By Johnny Ortiz

This Saturday night, July 15, 2006, at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, "The Ferocious One," Fernando Vargas, will attempt to even the score when he faces an old friend and adversary, "Sugar Shane" Mosley. The last time they met on February 25, 2006, Fernando was on the wrong end of a tenth round TKO due to badly closed left eye, an eye that required a little attention after the very first round. When it began to swell early in the bout, the prognosis was not good for the Oxnard Kid.

Shane, the professional fighter that he is, began to zero in on the eye whenever he had it in his gunsights. Even Fernando said after the fight that if it were Shane with the puffy eye, he would have targeted the abrasion with a passion. It’s a brutal sport, but that’s boxing, "To the Victor goes the Spoils." Fernando claimed that the eye was the result of a headbutt, Shane said it was from a right hand, a right hand he would continue to land with frequency on the eye, causing it to swell even more. Either way, we, the fight fans are going to see a great rematch.

It was a shame their first fight had to end the way it did, Shane, the slicker boxer of the two was doing well in the early going, but Fernando, the warrior that he is, never stopped moving forward, always applying constant pressure. It started to pay off for Fernando, he was winning the later rounds, Shane was never able to back him off, Fernando’s natural size seemed to be become a big factor as the fight entered the late stages, that is until he became a one-eyed fighter. A fighter can have the biggest heart in the world, but you cannot spot the other guy an eye.

With Shane attacking the left eye with his educated right hand, I was faced with the realization that it was becoming abundantly clear that it would only be a matter of time before the fight would be stopped. When it was, Fernando vehemently protested the stoppage, his warrior heart would fight on even with only one good eye, alas, it was not to be. I hated to see it end the way that it did. I wrote before their fight that I picked Fernando to win, I felt he was the bigger, more natural guy at 154 pounds.

I figured he would wear the smaller, tough Sugarman down over a twelve round fight. Had the eye incident not happened, I think Fernando with two good eyes would have won the fight. As it was, at the end of ten rounds, one judge saw it for Fernando by one point while the other two had Shane ahead by a point. So you see, if the fight were that close at the end of ten rounds, Fernando with the proper vision in both eyes, and his overall strength, it is my belief that he would have eventually wore down the smaller man.

Shane at 34 years of age, has been quoted as saying that after this fight he intends to go back to being a welterweight at 147 pounds. Fernando, age 28, on the other hand, has said that this will be his last fight at 154 pounds, he wants to let his body grow, that would mean he will be moving up to the elite middleweight division. In just those two statements, one can easily figure out who the bigger man really is. Aside from an eye injury to either fighter, this is going to be a classic confrontation, a fight between two "never say die" warriors. Shane will be out to prove that winning their first fight was no fluke, Fernando intends to prove that it was. It is a bout that no real fight fan should miss.

I found it interesting that Shane is the only fighter of Fernando’s three losses to give him a rematch, the other two, Tito Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya never gave Fernando the return go he so yearned for, although both Tito and Oscar were gracious enough to say that Fernando gave them their toughest fight.  Fernando knows it will take the fight of his life to beat Shane, the same applies to Shane, he must avoid backing up by moving from side to side in an effort to keep from tiring from the constant pressure he knows Fernando will be bringing. Fernando’s health guy, Robert Furguson has said that Fernando is stronger than he has ever been, I just hope that the bulging disk in his back will not resurrect as he claims it did late in his fight with Oscar.

It will most definitely be a war of wills, who wants it the most will emerge victorious, injuries not withstanding.  I have known both Fernando and Shane from their beginning, I’ve had them on my radio boxing show numerous times, I am extremely fond and proud of them both, speaking as a fight fan, they have given me great pleasure throughout their careers, and personally speaking, they are without a doubt, two of the classiest young men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  They will both be... forever Champions! 

I will again pick "El Feroz" to win, I have always gone with a good big man over a good smaller man. I also think that Fernando is not given the credit he should for being an excellent boxer, one only has to remember the Ike Quarty fight. Make no mistake about it, Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley will fight their hearts out, they have been doing it for a long time...it’s the only way "El Feroz" and "Sugar Shane" know how to do it.

The fight can be seen on HBO PPV. It is being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events.