Mosely vs Vargas II: Does Fernando have enough left? Rematch could be great Fernando Vargas is not the kind of man you would want to meet in an alley. A boxing ring, on the other hand, may be the safest place in the world right now to encounter the man they call "El Feroz." Vargas is a +160 underdog in Saturday's junior middleweight bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against "Sugar" Shane Mosley, the -220 favorite. Those odds may be generous to Vargas. The native of Oxnard, Calif. has a lifetime record of 26-3 with 22 knockouts, but one of those three losses was in his last fight, a TKO loss to Mosley back in February. Those in the know believe Vargas simply doesn't have the physical tools to win a fight against such a quality opponent as Mosley - his other two losses were to Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya. Check out Bovada and start winning NOW! Bovada Sportsbook, Casino, Poker Room & Racebook is known in the online gambling industry for having phenomenal customer service, safe and secure deposit methods, fast & easy payouts and terrific bonuses! BET on Sports & play Poker at BOVADA and receive a 20% FREE BET on your first deposit! Vargas' mental health is always in question. Some believe his anger issues keep him from being the champion that he once was. A trip to Oxnard, on the other hand, suggests that Vargas may have always been fueled more by rage than anything else. The postwar boom in Southern California saw so-called "white flight" out of cities and into suburbs, creating impoverished neighborhoods such as Oxnard's La Colonia Barrio. Vargas was born into this poverty in 1977, to a father he never met until over 20 years later. He is, in nearly every sense of the word, a thug. "I'm in the business of hurting people, and business is good," Vargas said back in 2000. That attitude, along with his natural physical gifts (and steroids, for which he tested positive after his loss to De La Hoya in 2002), has carried Vargas to much success in the ring. Each of his fights is an opportunity for Vargas to resume his Darwinian quest to beat the holy tar out of anyone who crosses his path - sparring partners included. But he never seemed to have the same fire when it came to learning the sweet science. That stubbornness has taken a dramatic physical toll. Vargas suffered a disc injury in a 2003 fight against Tony Marshall that kept him out of the ring for well over a year, and then broke his right hand last August versus Javier Castillejo. Getting pummeled by the likes of De La Hoya is one thing, but suffering that level of abuse against lesser fighters was entirely avoidable. Vargas is also a victim, to some extent, of his own size. He is a big man for a junior middleweight, and the task of getting down to 152 pounds is always a struggle for him. Mosley, on the other hand, is a natural welterweight and beat De La Hoya for that title in 2000. Perhaps most tellingly, Vargas is already focused on life after boxing. His Nawshis clothing line is a hit, and Vargas is also dabbling in the entertainment industry, with a role in the upcoming Nick Cassavetes film Alpha Dog and a talk show set to begin production for Telemundo this autumn. Anyone who saw Antonio Tarver's lackluster effort against Bernard Hopkins has read this script before. This Saturday could very well be the last time we see Vargas in a boxing ring - aside from the silver screen, that is. For Boxing odds click here. Comments or Questions? Email FaceOff@Bodog.com. --- by BetUSradio at 1800-sports.com on July 14, 2006
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