Jessie Vargas and Liam Smith have agreed to terms for a 154-pound fight on Feb. 5 in Phoenix, multiple sources told ESPN.
The fighters had previously agreed to fight Jan. 28 or Jan. 29 in Las Vegas before it was rescheduled, according to sources. The co-feature on the Feb. 5 card will be a 115-pound bout between Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras.
A Vargas-Smith bout has been discussed for more than a year but finally came to fruition on the heels of Smith's knockout of Anthony Fowler in October.
"It's a fight I've wanted for some time and one I'm very confident of winning in style," Smith told ESPN.
The 33-year-old Smith suffered a controversial decision loss to Magomed Kurbanov in May before rebounding with the win over Fowler to set up another meaningful fight on the world level.
One of four fighting brothers from Liverpool, England, Smith made two defenses of his 154-pound title before he was stopped by Canelo Alvarez in 2016. Liam's younger brother, Callum, was outpointed by Alvarez in December.
While Smith (30-3-1, 17 KOs) fought twice in 2021, Vargas (29-3-2, 11 KOs) will end a career-long 23-month layoff when he returns. The Las Vegas native dropped a decision to Mikey Garcia in that February 2020 bout at welterweight, and will now gear up for a title chase in a third weight class.
The 32-year-old won titles at 140 pounds and 147, but will make his 154-pound debut against Smith.
Earlier in November, Vargas announced he's campaigning as a republican for Nevada's Fourth U.S. Congressional District. The primary is in June with the election to follow in November.
"We need change, and it starts with proper leaders who will look out for the best interest of their constituents," Vargas told ESPN. "Representing my community is my No. 1 priority. It's the fight that matters to me!"
Before then, he has another fight to worry about, and a win could help launch his campaign.