By Matthew Hurley: The Fernando Vargas vs. Ricardo Mayorga bout remains intriguing because it pits two well past their prime but still exciting fighters against each other. Despite withering skills and diminishing returns in recent bouts, both men are fueled by machismo which will result at some point, probably early, in several toe-to-toe exchanges. That’s good for fans that are willing to shell out the fifty bucks for the pay per view event..
Much has been made in the recent past of the damage Vargas has suffered in his career. His fight with Felix Trinidad is often pointed to as the turning point where the talented boxer from Oxnard, California became damaged goods. In a brutal give and take battle Vargas was finally stopped after suffering his fifth knockdown in the twelfth round. After that fight Fernando never seemed quite as steady in the ring again. There always seemed to be residual dust from the Trinidad demolition billowing around him. He fought on admirably winning a second junior middleweight title before falling to Oscar De La Hoya and then in his final two fights losing by stoppage to Sugar Shane Mosley. The question going into his fight with Mayorga remains, what does he have left?
Mayorga’s situation is much the same. He too suffered knockout defeats to Trinidad and De La Hoya and his chin is almost as questionable as Fernando’s. The only difference is Mayorga sticks his out to be hit willingly. It’s a tough guy tactic that almost got him decapitated by two thunderous Trinidad left hooks. Also, fighting at 166 pounds can only hurt Mayorga because his best fighting weight was at 147. His punch has never retained the same concussive power since he’s moved up. Still, he remains a markedly crude but dangerous wild, wide swinging banger.
The fight could hinge on who lands first which basically means if Mayorga can land one of his bombs early we’ll know whether or not Vargas can take a punch. The feeling here is that Fernando has just enough left in the tank to pull out a victory. Mayorga, as he has done in every fight he’s been in, will make it interesting and potentially dangerous for “El Feroz” for as long as it lasts but Vargas’s technical superiority should be able to counter most of “El Matador’s” mad rushes.
Look for Vargas to survive a few shaky moments and slowly bust up the Nicaraguan’s face with jabs and uppercuts. Mayorga’s free winging style will begin to tire him out in the mid rounds and then Vargas will step up his attack stopping Ricardo in the eighth round.
Vargas TKO 8 Mayorga