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Ferocious Again (Part 1)
15 Rounds by Steve Kim (April 29, 2002)

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Fernando Vargas will be in Las Vegas this upcoming Cinco De Mayo weekend as planned. Only he won't be facing his arch-rival Oscar De La Hoya as he had hoped.

" I will be in Vegas," confirmed the WBA jr. middleweight champion." I wish I was in Vegas versus Oscar but unfortunately that's not going to happen. I'll be there with my sponsor Miller Lite and I've got a few appearances that I've got to make up there."

Like the rest of the boxing world, Vargas thought he would be counting down the final days till 'Bad Blood', a bout that would undoubtedly define both Vargas's and De La Hoya's careers and place in the Southern California hierarchy. Instead, he takes a step back and tries to get over his disappointment of the May 4th grudge-match that was postponed with De La Hoya's latest injury to his left hand.

"I've been training and working out, feeling good," said Vargas. " We're looking to fight two exhibitions in between. Obviously, we can't fight and if we did fight it wouldn't be anybody big, but we want to stay sharp because I feel good. I got this Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones mentality of just being in the gym and that's how I've been doing it lately and I'm just happy with the way I've been looking and feeling. I just want to stay on point."

Staying 'on point' would have been a big problem for Vargas in the past, as he would balloon to what he described as 'undisclosed' heights in between bouts. Which really meant he became a Mexican cruiserweight. Now, he claims to have made a 180-degree turn in philosophy.

"You're talking about eating and basically not running, not doing nothing," replied Vargas, when asked how he might have reacted to a long layoff before. "See, you got to understand that us Mexicans, we're not gifted with genetics, we can't eat Twinkies and be cut and ripped. We fight families and genetics. First genetics because that's our makeup. Second of all, our family, it's always 'C'mon mijo, you can eat a lil' bit more, c'mon mijo' anytime you go anywhere to like a cousin's house or to your mom's house, they're always telling you to eat. And me, I wasn't one to say no. So that's something I definitely have to watch and now I just feel so good, it's awesome, it's a new mentality. It's like I'm an amateur again and my body stays on point and I don't get fat and I'm happy about that.

"I run in the morning, 35,40 minutes, I do hill runs and I do afternoon training at five o'clock, and I do my pads every other day with my trainer. I stay sharp and that's how I've been basically staying on point. I feel happy with myself and I feel that's the difference now."

Like a kid with a new toy, Vargas hasn't hesitated to show off his new look. His camp had talked about keeping his body under wraps before the bout with De La Hoya. But in a rush of emotion last month, Vargas just couldn't help himself and he took off his shirt for the legion of fans that came to his pep rally at Olvera St. What was unveiled was a lean, muscular and sculpted physique.

"That was nothing," stated Vargas. "You should have seen me a couple of weeks after that and we've got pictures that we're going to post on my website, www. fernandovargas.com."

Vargas also has some sage words for young boxers everywhere just starting out. "Camp is 100-times easier, young fighters. It's no problem, just stay in the gym and you'll feel good. You don't have to be sparring while you're down, but just hit the bag, six, seven, eight rounds, work the circuit, work the pads, and you'll be 100-times better, quicker and faster."

One fighter that he will definitely impart that wisdom to is Francisco Bojado, who has now hooked up with Vargas' long-time trainer Eduardo Garcia and is currently doing some work at the La Colonia Gym in Oxnard. Bojado, who was so heavily hyped last year, came in badly out of shape and paid for it this past February by getting thoroughly beaten by Juan Carlos Rubio. Vargas and Garcia have a long ways to go.

"I took him on a run the other day," explained Vargas. "He threw up. And I told him that that was my easiest run. And I told him, 'You've got to be in shape, anybody who fights you is going to bring their A-game' and he's got to know that. People aren't going to see whoever you're fighting, they're coming to see you."

Vargas says that the comparisons to his earlier problems with 'Panchito's' are not valid.

"No, not really," explained Vargas." because when I was fighting back-to-back like that, I was definitely staying in the gym because I was fighting back-to-back, so that helped me a lot and I was always in shape. But when I won the title and you've got a duration of time in between fights, that's when you start staying out of the gym. Then you had to go a fight and get ready for camp, that's what messed me up.

"Now, it's different. You guys are gonna see the Fernando Vargas that beat Yory Boy Campas, Ike Quartey, Raul Marquez, fighters that were top-notch, but still got blasted out by Fernando Vargas. And you're gonna see everything that I'm putting together, come whenever I do fight De La Hoya. Whenever I do fight him, it's going to be an ugly situation for them because I'm bringing the heat."

'So what brought about this leaner, low fat 'El Feroz'? Well, in his post-Felix Trinidad funk he was dumped to the canvas by Wilfredo Rivera - a fight in which he said he had to dump excess weight in just a matter of weeks. Then he would have a so-so outing against Shibata Flores his next time out. The lesson was simple - boxing has to be a full-time endeavor. But that part was merely physical, as pounds can always be worked off. But it seems his time under house arrest( for his part in a 1999 assault and battery) was a time of reflection for Vargas.

"It's like a blessing in disguise," said Vargas of his sentence, that was completed in early March. "And if you really think about it, I had time to evaluate everything. My training, my mentality, my family, my kids, my fiancée. My girl has been with me since day one. That made me open up my eyes in a lot of different ways."

For Vargas, he didn't weed out anybody who he found not to be the truest of friends, but they weeded themselves in.

"It's like you really were locked up, you were at home but if you wanted to come over, you did. Me, I just wanted to see who'd come over just to come over. Y'know, just to talk, just to have a sandwich, just to chill out. Who would do that and those are the people I call my friends and the people who didn't go there, they got cancelled when I did find out about that, when it was over with."

Now, some of you (if not all) have probably noticed that he didn't seem to talk too much about a certain 'Golden Boy'. C'mon, this is Fernando Vargas, you know he did - and he didn't hold back. You'll just have to read about it in part two.

WEEKEND WARRIOR

I gotta say, I've got great stamina when it comes to boxing. No, not inside the ring, where I'm the Asian Bruce Seldon in that department, but when it comes to watching 'the Sweet Science' I could've won a marathon this past weekend- and not like Rosie Ruiz, mind you.

Friday Night- I start off with the Telefutura telecast from Friant, California which featured jr. middleweights Carlos Bojorquez pounding the tough Luis 'Tyson' Vasquez into submission. Remember when Fred Flintstone used to watch boxing and it would be two cavemen beating each other over the head with clubs? That was Bojorquez-Vasquez. Welterweight prospect Jose Celaya, who is now managed by Shane Mosley, would register a seventh round TKO over Alejandro Jimenez, who had my man Macka Foley in his corner. Macka's been in a slump, first he takes an 'o-fer' during celebrity boxing with Barry Williams and Paula Jones, and then this. Tough game, huh?

Then I switched over to the tape delayed broadcast of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. And it seemed to be one of their best shows of the year- not only did we see a stunning knockout, but because there was extra time for the studio segments. Sorry, but FNF's fights this year have been for the most part flatter than the plains of Kansas.

Omar Weis would earn a dull ten round verdict over Arturo Urena in the opener. What was funny was that Bob Papa and Teddy Atlas would raise a stink about Weis' tattoo ad from his last bout (against Hector Camacho Jr.) which had left a rash on Weis, and they spoke harshly against such advertisements. What was ironic was that by making such a fuss about it, they gave that company free publicity on a network that had banned such advertising.

Kudos to Max Kellerman for correctly defending the rights of boxers to put a little cash in their pockets. Maybe if the ESPN brass were more concerned about the quality of bouts they were airing instead of what 'debases' fighters, they would have some better fights instead of what's been put out this year by them.

In the main event, Julio Diaz was stunningly KO'd in one round by a single left hook by Juan Valenzuela. Diaz and Top Rank thought they were right in the mix of a suddenly fertile lightweight division, but instead, Diaz goes from prized prospect to a 'never was' in a matter of months. This truly was a 'KTFO'.

In between all this, Larry Mosley would suffer his first loss in dropping a tight six-rounder to the game Dagoberto Najera.

Saturday: After a brisk workout at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym, I was ready to watch some boxing. I started out with the ShoBox telecast that had two contrasting styles. The first bout was a snoozer between William Abelyan and Jesus Salud. Abelyan would stink his way to an easy 10-round decision.

In the main event, Carlos Navarro and Omar Adorno would fight in a phone booth and trade leather throughout. It was called a draw across the board and it seemed like the right call. Navarro, once a hot prospect, looks like he's seen better days.

For the Showtime card at the Mohegan Sun I would venture over to a friend's house that had Showtime's eastern feed. Let HBO and Showtime battle all they want, I got it covered. Rocky Juarez would look impressive in stopping the lanky Javier Ortiz in a workmanlike manner. Juarez will never excite you in short bursts, but over the long haul you begin to appreciate this grinder's heart and tenacity. He's a high character guy that will go places.

After his win, both his manager Shelly Finkel and Gary Shaw of Main Events would come into the ring to excitedly greet 'Rocky' with hugs and kisses. This after basically forgetting about him while they pushed guys like Jeff Lacy and Bojado. Juarez is making sure that nobody forgets about him again in the future.

Then Malik Scott would KO Britton Thomas in the opening round with a barrage of quick combinations. Scott, who I met at the 2000 Olympic Box-offs is another genuinely nice kid who seems to have a future. Give him about two or three years-and about 20 pounds and he could make some noise. Seriously, doesn't he look like a heavyweight version of Junior Jones? It's uncanny.

In the main event, 'The Black Rhino', Cliff Etienne, would stave off extinction by earning a well-deserved 10-round decision over Terrance Lewis- who himself looks a bit like comedian Martin Lawrence.

During that time I would catch a bit of the local card being televised by KCAL9 from the Anaheim Pond and promoted by Top Rank. It was no surprise as Julio Gonzalez would stop the shot Joseph Kiwanuka in seven rounds, but the most notable thing about this telecast was the farce involving former inmate Joey Torres. I don't want to get into this too much, but just read Fiona Manning's piece and that'll tell you the whole story.

What's ironic is that Top Rank had made a big push on the local media to make sure Torres could tell his story. With allegations of a fixed bout and the farcical nature of his bout, everyone involved has egg all over their faces. But I have to admit, I did laugh loudly in watching that whole scenario play out.

Finally, I got to the HBO double-dip from the Theatre in Madison Square Garden. Johnny Tapia would get a fortunate decision in winning the IBF featherweight crown from the hard-luck Manny Medina. Tapia will now most likely take on Naseem Hamed, and Medina? Well, he'll probably work on becoming a five-time featherweight titlist. Believe me, we haven't seen the last of 'Mantecas'.

In the main event, Jameel McCline would outwork Shannon Briggs over ten heats to continue his development. I like 'Big Time' but the bottom line is that his last three W's (against Michael Grant, Lance Whitaker and Briggs) are 'big' victories only in actual feet- seriously, that's almost 20 feet between the three if you laid them out. McCline still has a ways to go, as he's still a bit stiff and he needs to be more natural in letting his hands go. But I'll say this, for a guy with that little amateur experience, he has made some remarkable strides. Let's hope they don't rush into 'the Big Time'.

There you have it, 96 rounds of boxing I watched in a 24-hour stretch. Yeah, I'm a soldier, I know. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

FINAL FLURRIES

I didn't watch any of the women's bouts that came on during some of the telecasts or I would have been over the century mark.... Now, why didn't I watch those? Personal preference, I don't watch the WNBA either.... Oh, by the way, did anyone catch the last heavyweight bout on ESPN2? I'm not going to mention the names of those two to protect the embarrassed, but that had to be the worst televised match I've ever seen. Can't blame anyone for that as they probably ran out of matches they could put on, but that made the Joey Torres fiasco look like the 'Thrilla in Manila'....Also, 'Mad Max' was all over Don King and the country of Italy for the verdict that was rendered for the Michelle Piccirillo-Cory Spinks bout a few weeks back and he may have a point. But it should be pointed out that Spinks own promoter, Top Rank, didn't exactly do him any favors by not winning the purse bids for that fight.... Not saying that they should have, after all, boxing is a business, but King protected his guy, Arum chose not to.....

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