Vargas’ Pro Boxing Debut Delayed Because of Injury to Left Thumb

Oxnard welterweight Fernando Vargas underwent surgery this week in New York to repair a torn ligament at the base of his left thumb, and his professional debut will be delayed until at least February, a spokesman for Main Events Productions said Friday.

After failing to win a medal at the Atlanta Games, Vargas, 18, was originally scheduled to make his debut Nov. 20 in Oxnard and follow that with a space on the undercard of the Dec. 14 Riddick Bowe-Andrew Golota bout in New York, but he injured his thumb last week in Oxnard, apparently during training.