On Friday, November 23, 2007, "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas battles Ricardo Mayorga at The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
In a fight that was originally scheduled to take place on September 8, Fernando Vargas (26-4, 22 KOs) and Ricardo Mayorga (27-6, 22 KOs) finally dispense with the name calling and press conference melees to put on boxing gloves and settle their differences in the ring. If hundreds of thousands of people wish to contribute $44.95 for the Showtime Pay-Per-View, They'll be fine with that too.
Fully recovered from a bout of anemia that sidelined his training back in September, Vargas is looking forward to getting in the ring to restore some of the pride he intimated that he had lost in his KO losses to the likes of Felix "Tito" Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, and most recently, Sugar Shane Mosley. The Oxnard, CA native insists that this is his last fight.
Vargas Fighting for Pride
"This one is for pride, you know," Vargas told Suite 101. "I told my queens (Vargas' wife and mother) that this is it. I have my company, Vargas Entertainment Promotions, and some acting I'm doing, so, I'm training hard and I'm in great shape. I'm ready."
Mayorga, who is infamous for his pre-fight promotional rants, isn't ready to retire at 33.
"After I'm finished with "Fatty" (Vargas), I'll go back down to 147 (from 166--this fight's contracted weight) and take my title back," he said.
Mayorga Taunts Vargas
The title he speaks of is the WBC Welterweight Championship he lifted from the previously undefeated Vernon Forrest with a 3rd round knockout in 2003. Going into the fight, Mayorga displayed is usual braggadocio by munching on a slice of pizza while stepping on the scales at the weigh-in. After the fight he fired up a cigarette--in the ring.
In a July 11 press conference at The Staples Center, Mayorga, who is from Nicaragua, taunted Vargas mercilessly, eventually provoking his opponent to stand up and square off with him. Suddenly punches were thrown, tables overturned, Kathy Duva of Main Events Inc. dropped to the floor and covered her head as Don King stepped back from the dais to avoid injury.
While press conference brush-ups are common in boxing, there was no doubt among even the most jaded reporters in the building that the venom spewed that day was genuine. Mayorga sustained an abrasion under his left eye as Vargas claimed that the world got a snapshot of the fight.
Vargas Claims He's the Smarter Fighter
"He's a brawler," he said. "A stupid fighter. He threw a wild shot and I ducked and countered him. I'm an intelligent fighter--a counterpuncher. You saw what happened."
Though not a meaningful fight as middleweight rankings are concerned, with Vargas' fiercely loyal latino fan base in Southern California and the public animosity between the fighters, tickets are expected to be sold out by fight time.
