INSULTS WON'T RATTLE VARGAS CHAMP WANTS THOMPSON QUIET.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - Fernando Vargas calls this his megafight.

For if the Oxnard resident fails to beat relative unknown Ross Thompson tonight in a championship bout televised on HBO, his dream fight against Felix Trinidad - tentatively scheduled for Dec. 2 - would be lost.

If that's not incentive enough, Thompson has been kind enough to provide more: The No. 1 contender out of Buffalo, N.Y., hasn't stopped insulting the champion since the fight was announced.

The animosity boiled over at a news conference on Thursday, when Thompson punched Vargas and Vargas responded in kind before security guards were able to restore order. Vargas was left with a bloody lip and bubbling rage.

Now, the bulk of his focus has shifted from Trinidad and what that fight could mean to Thompson.

``The guy is going to get punished before he gets knocked out,'' Vargas said during the news conference. ``I'm definitely going to carry him for a while.

``He's going to get hurt. He's definitely going to get hurt.''

Thompson (24-3-1, with 16 knockouts) probably would've gotten hurt even if he'd kept his mouth shut and his hands to himself. But he's a great talker. His insults - ``He's a bum. He can't fight,'' for instance - are genuine but also calculated. He said calmly a few days before the fight that he intended to get under Vargas' skin.

However, he doesn't appear to have the skills to back up his mouth. Thompson was a candidate to make the 1992 Olympic team but failed and has lost his biggest fights as a pro, to James Page and Oba Carr.

This, he can only hope, is his coming out even though he's a 30-1 underdog.

``I always believed my time would come and this is it,'' he said.

Well, we'll see.

Vargas (19-0, 17 KOs) has a history of losing his cool outside the ring. The scuffle on Thursday and his pending assault case are the latest proof of that.

However, even a prefight punch to the jaw isn't likely to knock Vargas off his game. In the ring, he dismantles his opponents methodically and without a trace of emotion. He's too smart and has too much at stake to make a mistake as a result of a no-name fighter's empty bravado.

``I've never in my life lost my head in the ring,'' Vargas said earlier this week. ``I'm not saying I haven't on the outside but I've never lost it on the inside.

``If he thinks I'm going to get mad and go off my game plan, it'll never happen.''

Vargas certainly was calm and cool in his last fight, an impressive decision over tough-as-they-come Ike Quartey in April. Vargas stood up to Quartey's relentless aggression and simply outworked his Ghanaian challenger.

That victory further established Vargas' reputation as a rising star and set the stage for the possible fight with Trinidad in December.

Naturally, Vargas is excited about that prospect. He could climb to the top of the boxing world with a victory - which translates into boundless riches and fame - after a mere 21 fights.

He probably would be an underdog but many experts believe he has a good chance of winning.

``It's everything I've ever wished for and prayed to God for,'' he said. ``I feel I'm not getting the recognition I should be getting, being rated as one of the very best in the world.

``I understand I have to keep proving people wrong, though. And that's what I'll do.''

First, he has something to prove to Thompson.

FERNANDO VARGAS vs. ROSS THOMPSON

--What: Fernando Vargas (19-0, 17 KOs) of Oxnard defends his IBF junior middleweight championship against No. 1 contender Ross Thompson (24-3-1, 16 KOs)

--When: Tonight

--Where: Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas

--TV: HBO (10:30 p.m., delayed)

--Also fighting: Vernon Forrest (31-0, 25 KOs) faces Raul Frank (23-3-1, 12 KOs) for the vacant IBF welterweight championship

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Oxnard's Fernando Vargas weighs in for his title defense against Ross Thompson in Las Vegas.

Laura Rauch/Associated Press

Box: FERNANDO VARGAS vs. ROSS THOMPSON (See text)