BOXING: VARGAS LOOKING 'FEROCIOUS'.

Byline: ROBERT MORALES Boxing

It's not often we see Fernando Vargas looking so slim and trim a month before a fight. Last week at a news conference in Universal City, Vargas was all that, minus the bag of chips.

Or, in his case, bunuelos and tamales. We all know what tamales are. Bunuelos are a deep fried Mexican pastry coated with cinnamon and sugar. Now we know why Vargas was 193 pounds when he began training for his most recent fight against Javier Castillejo last Aug. 20.

Vargas has finally learned his lesson, so it appears. The prideful fighter from Oxnard, a former two-time junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, at 28 understands he can't afford to lose nearly 40 pounds in 11 weeks, like he recently did.

Last Tuesday, he weighed 166 pounds, a month and a day before his upcoming Feb. 25 fight against ``Sugar'' Shane Mosley at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

``I'm happy because I didn't let that happen this time,'' Vargas said. ``I took measures to make sure I knocked off the weight. During the holidays, it was the toughest. Tamales, not one. Bunuelos, not one. Nothing. Tortillas, nothing.

``I have a sweet tooth and I love bunuelos. My grandmother really hooks them up.''

Vargas said after his fight with Mosley, he is going to make up for missing out on those Christmas delights by having ``my own Christmas.'' But right now, he said he is as strong as ever and plans to stay that way as he makes a push for another world championship.

He did defeat Castillejo via decision, but it was hardly an awe-inspiring effort. Vargas fought rather defensively and, at times, had trouble with Castillejo, a former champion who was 37.

``If I could have kept up the pace with Castillejo, I could have gotten him out of there,'' Vargas said. ``But I couldn't. I was shot from Round 1. I had to lose four pounds the day of the weigh-in; I went to the sauna for an hour and I passed out when I got out of it.

``But I don't blame nobody for that but myself because I have to watch myself between camps. That's what I did for this one.''

Vargas went on to say that next month we are going to see the old Fernando, the one who lived up to his moniker, ``Ferocious.''

Vargas has not held a world title since losing his World Boxing Association belt to Oscar De La Hoya on Sept. 14, 2002, by 11th-round technical knockout at Mandalay Bay. Vargas, 26-2 with 22 knockouts, is 4-0 with two knockouts since that loss.

Mosley, of Pomona, is 34. He is 41-4 with 35 knockouts. He has won unanimous decisions over David Estrada and Jose Luis Cruz since losing for the second consecutive time to Winky Wright in November 2004. Mosley has won titles in the lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight divisions.

Mosley owns two victories over De La Hoya, but many believe he is past his prime. He told reporters Tuesday, however, that he plans to show everyone he is as good as ever.

``I am in tremendous shape right now,'' Mosley said. ``I could fight tomorrow if needed. All I'm doing now is sharpening my tools.''

If Vargas and Mosley are anywhere close to their best, this will be a very good, perhaps tremendous, fight. But if they are not, it will be difficult to justify the $44.95 HBO is charging for the pay-per-view telecast.

--Hopkins-Jones a matter of dollars: It appears the fight between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. wasn't as done as Golden Boy Promotions recently said it was. Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, last week said that although talks continue, there are money issues that are preventing the deal from being completed.

He said the fight is not a dead issue, that it still could happen sometime early summer. It will definitely not happen March 11, the date agreed upon when Golden Boy announced the fight last month.

--Taylor-Wright bid reportedly delayed: Fightnews.com reported Sunday that a World Boxing Council purse bid scheduled for today in Cancun, Mexico, for the Jermain Taylor-Winky Wright middleweight title fight, was delayed 10 days at the request of Lou DiBella and Gary Shaw, promoters for Taylor and Wright, respectively.

If an agreement between the parties still is not reached, the purse bid will take place Feb. 9 in Mexico City. DiBella, reached by telephone Sunday, told The Daily News he is hopeful the deal can get done without a purse bid, where any licensed promoter can submit a proposal.

``If we weren't optimistic, we wouldn't have delayed the purse bid,'' DiBella said.

Wright is the No. 1 contender to Taylor's WBC belt.

--Wills to take on Kaluza: Damian ``Bolo'' Wills of Hollywood, the state heavyweight champion, on Thursday will take on Doug Kaluza of Lincoln, Neb., in the main event at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.

Wills, 25, is 17-0-1 with 14 knockouts. This will be his 11th fight at Henry Fonda. Kaluza, 42, is 17-4-1 with 10 knockouts. Most of his fights have been on the Midwest circuit.

Seven bouts are scheduled for the Pound-For-Pound Boxing Promotions card. First bell is 7 p.m. and tickets are available at the door, or by calling [phone].

--Also: Mexico's Jose Luis Castillo will square off with Rolando Reyes on Saturday in the super lightweight main event at Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. Showtime will televise.

Castillo (53-7-1, 47 KOs) was supposed to fight Diego Corrales in a third fight Saturday, but Corrales sustained a rib injury and pulled out. Reyes, his replacement from Oxnard, is 26-3-2 with 16 knockouts.

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