MOSLEY SHOWS HE'S A CLOSER HE WINS IN THE 10TH ROUND AS EYE INJURY DERAILS VARGAS.Byline: Robert Morales Staff Writer LAS VEGAS Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. - Fernando Vargas Fernando Vargas (born December 7, 1977 in Oxnard, California) is an American boxer and two-time world champion, who won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. His nicknames include "Ferocious" and "The Aztec Warrior". on Saturday showed about as much courage as can be expected from a fighter, but it was not enough to take care of ``Sugar'' Shane Mosley "Sugar" Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971) is a boxer from Pomona, California. He has won world titles in three weight divisions and is the only boxer to date to have beaten Oscar de la Hoya twice. . Mosley stopped Vargas at 1:22 of the 10th round after Mosley landed a punch on the closed-shut left eye of Vargas. Mosley had been hammering the eye - which was swollen from the first round - and when he smashed it one more time, referee Joe Cortez Joe Cortez (born 1945 in New York, New York) is a Puerto Rican boxing referee who has worked many important world title bouts. Biography Cortez moved to Puerto Rico during his childhood. Living there, he became fluent in Spanish. stopped the fight. The World Boxing Association World Boxing Association (WBA) is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association, it is one of three major organizations recognized by IBHOF junior middleweight junior middleweight n. In both senses also called super welterweight. 1. A weight division in professional boxing having an upper limit of 154 pounds (69.3 kilograms), between welterweight and middleweight. 2. title elimination fight, before 9,237 at Mandalay Bay, was scheduled for 12 rounds. After the stoppage, Cortez wrapped his arms around the beaten Vargas, who held out his hands to the crowd, as if to wonder why Cortez stepped in when he was not wobbly. There were no knockdowns. Mosley is 42-4 with 36 knockouts. It was his first knockout in his past nine fights. ``I made it tougher than it was supposed to be because I was rushing,'' said Mosley, of Pomona. ``In the first round, I hit him in the left eye. As the rounds went on, it got bigger and bigger and I was like, 'Wow.' I couldn't believe it. He came to fight. ``I heard Oscar (De La Hoya La Hoya is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 30 inhabitants. ) and Bernard (Hopkins) yelling at me to go for his left eye. They were saying, 'The eye, the eye.' I was trying with straight over-the-top right hands and then straight over the eye and it was swelling up.'' De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is a boxing promotional firm started by former world champion in six weight divisions, Oscar de la Hoya, whose nickname is The Golden Boy. Superstars Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley have also joined the firm. co-promoted the event. Hopkins is his East Coast partner in the company and they were ringside ring·side n. 1. The area or seats immediately outside an arena or ring, as at a prizefight. 2. A place providing a close view of a spectacle. cheering on Mosley. Vargas, of Oxnard, was not thrilled. He fought gallantly under adverse conditions, and though most ringside reporters had him losing at the time of the stoppage, one judge, Patricia Morse Jarman, had him winning by a point, 86-85. Mosley was ahead on the scorecards of Paul Smith and Chuck Giampa by scores of 86-85. The Daily News had Mosley ahead, 87-84. ``I kept wondering why they were stopping the fight,'' Vargas said. ``I was the one backing him up. What the hell did he (Cortez) do? I thought he was just breaking us up.'' The lump on the eye, which was absolutely huge, appeared to be caused by a Mosley right hand in the first round. But Vargas said otherwise. ``I think it was in the second or third round, and I think it was from a head butt,'' Vargas said. ``I didn't think it was that bad. I could still see. I wasn't retreating. I would have stepped it up immensely if I thought they wanted to stop the fight. I definitely could have continued.'' The ringside physician, Dr. David Watson David (or Dave) Watson can refer to:
The conclusion they came to was, ``If he can't defend himself from the right hand, we have to stop the fight,'' Ratner said. With both fighters having seen their championship careers hit a down cycle of late, it was interesting to see that both were better than they have been. Mosley, 34, was throwing more than two punches in a combination, and Vargas appeared to have that fire back in his belly. Both fighters landed a lot of body shots, but Mosley's quicker hand speed allowed him to land more punches to the head. Vargas, 28, was the aggressor, but that aggressiveness was not always effective as Mosley did a good job of stepping around a lot of Vargas' attack. Still, both of the former champions had plenty of shining moments in what had been a highly anticipated fight. Vargas, who is 26-3, now will ponder his next move. ``I will sit back and see what my family thinks and go from there,'' Vargas said. ``I don't think this is the last you will see of me in the ring.'' Mosley has a brighter future. ``The fight I prefer is Floyd Mayweather Jr.,'' Mosley said. Mayweather will take on welterweight champion Zab Judah in April. Robert Morales, (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2213 robert.morales(at)sgvn.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Fernando Vargas' left eye is swollen shut, causing his fight against Shane Mosley to be stopped in the 10th round. (2) Fernando Vargas, right, lands a punch on the head of Shane Mosley in Saturday's fight. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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