beyond putting a target on his back. But Vargas’ inheritance is all too real and all too conspicuous to ignore. It is a talent that revealed itself early and often. Leading to a 110-10 amateur record that stacks up well with fighters who would go on to hold world championships. He established himself as a bona fide force on the amateur circuit. A true modern fighter: well-rounded with natural offensive instincts and elite speed with both his hands and feet. It is also a tireless work ethic that has him all but living out of the gym.

“I prepare for every fight like it’s my biggest fight,” Vargas says, very much focused on his upcoming bout against Bryce Mills without the inclination to relive past victories. At just 22 years old, Emiliano Vargas now speaks to me having an undefeated, 17-0 professional record with 14 knockouts. He is about to co-feature a pay-per-view at Barclays Center in New York City. And just last year, Ring Magazine declared him the top boxing prospect of 2025.

“It’s always beautiful to get recognized for something like that,” Vargas says. “Of course, I’m grateful that the boxing world is recognizing the work that I put in. But I do think that I have a God-given ability. And I have his favor over my life; I truly believe that.”

It’s the kind of mature answer the fight world has come to expect of the young man, who already possesses a superstar’s sense for comporting himself with graciousness and charisma.

“There was a point in time when my father would get mobbed,” Vargas recalls. “And as a young kid I asked him, ‘Do you ever get tired of the photos? Do you ever get tired of any of that?’ I used to think it was annoying as a kid, but he stopped me and told me, ‘Those are the people that put money in our pockets. You take three to five seconds to take a picture, and they remember that for the rest of their lives.’”

Chalk it up to good tutelage or an instinctive fighter’s mentality, but Vargas seems to understand that his world is, unequivocally, a part of the entertainment universe. It’s one that needs viewers and won’t be contained just to boxing purists.

“I mean, look, I’m all for it,” Vargas says when asked about the influx of YouTubers and social media influencers involving themselves in the boxing game. “It’s a different perspective, a different demographic of people coming into the sport. A lot of younger Gen Z viewers who are getting interested…I mean Jake Paul figured it out. Attention brings money. That is the sport of boxing. If there’s attention on a fight, guess what, there’s good money that’s going to be generated from it. A movie, an album release. If there’s attention there’s going to be money.”

The game isn’t just about winning at the highest level, but generating investment. It’s making people care about your story—and Emiliano Vargas’ story is one that takes place in the here and now.

“I just think that the appeal...either you got it, or you don’t,” he continues, ruminating on potential. “I think especially in boxing, it’s being able to control the crowd and have that star power. I really try to be a people pleaser when it comes to my performances. You will never pay money for an Emiliano Vargas fight and wish you got your money back.”

Legacy and identity. Athletic excellence and constant promotion. The stress of finding balance between these factors while not falling into the traps of young stardom; it’s daunting. More so when it’s added to the most primal pressure there is: getting punched in the face at 30 miles per hour.

“My father—he only has five losses,” Vargas says. “And he’s never been knocked out. He’s been stopped on his feet, but the repercussions of those years of training and fighting…sometimes he’ll mess up when we’re working on the bags. Sometimes he’ll have trouble finding his car if he doesn’t get enough sleep.”

Emiliano Vargas is aware that his job puts his livelihood in peril. If combat seems like a barmy career choice for a young man with alternatives, perhaps consider that it’s a career which chose him. Yes, it’s the talent. And yes, it’s the passion. But Emiliano Vargas admits that what he first fell in love with was winning. The joy of having his hand raised by the referee preceded his eventual love for boxing’s minutiae.

Vargas is now on a path to greatness that began in childhood, and which few can say they’ve stepped on. Who’s to say how much of the mindset required to take that walk, to prioritize excellence above all else, was encoded directly into his DNA.

“But I do believe,” says Vargas, “that with no risk there’s no reward. If I want to be great there’s going to be some risk in there, and I’m okay with that.”

Photographed by Tim Grupp

Styled by Gorge Villalpando 

Written by Jake Carlisi

Grooming: Barbara Lamelza

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