Fernando Vargas’ Last Hurrah -- It’s For Pride, He Says
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 23 Aug 2007
Two time junior middleweight champ, Fernando Vargas, the fearless warrior from Oxnard, California will finally be doing his last fight.
On Saturday, September 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Vargas will be meeting Ricardo Mayorga the “motor mouth” of Nicaragua at a catch weight of 162 lbs.
The 29-year old Vargas who parades a record of 26-4-0, 22KO is coming off from two successive losses to Shane Mosley, a 6th round TKO last February 2006 and a 10th round TKO on July of the same year. His previous lost was an 11th round TKO at the hands of Oscar de la Hoya in September 2002. After the de la Hoya fight, he won 4 successive fights, two by TKO and two by UD before his first defeat by Mosley.
“This will be my last fight for one reason only. It’s for pride. I can’t leave my career after a loss,” Vargas stated at a recent the Press conference held at the Staples Center.
Vargas and Mayorga had a very animated day at that Pres Con. They came to blows.
Mayorga initiated the melee by saying, “I will do Vargas a favor by retiring him so his family does not have to suffer every time he steps in the ring. I am going to do your wife a favor and not let her cry anymore after I disfigure you.”
Vargas who was seated closed to Mayorga stood up in anger after hearing Mayorga’s comment about his wife. Mayorga then smacked him. Vargas retaliated by landing two blows as their respective team members separated them. Vargas ended up with a cut on his hand and Mayorga, a small cut over his left eye and a bloody lip.
Mayorga (27-6-1, 22KO) last fought Oscar de la Hoya in May 2006. De la Hoya knocked him out in the 6th round to win the WBC junior middleweight title. De la Hoya subsequently lost the title to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Vargas and Mayorga have one thing in common. They both lost to Tito Trinidad and Oscar de la Hoya.
Vargas who promises to bring fireworks in the ring at fight night is not taking anything for granted in this fight. He stays at a condo less than a mile away from the gym he trains in Valencia to make things easier for him instead of traveling from Oxnard, a good 40 miles away. He also ordered a custom made mouth guard from our dental offices, something he never have before in all his previous fights. The mouth guard we made him is similar to what we made for Manny Pacquiao and the members of Team Philippines who won over Mexico two weeks ago at the Arco Arena in Sacramento.
The Vargas-Mayorga fight will be on pay per view.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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