
Originally Posted by
TitoFan
It doesn’t have to be the greatest fight of all time… just your personal favorite. What fight did you see that thrilled you the most? That instantly became your personal favorite of all time? That you’d watch over and over again?
My own Favorite Fight of All Time (no surprise here) was the Trinidad-Vargas fight.
There are many factors involved. First, Tito was on the rise and had already won the hearts of Puerto Rican boxing fans everywhere. He was starting to get the vastly overdue recognition from the U.S. media after his win (albeit controversial) over Oscar de la Hoya. Then… there was the Puerto Rican-Mexican boxing rivalry thing. Few sporting events get the people here (in P.R.) as excited as a PR-Mexican championship fight.
Then there was Vargas himself. Young, arrogant, and undefeated… a tough brawler and puncher who distanced himself from De la Hoya when he claimed: “This Mexican won’t run.”
So the buildup to the fight was tremendous. I admit to have been a bit nervous, ‘cause I had seen Vargas in some impressive KO victories. Then there was the fight itself. Vargas knocking over the fake stone blocks in his grand entrance to the ring, complete with Aztec warriors and fire coming out of the ground. Then while getting the last pre-fight instructions, Vargas’ look of total disdain toward Tito. One of his handlers pulled him away briefly for a last minute shot of water (yes, I remember… I’ve seen it many times), and when Vargas turned back toward Tito, he came to within inches of Tito’s face. Real intimidating stuff.
Then the bell rang. First, let me mention that my house was full of people watching the fight. I had to take the TV out to the terrace so everyone would fit (and to minimize any damage from excessive celebrations). Anyway, when Tito knocked Vargas down in the very first round, we all erupted in wild cheering. I thought the fight was over. But to Vargas’ credit (and what made the fight an instant classic), he showed his heart and his guts, and he survived that first round. Not only that, the fight became a tremendous battle of survival, with both men giving and taking with all they had. There was a nervous quiet stretch, when Vargas knocked Tito down and won some of those middle rounds.
Then the end of the fight. I wanted a knockout, not a decision. And when the KO came, it was delirium all over again.
Some people don’t understand this, but boxing can cause this sort of thing like few other sporting events can. To the British boxing fans here, can you imagine the scene in Las Vegas (and all across England) had Hatton somehow pulled off not just a win, but a KO victory over Floyd Mayweather? Hell… they’d STILL be clearing the streets of Las Vegas and in Manchester. Also, although not very big in Puerto Rico or the U.S., how about football? (or what we call “soccer”) Anyone who watches the news knows just how intense the fans at a soccer match can be. Especially when rival countries are facing each other. Well… that’s what it’s like.
So although there’s probably been better fights (though I can’t think of many), Trinidad-Vargas is MY alltime personal favorite. What’s yours?
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