Boxing
Keys to Victory: Where will Emiliano Vargas vs. Bryce Mills be decided?
Zayas vs. Ennis: Watch only on DAZN PPV - Saturday
One of the brightest prospects in boxing continues his march toward a world title shot.
Emiliano Vargas, Ring Magazine's 2025 Prospect of the Year, fights Bryce Mills tonight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and live on DAZN PPV . The bout will serve in chief support to the Xander Zayas vs. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis headliner for Zayas’ unified WBA/WBO super welterweight crown.
Vargas (17-0, 14 KOs), the 22-year-old son of former boxing world champion Fernando Vargas, last stopped Agustin Ezequiel Quintana in February. Meanwhile, Mills (22-1, 9 KOs) has already fit two bouts into his 2026 slate, having recorded knockouts against Tobias Green in February and Julio Rosa in April.
Will Vargas continue his upward trajectory with another convincing victory? Or will Mills manage to manufacture what would be a big upset? DAZN News probes into the Keys to Victory in this super lightweight matchup.
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Emiliano Vargas’ Keys to Victory
Make consistent deposits to the body
Whether stabbing with a jab or piecing together stiff combinations, Emiliano Vargas makes regular, hard deposits to the body.
These shots will be important to sputtering Bryce Mills’ active motor tonight.
Find an early home with the right hand
Watch Vargas work and it’s evident that he has some real pop to his right hand, especially when he lasers it straight through.
The 22-year-old should look to split Mills’ guard with that straight right early as landing it with regularity will allow Vargas to dictate the pace of this fight and keep the points and rounds flowing in his favor.
Stay composed
Already, Vargas has shown more composure than his dad, Fernando Vargas. That said, he needs to ensure that he maintains that composure because we’ve already seen spots in his young career that he gets goaded into exchanging with fighters.
There’s a stark difference between boxing in traffic and fighting in it. Vargas doing the latter could afford Mills the opportunity to clip him with something unforeseen.
By keeping his cool, Vargas can look to outbox Mills, taking any open lanes toward trying for a stoppage as well.
Bryce Mills’ Keys to Victory
Pressure forward
Bryce Mills achieves effective pressure by rolling and changing levels with his output, as it’s routine for the Upstate New York boxer to alternate from body to head.
He can use these methods as a means to crowd Emiliano Vargas’ space and pressure the coveted prospect.
Turn the volume up
Another solid component of Mills’ fighting game is his ability to drum up his punch output. Cranking up a high volume against Vargas will make the top prospect work and could goad him into mistakes, making it imperative for Mills to drive his punch count into an uptick.
Launch the overhand right
If Mills is successful at pushing himself into the pocket with Vargas, he ought to try to launch an overhand right which he leverages toward max impact.
This could be the underdog’s best weapon to pull off the big upset, as catching an unsuspecting Vargas with the booming shot could alter this fight.
Who has the edge in Vargas vs. Mills?
Analysis: DAZN News’ Mark Lelinwalla
Vargas might be hard-pressed to finish Mills within the 10-round distance, though he has the sweet science tools to have his hand raised on points. I expect Vargas’ straight right hand to land flush early, opening up avenues where he could string together stinging combinations as well. A stoppage is within reach, though I like Vargas via unanimous decision.
Zayas vs. Ennis - watch only on DAZN
Xander Zayas defends his WBO and WBA super welterweight titles against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis on Saturday, June 27, exclusively live on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Joshua vs. Prenga (July 25) and Canelo vs. M'billi (Sept 12) PPVs, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
