'Sugar' Still Sweet, Vargas Gone Sour
By Gabriel Montoya, Photo © German Villasenor (July 16, 2006)
'Sugar' Shane Mosley knocked the Gatorade outta Fernando Vargas Saturday night with a left hook more explosive than the Kool-Aid Guy. He did it after six rounds of masterful boxing that reminded us just how sweet ‘Sugar’ once was. Straight powerful jabs. Lead rights. Always circling. A Boxer’s Boxer, ‘Sugar’ Shane is. For a man picked against in this rematch by many in the media, Mosley showed tonight that a great little man can beat a good big man almost every day of the week.

Fernando Vargas on the other hand, looked twice Mosley’s 34 years. To call him plodding would be an insult to people who plod. Coming into the fight this week, it struck me as odd that the pattern for Vargas’ last several fights has been for him to talk about his nutritionist as much as he does his opponent. This promotion proved no different. Watching him
fight, it is clear that something is missing in the translation from camp to the ring. Perhaps all that talk about the nutritionist is code for ‘I spent camp cutting weight rather than strictly training to fight ‘? Sure looks like it.

The fight began much the first fight did. Mosley, ever moving. Side to side. In and out, quick like a conductor’s wand searching for its rhythm. The Pride of Pomona set the tone with a quick jab and some early combos. Vargas, not cutting off the ring or getting Mosley to the ropes: a tactic that was successful in their first fight. By the third round the feeling out process was over and Mosley came out banging, looking to test Vargas for another gear. Apparently there wasn’t one, as Mosley began to tee off. The only thing saving Vargas was Mosley’s inability to throw punches for very long due to age in my opinion. The older fighter is crafty and knows how to dole out the punishment slowly. At this point, I’d say the best things that Vargas had done were the odd counter hooks along with some low-key bodywork.

In addition to the fine effort of both fighters, referee Kenny Bayless has to be commended. He helped what could have turned into an ugly clinch fest in the early going into a fairly exciting, albeit one-sided, fight. Mr. Bayless is one the best in the business as well as a personal favorite and kept the action clean with warnings to both sides for lowblows and headbutts as well as getting the action going by insisting the fighters ”work it out”.

In the fourth round it was target practice for Mosley as he stepped up the pace even further and looked to finish things with combos to the head and body of Vargas. A big right that spun Vargas around put an exclamation point on the round. Vargas started the fifth with some urgency, applying pressure and letting his hands go more. A cut over Vargas’ right eye briefly halted the action and when it resumed, Mosley showed flashes of his once blinding hand speed, showering Vargas with punches to close the round.

The fatal six began and Vargas came out jabbing and looking to counter. He began to circle away from Mosley to his left, waiting for the right opportunity. Mosley was having none of that and moved in with jabs and rights to the head and body. With less than a minute to go Mosley, up on his toes, landed a crushing left hook to a squared up and wide open Vargas that sent him crashing to the canvas and desperately trying to regain his faculties. Somewhere the Kool-Aid Guy was yelling “OH YEEEAAHHHH“. Vargas got to a knee, toppled over and courageously got to his feet. Bayless warily allowed Vargas to continue and ‘Sugar’ merciless poured it on Vargas, forcing Bayless to stop the action. Vargas didn’t complain at all as he did in their first meeting. Gracious in defeat, Vargas gave all credit to Mosley.

For Fernando Vargas, the road of retirement seems likely. At his best, he was never able to topple the greats of the sport. Now at his worst, it seems unlikely he will ever find a glimmer of the prime he was denied by being rushed into tough battles at such an early age.

In a year that has seen greats come back and greats go off into the sunset, ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley, the Pride of Pomona, has some thinking to do. Already verbally committed to taking the rest of the year off, a return next year, in the autumn of a great career seems dangerous. Especially if that return happens against this era’s version of the man who first wore the names ‘Sugar’ and pound-for-pound kingpin. Whatever the future may hold, Mosley can rest assured that for at least this Saturday night, ‘Sugar’ is still as sweet as he once was.


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