Super welterweights Jessie Vargas (29-3-2 11 KOs) and Liam Smith (30-3-1 17 KOs) collide in the co-feature of the April 30 Taylor-Serrano card at Madison Square Garden in New York City. streamed live worldwide on DAZN. Vargas returns to the ring for the first time since his narrow reversal at the hands of Mikey Garcia in February 2020, while Smith stopped local rival Anthony Fowler in eight rounds last October. Vargas and Smith were originally due to meet this weekend in Phoenix, but COVID ruled out Vargas.

Jesse Vargas: “Liam is talking a lot, the fire is burning inside me. You don’t trash talk me, I’m coming in a different person. This will be an action-packed fight. I’ll exploit all of his weaknesses and take him out – My goal is to knock him out and retire him!”

Liam Smith: “Jessie stopping me? I find that highly unlikely when only one person has done that and Jessie is no Canelo Alvarez. I fully intend on stopping him, being the first man to do it and adding my name to the names that have beaten him.”