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Something Not Right with Fernando Vargas
TUE August 23, BUSTER PARIS - Something’s not right here. His cheek is swelling up before my eyes, his speech is somewhat distressingly slurred and even though he won the fight he seems utterly disappointed.
Something’s not right here with “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas.
He won his August 20th HBO 'Boxing After Dark' bout against Javier Castillejo, but he’s very disappointed in his performance. He said that he felt slow and felt off since round one. He wasn’t sure if the fight was too late at night or what have you, but he was genuinely and sincerely searching for a reason – not making excuses, but wholly trying to grasp an understanding of what went wrong for him.
This is exactly the scene I expected to see in June 2005 from Kostya Tszyu after his loss to Ricky Hatten right down to the mention of the time the match took place.
I would even expect to see this same scenario being played out all over Spanish television from Javier Castillejo’s post fight interview - with the added look in the eyes that older fighters get when contemplating retirement after a loss.
But it’s neither of these. This is coming from the 27-year-old winner of the fight in the height of his comeback tour.
Fernando knew something wasn’t right.
Something wasn’t right during the fight and something’s definitely not right during the post fight interview.
There’s already some great, insightful and surprisingly funny strings all over the web speculating what’s up with Vargas. These range from simply having a broken jaw all the way to the beginning stages of brain damage, but any way you look at it there’s something definitely not alright with him, there’s something off and considering his performance in this fight as well as his previous fight (a unanimous decision victory over Raymond Joval) I think it’s pretty much nearing the end for Fernando Vargas.
“Buster – Fernando won both of those fights”
Yes, he won both fights, but not in an impressive manner especially by Fernando Vargas standards.
And yes I’m aware that he is just coming back, that these are the first two fights in the comeback, but there’s something missing – here’s a couple of recent examples to highlight what I mean:
When Felix Trinidad came back he won soundly and impressively over Ricardo Mayorga…remember those two enormous words exploding everywhere you looked - “Tito’s back”!
Now before you say how Felix lost and retired after his bout with “Winky” Wright – he would have lost that fight in his prime as he did against Hopkins and as he (in my humble opinion) lost to De La Hoya (even though given the decision). Tito can’t beat a boxer, but that’s not the point here.
When James Toney came back he looked rough at first against Rydell Booker, won the fight and then impressively beat John Ruiz.
In both of these examples Trinidad and Toney may have had some ring rust, but they still had “it” and Vargas is missing that – missing the “it”
There’s just something not right.
“Well, Fernando’s working with a new trainer and new style. Throughout the Castillejo bout his corner kept telling him not to go to war. It’s a total change of styles for him”
Yes it is and he’s doing well with it and let me say I am wholeheartedly impressed with him for being able to do so. That’s got to be one of the hardest things for a warrior to do, to listen to your corner on strategy and boxing technique, to keep your cool and stay composed and changing what it is that you do naturally all the while being punched in the face. I’m completely impressed.
That being said though I think it’s too late for the new style to take hold. I think the “it” is gone for Vargas.
Before I go to the “it” let’s talk about new styles. Fernando is really trying to change from brawler to boxer, much like Mayorga is doing and like Arturo Gatti has done. He’s trying, but it really doesn’t suit him well.
Look at Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. He’s been in the same boat and working on a new style that has truly paid off well for him. He is a more complete fighter and able to box and brawl. It took a while for the boxing techniques to stick and make sense for him and us. Throughout Gatti teaming up with the brilliant Buddy McGirt we never questioned him like this, but we are and we have to question Vargas - and that question is does he have “it” anymore?
There is something that a fighter has that is special and unique to him. I call it “it”.
“It” is the thing that when a fighter digs deep he comes up with. “It” is inside all of us and fighters have this amazing ability to access it at will. “It” never fully goes away, but changes in fighters.
There are those out there right now chewing over the thought that the “it” got beaten out of Vargas by Trinidad and De La Hoya, whatever the case may be the “it” seems missing in Fernando right now.
There’s talk too that the comeback is all about the big fight and big payday with Oscar De La Hoya and while I mean no disrespect to Fernando I don’t think he’d have a chance against the “Golden Boy”.
Looking at the Jr. Middleweight division I think he’d lose the never to happen fight against Ricardo Mayorga. I also think he’d have a hard time against Mayorga’s last victim Michele Piccirillo as well as Kassim Ouma and Corey Spinks. My gut says he’d win against Piccirillo and Spinks, he’s much too powerful for them, but the El Feroz of old would easily win – this one would have a hard time of it.
What about 6 pounds north – the Middleweight division? Well, forgetting what alphabet ranking you’re looking at no way he beats Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins, "Winky" Wright, Oscar De La Hoya, Howard Eastman or Felix Sturm.
Whatever Vargas has planned next it seems his time may be running out. His best bet is a fight against Oscar, get the big payday and call it a career.
He could keep fighting lesser opponents and go on for years, but I hate the idea of Fernando Vargas becoming a journeyman or trial horse for the up and comers.
Something just not right about that.
Buster Paris can be reached at: bparis@talkingboxing.com - and always enjoys receiving your thoughts, comments and questions.
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