WHEN undefeated WBA light-welterweight champion Jessie Vargas defends his title against Antonio DeMarco on November 22 in Macau, he will have Roy Jones Jnr in his corner. DeMarco, of course, will be coached by Freddie Roach.

Jones explained how the relationship with Vargas began:

“I called Jessie’s fight on HBO when he fought [Anton] Novikov last August.Jessie won but I did not see the improvements I was hoping to see,” said Jones. “He asked me to train him for the DeMarco fight and I agreed. I am working with five fighters right now but Jessie is my first champion. We worked on Jessie’s mechanics for the first four weeks before we began sparring. He’s developing more speed – and more speed means more power. My plan is to work Jessie’s corner in Macau, then go back to ringside and call the fights for HBO Pay-Per-View.”

Vargas explains further:

“We met for first time at his gym for a fundraiser and right out of the blue he said he would like to give me tips on how to throw punches with much more power. So I took him up on his offer and the very next day, in his gym in Las Vegas, he showed me a couple of things. I was intrigued by his method of teaching. That’s when I asked him if he would train me. He accepted and I am very excited to be working with Roy. He has so much to teach me. He knows all about power – who can ever forget Roy’s big hook? His in-ring positioning is the best and that is what he is teaching me. Already I feel the power. I am fighting my third straight left hander in DeMarco. We’ve had three left handed sparring partners in camp. It’s a thrill to be trained by Roy Jones. He not only tells you about a certain move but can show it to you, too. When you are a champion there are challenges and you have to keep improving yourself. I have a lot of stake in this fight. Manny is moving down to 140 lbs I am told. He is on my radar for the biggest fight of all.”

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