By Miguel Rivera
Former champion Fernando 'El Feroz' Vargas, who in 2001 fought Félix 'Tito' Trinidad in one of the most exciting bouts in the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry, is really looking forward to the showdown between WBC middleweight champion Miguel Angel Cotto and young challenger Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez.
Vargas' bout with Trinidad took place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, which is the same location for Cotto-Canelo on November 21st.
Both fights have the same type of flavor. Trinidad was the veteran champion of Puerto Rico, like Cotto. Vargas was the young up and coming Mexican star, like Canelo.
Vargas-Trinidad had all sorts of drama from the start to finish. Vargas went down twice in the first round, he recovered and got in some big hits in the third and dropped Trinidad in the fourth. The fight went back and forth until the twelfth, when Trinidad dropped Vargas three times for a knockout win.
Canelo has never been off his feet. Cotto has been hurt and down in several fights. Vargas says it's going to be very difficult for Cotto-Canelo to surpass the action and drama of his fight with Trinidad.
"It will be a great fight between two great fighters who are very proud, one being Puerto Rican and the other being Mexican," said Vargas to El Vocero. "Two beautiful cultures, two cultures with a lot of love to their people. It will be a great fight and I will be very happy to be able to watch it. It will be a very tough fight, but it's going to be difficult to beat my fight with Tito."
"It will be a big fight. "It will be a clash of styles, which are similar to that of myself and Tito. [The fight are similar because] Tito had a lot more experience and he won many championships, and Canelo, because he is the young man, as I was - but [Canelo]has demonstrated that he can hold his own. It will be a great fight. A big fight for Puerto Rico and Mexico."