Emiliano Vargas is 21, but he has been moved much more methodically by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. and the promotional company’s matchmakers.

Fernando Vargas wouldn’t have it any other way for a talented junior welterweight who was announced as The Ring’s “Prospect of the Year” for 2025 at The Ring's second annual awards gala Friday night at Cipriani in New York.

“We’re with the right promotional company for Emiliano,” Fernando Vargas, who trains his sons, told The Ring last year. “My other two boys have another promotional company [MarvNation]. But I just know that Top Rank knows what they’re doing, and I don’t need to say anything else but that. I’m excited for my son. He’s a future superstar.”

Las Vegas’ Vegas went 4-0 in 2025. Athletic, fast-handed and explosive, Vargas knocked out his first three opponents inside of two rounds, but he got in much-needed work in his final fight last year – a 10-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Montrel on November 15.

A masterful marketer, Emiliano (16-0, 13 KOs) is developing a fan base and intends to take incremental steps up in competition in 2026. He is scheduled to return to the ring against Argentina’s Agustin Quintana (22-2-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round bout on the Emanuel Navarrete-Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez undercard February 28 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

“All the good and bad that happened in my career served me with experience for my kids,” Fernando Vargas said. “So, that way, we don’t make the same mistakes. … You’re not gonna please anybody. People are gonna say, ‘You’re babying him. You’re feeding him bums.’ And then, later on they’ll say you fed him to the lions too quickly. Which one is it? Make up your mind. So, I’m gonna do whatever I need to do to do the right thing for my kids, and that’s what’s gonna happen.”

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Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing