By Matthew Hurley
Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas are set to clash this Saturday night in one of the more significant bouts of this year. Its significance has nothing to do with titles or even entry into the mythical ‘pound for pound’ rankings because neither man is what he once was, regardless of what they say.
The intense pride of both fighters has fueled their desire to get back on top but deep down both of them know that to lose this fight is to finally have to accept the fact that his career is pretty much over. It is two former champions at the crossroads. Both of them looking at each other with a brave face and then at that lonely path in front of them; wide enough for only one man to move on. That’s what makes this fight compelling.
The fact that these two fighters still command the attention of the boxing public speaks to their respective pasts. Both were vastly talented and exciting at their peaks but a look at their records in the last five years is a bit disconcerting. Mosley is 3-4 with one no contest in his last eight fights.
Vargas lost his two biggest match-ups, against Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, and since the loss to the “Golden Boy” he is 4-0 against marginal opposition with his toughest opponent being a bad back that kept him hobbled and out of the game for all of 2004. Toss in his suspension for steroid use, which he maintains he knew nothing about, and it hasn’t been a very productive or happy few years for “El Feroz”. Both men need a win desperately on Saturday night which leads many in the boxing community to foresee a pitched and thrilling test of wills.
There is an old saying that a great fighter always has one last great fight left in him. That could very well turn out to be the case in this fight. I’ve compared it to the second Leonard – Hearns bout in a recent article and I haven’t changed my mind on that. Hearns was thought to be completely shot at the time and was given little or no chance at pulling off the upset. In fact Boxing Illustrated magazine predicted a first round knockout for Leonard. That seems not only foolhardy now, considering that Hearns was already a proven all time great in 1989 when the bout took place, but insulting to the “Hitman”.
Though neither Mosley nor Vargas have been denigrated as severely in the build up to this fight, you get the sense from both fighters that they feel they are being disrespected. Fighters who contend at the top level for extended periods of time shouldn’t have to demand the respect and admiration of the fans and their peers. They’ve earned it. Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas have more than earned it but that frightening notion that come Sunday one of them will be all done as a major player in the sport elevates this fight into the pay per view market. And both fighters, particularly Vargas, have fan bases that would follow them anywhere.
One thing that Vargas is adamant about is that he is not using the fight as a means to get Oscar De La Hoya back into the ring. In fact, his anger at this notion is palpable. In his last few fights Fernando has seemed more than a little complacent, even dour during pre and post fight interviews. There seemed to be little of the fiery temper or the tough guy attitude that hallmarked his persona in the past. Perhaps it was the residual effects of losing to Oscar, or the bad back, or the frustration at attempting to alter his style into a more safety first approach.
Whatever it was that was holding him back its gone now. He has been animated in interviews and, probably most importantly, has controlled his weight which was always a problem for the Oxnard native. The biggest question surrounding Vargas is whether or not those two brutal knockouts to Trinidad and De La Hoya wrecked him as a fighter. It’s hard to believe he is only 28 years old considering that it feels as though he’s been with us for so long. Well, he did win his first title at 21 and he was still maturing when Trinidad nearly decapitated him. Does he have anything left? Or was his final great effort in 2002 against Oscar.
Mosley finally got it into his head that he was too small to compete at 154. Sure he looked good against De La Hoya in their rematch but Oscar wasn’t a natural junior middleweight either. So, Shane decided to move back down to welterweight where he feels most comfortable. Then why is he moving back up to 154 for this fight? The obvious answer is the money and the chance to perform on center stage again, but Mosley insists he will come in no heavier than 151 and that this is a one shot deal. After this bout he will strictly be a welterweight. Unless of course he wins big, then all bets are off.
In Mosley’s case his troubles may have more to do with the quality of his opposition than anything else; that and his stubbornness. Why else would he demand immediate rematches with Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright when he didn’t have to? He did better in both return matches but lost them both. Throw in two fights with Oscar De La Hoya and that is six bouts against the very best competition in the lower weight divisions in a five year span. Had he chosen not to fight Forrest and Wright a second time he might be in a better situation, but that’s never been Shane’s MO. He wants to be the best and to be the best you have to fight the best. Trouble is, after leaving the lightweight division, where he was almost supernaturally gifted, he wasn’t the best anymore. Now he will be fighting in the uncomfortable confines of the junior middleweight division against a very big and very strong opponent. Has his stubbornness gotten the better of him again?
Vargas has said that he will smother Mosley with non-stop aggression and power. Mosley has said that he will use his speed and will be able to counter anything Vargas brings to the table. Both men assure victory, but only one will walk away with his hand raised. The other will have to walk down that lonely path, looking back over his shoulder left to wonder what might have been.