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Click for larger image © Jorge Garcia
The Staples Centre in Los Angeles plays host this Friday to a bout between two former champions in Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga.
The big question obviously, when you observe this matchup, is how much has either man got left?
Lets start with Vargas. It’s hard to believe that “Ferocious” is still only thirty years of age. A former two time light middleweight champion, he still has a respectable professional record of 26 wins with only 4 defeats.
He first won world honours in December 1998 when he stopped the rugged Yory Boy Campas in seven rounds. Things seemed to be going well for Vargas when he successfully negotiated title defences against respected names such as Ike Quartey and Winky Wright.
Then, he stepped into the ring against Felix Trinidad in December 2000. Despite showing great heart, rising from two first round knockdowns, he was finally pummelled to defeat in 12 brutal rounds.
Vargas would rebound back a year later, regaining a version of the 154 pound title but in September 2002, he would suffer another damaging defeat to Oscar De La Hoya in 11 rounds in another unification matchup.
Since then, Vargas has had six bouts, winning four and losing two, the last being a six round defeat to Shane Mosley in July 2006.
Mayorga at 34 is the older man and a first became a world champion at welterweight with a fifth round knockout win over Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis in March 2002. He would add the WBC version with two victories over Vernon Forrest before losing a majority decision to American Cory Spinks in a battle for the undisputed 147 pound title in December 2003.
Mayorga would jump straight to middleweight after this defeat and would serve as a comeback opponent for the returning Felix Trinidad. However, Mayorga would suffer defeat in eight entertaining rounds in October 2004. His last bout was in May 2006 when he lost in six rounds to another returning superstar, Oscar De La Hoya.
To be brutally honest, if it wasn’t for the characters taking part in this upcoming bout, no-one would probably pay much attention.
However despite the faults and obvious wear and tear of both men, this could be a very entertaining matchup and as stated earlier, the big question is how much have both men got left.
For me, if it was merely a battle on talent, I would go for Vargas, handsdown. However, he did suffer a damaging defeat to Shane Mosley in July last year. The other worrying thing is that two other men to have beaten him also inflicted punishing defeats. Mayorga, although he has been beaten soundly by De La Hoya and Trinidad too, didn’t take the prolonged punishment that Vargas did.
I can see another give and take slugfest on the November 23, but I feel the additional strength and ruggedness of Mayorga will be the deciding factor as he stops Vargas in the mid to late rounds.
Quotes from Press Conference
FERNANDO VARGAS
(As he takes his shirt off) “Where’s the fat now, (Mayorga)? What are you going to say now you little punk? When I took my shirt off you could tell by the look in his eyes he was scared. The eyes don’t lie. They tell the complete story. I saw fear.
“I know what fear looks like because I have seen it in past opponents. Mayorga talks a big game, but he’s scared. He keeps saying I’m not in shape. I’m going to make him look stupid and finally shut him up Friday. He didn’t look as aggressive when he saw me with my shirt off.
“Mayorga stopped talking once he saw my abs. He was expecting me to be fat. Well, look at me now. He is going to do a little show like he always does, but Mayorga is scared and wants to run away. He knows he is in trouble and is going to get knocked out.
“I am a much more intelligent fighter, a much stronger fighter and a much better fighter. I invite everyone to come out on Friday and see how good I am.
“I’ve been working hard since January. We’re back on track and feeling great. I’m going to have Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. Then Friday, I’m going to put it on this cat.
“I want to be remembered as a great champion who never left anything in the ring. The only thing I’m going to leave in the ring on Friday is Mayorga’s blood.
“I’m humbled by the fact that this is my last fight and I am fighting in Los Angeles. I’m really going to soak up this win because this will be my last one.
“The only time I’ve hated someone this much was when I fought Ross Thompson. When I knocked him down I spit on him because he sucker-punched me at the press conference.
“I’m not going to spit on Mayorga because I’ll get fined. But I am going to knock him down and tell that joke to get him back up so I can knock him down again
“There are going to be a lot of crazy Mexicans (at STAPLES). The fight is going to be crazy. I’m just a Mexican from Oxnard, and I am going to show my fans a true fight. They are in for a treat.
“Analyze the fans when I come out of the tunnel. (See) how crazy they are. (Watch) how they react to me. I want you to compare them to the fans of the top 10 guys now in boxing. You’ll see how crazy my fans are because they’re like me.
“They are crazy, they are fanatical and I love that. I have the best fans in the world.
“I want to retire before I’m 30 years old and I turn 30 in a few weeks.
“I’m looking forward to this and putting on a great show. Mayorga is going to lose as many pints of blood as he wants to on Friday. If he keeps getting back up, he is going to keep losing more blood.
“It won’t go past six rounds.”
RICARDO MAYORGA
“Vargas started running before the press conference began. One of his handlers had to stop him and bring him back to the press conference.
“I am going to carry a 14-pound pig named Vargas into the ring. Vargas is nothing more than a pig. That is all that he is.
(Holding up a photo of Vargas) “You see this fat girl in this photo? This is the fat girl I am going to knock out. I would like to introduce her to you today. She is Fernando Vargas.
“Do you know who Vargas’ best friend is? It is Jenny Craig because she helps him lose weight.
“If Vargas stands and fights, I will knock him out in two rounds. If he chooses to run like a Barbie doll, I will knock him out in four rounds.
(Pointing to a throng of reporters) “Do you see any fear in my eyes? Do you? I’m not afraid of anyone, especially a coward like Vargas.
“I’ve said it all along that I am going to knock his (bleep) out! I don’t like him and I never have. He keeps pushing up the weight because he is too fat. He is just a fatty who thinks he can still fight. He doesn’t have any fight left in him. He is a coward.
“I’m going to hit him like he’s never been hit before. He doesn’t want to be in the same ring as me.
“Once I knock him out, Mexico is going to stand up and cheer for me. They will cheer for the true champion.
“Just to show you how confident I am in myself, I went to Las Vegas and dropped $1 million on myself to win by knockout. It doesn’t matter if Vargas is in shape or not. He has taken too many hits and suffered too many brutal losses. He shouldn’t be in the ring anymore.
“After I knock him out, I’ll explain to him how I did it because he is not going to know what hit him.
“If that plastic divider wasn’t separating us, I would have definitely hit him.
“I said this before but it is worth repeating. My mother’s birthday is coming up and one of the gifts I am giving her is a knockout of Vargas.”
Tickets, priced at $300, $150, $100 and $50, are on sale online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds at a catch weigh of 166 pounds.
Vargas and Mayorga will fight in a highly-anticipated main event of a card that begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and is being distributed by SHOWTIME® PPV.
