By Janne Romppainen

10.09 - Who has been waiting for the “Bad Blood” between De La Hoya and Vargas? I have for one and I have waited it eagerly. I have hoped to see those two square it off ever since Ferocious Fernando broke through in the world level.

The fight has everything to become part of great boxing history. Both fighters are loved by ones and hated by the others. One of the fighters is an elegant, Tom Cruise look-a-like, highly skilled nice-guy, the other one is an aggressive, loud-mouthed kid who wants to destroy anybody they put in front of him. Now the fight is finally coming and the boxing world is electrified. But during the last weeks, I have become suspicious. Maybe this fight is coming too late after all.

It has been three and a half years since De la Hoya (34-2) beaten a fighter that could be considered as a real threat. Back then he stopped Ike Bazooka Quartey in one of his most impressive performances ever. Since then he has been beaten twice by the two best fighters he has faced. He has also defeated four fighters who haven’t been much of a threat for him. De la Hoya has changed his division one fight ago. In the lower weights he was nearly an unstoppable force and was known as a great puncher. He wasn’t the same however in the welterweight and now he is facing even a bigger man. His punch timing seemed to be rusty in his last fight against Javier Castillejo, and one would think that the break of over a year after that has done little to improve it. De la Hoya has been in many wars and possibly he has been in too many of them.

As for Fernando Vargas (22-1), he doesn’t seem to be the fighter he once was either. His last came two and a half years ago and, ironically enough, against Quartey as well. Since the fight that was his final breakthrough to the company of the very best he has scored three victories over mediocre opponents, but also lost the biggest fight of his life, via 12th-round-knockout to the great Felix Trinidad after a splendid battle. Losing to Tito is not a bad setback, but the fight might have taken a lot out of him. As everyone remembers, it was a classic where both men but especially Vargas took heavy punishment and finally he was put to the canvas in the final round utterly exhausted. Usually that kind of battles leaves its scar on a man and that seems to be the case with Vargas too. In his next fight he was floored by Wilfredo Rivera and the victory over Shibata Flores didn’t really impress anybody.

I am sure that both men will come out focused and with a strong desire to win, but I am not so sure that it is enough to turn the fight to a classic most people are waiting for. Instead, we might be seeing a fight where two fighters past from their primes are desperately seeking to reach one of they best days.

Maybe I am wrong and this break has done good for both of them and they both will come to the ring well-rested, well-trained and they put up a great fight. That is my greatest wish about the match-up. Maybe one of them has been able to whip himself back to his old form and thusly the fighter gets an easier-than-expected victory over his faded foe. Or maybe, as I suggested earlier, they both have lost their sharpness and this contest doesn’t turn out to be all we have waited for. Don’t be surprised if any of this scenarios happens in the 14th of September.

janneromppainen@hotmail.com