Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) looks to come back and rebound after suffering the first defeat of his career in March when he moved up from lightweight to welterweight and got defeated soundly by IBF champion Errol Spence Jr. Instead of dropping back down to either 135 or 140 pounds, Garcia decided to remain at 147 pounds to prove he can compete at the level in what’s viewed by many pundits as the toughest division in boxing.
“It’s the biggest challenge for me, coming back after a long layoff, my last performance — horrible performance. I lost my fight,” Garcia said when the fight with Vargas was announced. “There’s a lot of questions. So I want to be able to answer those questions with this kind of fight. That’s why we agreed on fighting Jessie Vargas. He’s gonna get the best out of me, and I think I will bring the best out of him.”
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Vargas (29-2-2, 11 KOs) returns for the first time since notching a sixth-round knockout over former lightweight champion Humberto Soto at a 150-pound catchweight bout in April. The prevailing thought had been Vargas would move up to junior middleweight and look to capture a world title in a third different weight classes. However, the lure of getting the opportunity to notch the biggest win of his career was too important to pass up.
“It’s a big fight for fight fans. It’s one people have wanted for a long time now,” Vargas said. “We are giving them what they want to see. It’s going to be a great showdown. He’s a warrior, and so am I. We both always go for the win and do anything possible to get it. I really believe in myself and my abilities. It’s one of the fights that will generate a lot of attention and it’s the perfect time to shine and show that I am here to stay. I need to show that I am going to be a world champion again and this is the perfect fight to show that.”
A win for Garcia proves to naysayers that he made the right decision to remain at welterweight. For Vargas, it’s not only his signature win but one which puts him in the position to garner himself an opportunity to become a world champion once again.
Here’s a complete guide to Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas, including the start time, fight card, PPV price, updated betting odds and more.
MORE: Mikey Garcia ready to erase doubts at welterweight vs. Jessie Vargas
When is Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas?
Date: Saturday, Feb. 29 Prelims : 6 p. m. ET | 3 p. m. PT Main card: 8 p. m. ET | 5 p. m. PT Main event: 11 p. m. ET | 8 p. m. PT
The Garcia vs. Vargas undercard starts at 6 p.m. ET, with the main card scheduled for 8 p.m. Expect Garcia and Vargas to make their ring walks around 11 p.m., although the exact time depends on the length of the earlier fights.
DAZN, which will broadcast the fight, is experimenting with the 8 p.m. ET start time — an hour earlier than typical high-profile main cards.
How to watch, live stream Garcia vs. Vargas
The Garcia vs. Vargas card can be seen on DAZN, the global sports live streaming service.
Here is a list of the devices where DAZN is available, in addition to web browsers on DAZN.com:
Comcast customers can sign up for DAZN on Xfinity Flex or X1.
Garcias vs. Vargas PPV price: How much does the card cost?
1 month subscription: $19. 99 1 year subscription: $99. 99
The Garcias vs. Vargas fight is on DAZN and won’t be available on pay-per-view. A monthly subscription to DAZN runs $19.99, and an annual subscription is $99.99. (In Canada, the pricing options are $20 CAD per month or $150 CAD per year.) Current subscribers will have the fight already included as part of their plan.
DAZN subscribers can stream the Garcia vs. Vargas card and many other live events and original programming options included in DAZN’s multi-sport offering.
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Where is the Garcia vs. Vargas fight?
Garcia vs. Vargas will take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. This marks Garcia’s second straight fight in the “Lone Star State” as his loss to Spence was held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington — home of the Dallas Cowboys. It will be the 10th time Garcia competes as a professional in Texas. Meanwhile, this marks Vargas’ Texas debut.
Garcia vs. Vargas betting odds
According to Bovada, Garcia is the favorite at -600, signaling that you’d need to bet $600 to win $100. Vargas is a +400 underdog, meaning if you’d bet $100, you would net $400.
Mikey Garcia record and bio
Name: Mikey Garcia Nationality: American Born: Dec. 15, 1987 Height: 5-6 Weight: (Weigh-in Friday) Reach: 68 inches Total fights: 40 Record: 39-1 with 30 knockouts
Jessie Vargas record and bio
Name: Jessie Vargas Nationality: American Born: May 10, 1989 Height: 5-11 Weight: (Weigh-in Friday) Reach: 71 inches Total fights: 33 Record: 29-2-2 with 11 knockouts
MORE: Jessie Vargas feels Mikey Garcia fight is a ‘do-or-die situation’ for him
Garcia vs. Vargas fight card
Main card
Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas; Welterweight Kal Yafai vs. Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez for Yafai’s WBA junior bantamweight title Julio Cesar Martinez vs. Jay Harris for Martinez’s WBC flyweight title Joseph Parker vs. Shawndell Winters; Heavyweight
Undercard
Diego Pacheco vs. Oscar Rojas; Super middleweight Israil Madrimov vs. Charlie Navarro; Jr. middleweight Alexis Espino vs. Delvecchio Savage; Super middleweight Leo Ruiz Acevedo vs. Dennis Knifechief; Jr. middleweight Jesse Rodriguez vs. Marco Sustaita; Flyweight
