Latest rankings update places Vargas as WBA bantamweight champion while Seiya Tsutsumi returns to champion-in-recess status
The WBA has officially recognized Antonio Vargas as its bantamweight world champion ahead of next Saturday’s fight with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. The update resolves recent confusion surrounding the title picture and confirms Rodriguez will challenge for the WBA belt.
The WBA’s latest rankings update recognizes Vargas as its bantamweight world champion, while Seiya Tsutsumi has been designated champion in recess due to a medical condition.
The clarification comes after the sanctioning body’s listings had previously identified Tsutsumi as champion. Vargas now enters his scheduled defense against Rodriguez as the official WBA titleholder.
Tsutsumi won the WBA bantamweight title with a victory over Takuma Inoue in October 2024 and made his first defense against Daigo Higa in February 2025. That bout ended in a draw.
The WBA later ordered Tsutsumi to face Vargas, who held the interim title at the time. Before the fight could take place, Tsutsumi was moved to champion-in-recess status because of injury, leading to Vargas being elevated to full champion.
Vargas defended the title against Higa in July 2025, with that fight also ending in a draw. He has not fought since.
Tsutsumi later returned to action and regained recognition as champion, successfully defending the belt against Nonito Donaire in December 2025.
The WBA’s latest update once again places Vargas as champion, with Tsutsumi returning to recess status.
As a result, Rodriguez will be challenging for the WBA bantamweight title when he meets Vargas next Saturday. A victory would add another world championship to Rodriguez’s record before his anticipated move to the super bantamweight division, where a future showdown with Naoya Inoue has been widely discussed