Antonio Vargas put on a show of strength and courage  against Jonathan Rodriguez with a seven round TKO to win  the World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight eliminator on Saturday night. 

Vargas fought at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, where he has made several of his recent fights, and this victory brings him closer to a world title shot. 

But not everything was easy for Vargas, in the first round Rodriguez shot him a right hand that sent him to the canvas and had to get up to turn the actions. In the second round he began the comeback with a great attack and knocked down Rodriguez, but the referee deducted two points for illegally hitting the Puerto Rican while he had his knee on the canvas. 

However, Vargas dominance became evident when he stared winning exchanges thanks to his hand speed and putting the Puerto Rican in trouble at all times. In round seven he knocked him down again and the referee did not allow him to continue after the accumulated punishment in a very entertaining and action-packed fight. 

Vargas left his record at 18 wins, 1 loss and 10 knockouts, while Rodriguez now has a record of 17 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw and 7 knockouts.