Fernando Vargas Jr. Arrested for DUI After Universal Studios Crash

The Vargas name is back in the headlines, and not for what happens inside the ropes.

Fernando Vargas Jr., son of former world champion Fernando Vargas, was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of driving under the influence after a three-car collision in a parking structure at Universal Studios.

The crash was reported just before 8 p.m. in one of the theme park’s multilevel garages. According to a report cited by NBC 4, the 27-year-old boxer was taken into custody at the scene after officers arrived to find three vehicles involved in the incident.

Remarkably, authorities said no one was injured.

In a news release, the California Highway Patrol stated that Vargas Jr. was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. The CHP confirmed that the case will be presented to county prosecutors, who will now decide whether to file formal charges. As of now, there is no conviction, only an arrest and an open investigation.

Soon after the crash, another layer of intrigue emerged. A short video, reportedly filmed before the collision, began circulating online. It shows Vargas Jr. shirtless next to an unidentified woman. The clip offers no clear insight into what led to the crash, and the exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.

For Vargas Jr., it is another off-ring storyline at a time when his fighting career is still trying to find steady ground.

Earlier in 2026, he was involved in a separate controversy when footage surfaced of an altercation with his younger brother, fellow fighter Amado Vargas, in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel. The confrontation, captured on video, sparked speculation about personal tensions inside one of boxing’s most recognizable families.

Those distractions have arrived during a pivotal stage of his career.

Vargas Jr. turned professional in 2020, stepping into a sport his father once ruled as a ferocious world champion. He picked up momentum on the way up the ladder, then hit a higher-profile stage when he faced Callum Walsh on the undercard of the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez event. That light middleweight bout ended in a unanimous-decision loss, a setback that pushed him to rethink his path.

He chose a different route: bare-knuckle boxing.

On July 25 in London, at BKB 57, Vargas Jr. returned to competition and stopped Allen Gary Jhon with a second-round knockout, a brutal finish that briefly shifted the conversation back to his power and potential.

Now the narrative swings again.

While his father, Fernando Vargas, remains a respected figure from his own championship days, the younger Vargas finds himself fighting a very different kind of battle—one that will be decided not in a ring, but in a courtroom, and in the court of public opinion.