It was as if Errol Spence Jr.’s punching bag grew legs, got a few tattoos and followed him into the ring Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, as Spence pounded away at Samuel Vargas with little in the way of return fire.
When it was over—and it was over quickly with a fourth-round stoppage—the undefeated Spence outlanded Vargas (20-2-1, 10 KOs) by a brutal punch differential of 135 to 15.
From the opening bell, Spence hammered Vargas with beautifully thrown combinations.
Vargas attempted to press the action early, but his aggression was ineffective as Spence caught Vargas’ punches before countering in violent fashion.
By Round 2, Spence was walking Vargas down, pinning him against the ropes and unloading on his overmatched opponent.
Through it all, Spence displayed both power and poise, methodically picking Vargas apart and battering him with some wince-inducing body shots to the ribs.
Come Round 4, the referee had seen enough, stopping the fight.
“The game plan worked out,” Spence said afterward. “I knew that he was going to try to come forward at first. But when that didn’t work, he was just passive, so I picked him apart and waited for the shots to open up.”
Spence’s TKO victory was the fast-rising 147-pound prospect’s 13th stoppage in 16 fights.