Boxing Picks – Rey Vargas vs. O’Shaquie Foster

Rey Vargas is hoping that Super Bowl weekend will be kind to him as he looks to become a three-division world champion. Vargas (36-0 with 22 knockouts) has already won titles at super bantamweight and featherweight, and he is now out to claim a super featherweight title when he takes on O’Shaquie Foster. Although you might think that Vargas would be a big favorite by the boxing betting odds due to his record, he is not that big of a favorite over Foster (19-2 with 11 knockouts). That’s because Foster has spent his entire career at super featherweight and is comfortable in this division.

We will see Rey Vargas take on O’Shaquie Foster on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. This main card is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET on ShowTime, while ring walks are supposed to take place about two hours later.

Rey Vargas vs. O’Shaquie Foster Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook

Rey Vargas -205
O’Shaquie Foster +143
Total Rounds: Check Back Later

Rey Vargas vs. O’Shaquie Foster Preview

Unlike other Mexican boxers that turn pro prior to their 18^th birthday, Rey Vargas decided to wait until he was a relatively seasoned amateur. That allowed Vargas to make quick work of all his early opponents, and he put a lot of early round knockouts on his resume.

Vargas won his first title less than two years into his professional career. He won his first 10 bouts in just 15 months, and that set up a title fight with Gabriel Aguillon for the IBF Youth super bantamweight title. Vargas ended up securing a first round knockout of Aguillon, proving he was the real deal. This was a stretch in his career where he knocked out 14 straight opponents too.

He ended up adding the WBC Youth Intercontinental super bantamweight title to his waist before taking down Yuki Marai for the WBC Youth Silver super bantamweight belt in October 2013. This was the belt that Vargas would defend the longest of the minor titles, defeating four different foes before relinquishing it with an eye on something bigger.

Eventually, Vargas received the title shot he craved, but he would have to go on the road to win it. After spending his entire professional career fighting in either Mexico or the United States, Vargas had to go to England to face local hero Gavin McDonnell for the right to wear the WBC super bantamweight title. He was an underdog by the boxing betting line, but he managed to win a majority decision over McDonnell 117-111, 116-112, 114-114 to become a world champion.

As he faced stiffer competition, Vargas was no longer able to knock out his opponents, but he did comfortably defeat all challengers for the WBC super bantamweight title. He scored unanimous decision victories over five straight opponents before deciding to make the move to featherweight after breaking his leg in training.

Following an easy victory over Leonardo Baez, we saw Vargas face WBC featherweight champion Mark Magsayo last July at this venue. Vargas was only a slight favorite by the boxing wagering odds ahead of this fight, and Magsayo proved to be his toughest opponent yet. The unbeaten Vargas had to settle for a split decision victory over Magsayo that ended up being 115-112, 115-112, 113-114 on the score cards.

That leads me to believe that O’Shaquie Foster has a great chance of pulling off the upset on Friday night. Foster did lose two of his first 12 matches as a professional fighter, but he has since gone on to win nine straight fights. He did have to settle for two majority decision wins early on, yet his victories over Miguel Roman and Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov were impressive and set up this title fight.

Rey Vargas vs. O’Shaquie Foster Prediction

Foster has spent his whole career at this weight, and he has shown a lot of power. Meanwhile, Vargas struggled mightily when he moved up to featherweight, so there is a real question over how good he will be as a super featherweight considering he did not have a tune-up fight at this weight as is customary. That has me buying into the underdog here.