By Mallory Mattingly
Pro boxer Antonio Vargas worships from the ring, but he told Sports Spectrum’s Matt Forte that he makes honoring God in all areas his lifestyle.
“God delivered me about 23, 24, and that’s why, every time you see me in the ring, I come out to Christian music,” Vargas said while on the podcast. “I worship. That’s not something I just do just to fight. It’s a lifestyle. In private, I don’t listen to worldly music. I watch what I hear. I watch what I see. I’m always guarding things, always reading scripture.”
The athlete explained that he has one job as a fighter: to bring glory to God, no matter the result.
“My job as a fighter is to shine the light of Christ and to lead people to Christ because you see a lot of hypocrisy in the church and stuff like that, and I’m like, ‘Lord, I want to practice what I preach. I want to walk the walk,’” he declared.
Vargas constantly uses his social media platform to tell others about God.
In a post he shared on Instagram, Vargas included Psalm 128:1-2: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.”
“This is going to be a good year for me🙏🏼 All glory to my God, Jesus,” Vargas added in the caption.
In another post, Vargas shared a photo of him in the boxing ring on his knees in prayer.
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“Thank you, Jesus. You are worthy of all the glory and praise,” the professional boxer wrote.
His fans applaud him for his boldness to be unashamed about his faith.
“This is why you’re one of my favorite fighters,” one person wrote.
Another commented on a snippet of the podcast shared on the Sports Spectrum Instagram page, “It’s so heartwarming to hear this. — a young man with good values it’s hard to find. I’m super proud of you Tonio. May you continue to stand firm on your beliefs and do well in your career.”
In Vargas’ last fight, he was knocked to the ground in the second round.
“I’ve never been hurt like that in my life. I was hurt bad,” he told Sports Spectrum, adding, “But when I fell on the ground, I remember I said the name of Jesus. I’m like, ‘Jesus, help me.’”
Vargas got up, experiencing double vision and “wobbly” legs.
“This fear hit me,” he recalled. But then he prayed, “Lord, I know if I’ll make it out of this round.”
Through his faith in God, Antonio Vargas would go on to win that fight against Winston Guerrero by technical knockout in the 10th round.
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