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February 11, 2005
By Amir Peay Photos: Abe Peay
At an invitation only media day, held at his new training camp in the city of Avalon, on Catalina Island (off the California coast near Los Angeles), two-time former champion Fernando Vargas confirmed that the deal has been signed to face middleweight contender Raymond "Hallelujah" Joval on March 26 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The bout will take place at 160 pounds in the middleweight division. Joval (33-3, 15 KOs) has been fighting out of New York for the last year after much success on the European circuit, via his homeland of the Netherlands.
Vargas displayed some shadow-boxing and a 3 round mitt workout with trainer Danny Smith in the old City Hall turned boxing gym, to the delight of local kids and the Mayor. Vargas looked sharp with a strong, popping jab and tight combinations landing with speed and aggression.
While answering questions after the exhibition, Vargas was flanked by team members Danny Smith and Robert Ferguson, to which he accredited much of his rehabilitation (from a back injury) and preparation.
"Danny Smith is my head trainer and Eduardo Garcia will work seconds. Eduardo Garcia is not training me, and he understands that I want to learn new techniques, but I will always have him in my corner.”
“I feel that with everything I’ve been learning, putting all the instruments together with Danny Smith, and my nutrition and my strength work with Robert Ferguson, has taken me to another level.”
Facing Joval as a middleweight at 160 lbs., (a mere 5 pounds under his current weight), Vargas plans to move down to junior middleweight at 154 for his following bouts.
"I'm not fighting at middleweight......it's junior middleweight after this."
Although the move up in weight class is a temporary one, Vargas and his team feel he can fight strong as a middleweight.
“When Danny Smith brought Ishe Smith to spar with me, he would see me spar Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and he would be like ‘What?!’”
Not only does team Vargas believe Fernando can fight strong as a middleweight, but they also feel that not having to focus on making weight, a prior issue, can allow him to focus only on his boxing.
His short term mission after over a year of inactivity due to a back injury is crystal clear:
"The only title I want is that WBC. It's the only belt I want. I've had the WBA and the IBF, and the WBC is the world's best champion, to me. My idol, Julio Caesar Chavez had it around his waist, and I remember being a kid and saying man that green belt looks so beautiful, one day I've gotta have it."
Looking down the line to bigger names and perhaps a rematch to avenge his only 2 losses to Tito Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, Vargas quickly embraced those opportunities, but stayed focused on his current goal. “Those would be the only fights I would want. As soon as I get the WBC, I'm really gonna think. Luckily God has blessed me. I don't have to fight no more. There's a lot of great things happening........the clothing line, the movies that I'm finished working on, and people are always approaching me with new deals. But right now, the only thing on my mind is the WBC. I want that 'World's Best Champion' belt."
Amidst talk of a rematch with Winky Wright, ‘El Feroz’ mused on the upcoming Trinidad-Wright bout, and how that could play into a rematch. "Trinidad, let me tell you something, ain't nothing nice. You gotta have something to keep Trinidad off you, and he (Wright) ain't got nothing to keep him off of him. I beat Winky on my worst night..... If you can't beat me on my worst night, how are you gonna beat me when I'm on? So I know he is not going to be able to beat Trinidad. All Trinidad has to do is cut off the corner and it’s over Jack. He can do that peek-a-boo all day. I wish him the best, but if that don't work out, I'd love to fight him again."
With talk of the only 2 men to defeat him, Vargas had some kind words for the upcoming fight of the only man to defeat the both of them. "I don't know much about Eastman, but Hopkins is a great fighter. I think that Hopkins is a fighter that knows how to adapt to situations. He is a thinker. So I think he is going to take his time and then get his man out of there.” Words that no doubt Raymond Joval will pay attention to; as his mission in moving to the US was in the hopes of securing a bout with the undisputed middleweight champion.
With the temporary move up into the middleweight division and over a year of inactivity, questions of Vargas’ back injury certainly will arise. Although no signs were evident at the media day, Vargas acknowledges that the injury is not completely gone.
"It's a lot stronger now with the exercises that Robert Ferguson is having me do. There can be days when it doesn't bother us at all, and then there's days when it really flares up on us."
As proven in his past, Fernando Vargas has always come to fight. Although there may be questions regarding his temporary move up in weight class and possible remnants of the back injury, one also has to take into hand the ferocity with which he fights and the newfound focus on his boxing, and nothing else.
at least hes showing some respect lol
By Amir Peay Photos: Abe Peay
At an invitation only media day, held at his new training camp in the city of Avalon, on Catalina Island (off the California coast near Los Angeles), two-time former champion Fernando Vargas confirmed that the deal has been signed to face middleweight contender Raymond "Hallelujah" Joval on March 26 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The bout will take place at 160 pounds in the middleweight division. Joval (33-3, 15 KOs) has been fighting out of New York for the last year after much success on the European circuit, via his homeland of the Netherlands.
Vargas displayed some shadow-boxing and a 3 round mitt workout with trainer Danny Smith in the old City Hall turned boxing gym, to the delight of local kids and the Mayor. Vargas looked sharp with a strong, popping jab and tight combinations landing with speed and aggression.
While answering questions after the exhibition, Vargas was flanked by team members Danny Smith and Robert Ferguson, to which he accredited much of his rehabilitation (from a back injury) and preparation.
"Danny Smith is my head trainer and Eduardo Garcia will work seconds. Eduardo Garcia is not training me, and he understands that I want to learn new techniques, but I will always have him in my corner.”
“I feel that with everything I’ve been learning, putting all the instruments together with Danny Smith, and my nutrition and my strength work with Robert Ferguson, has taken me to another level.”
Facing Joval as a middleweight at 160 lbs., (a mere 5 pounds under his current weight), Vargas plans to move down to junior middleweight at 154 for his following bouts.
"I'm not fighting at middleweight......it's junior middleweight after this."
Although the move up in weight class is a temporary one, Vargas and his team feel he can fight strong as a middleweight.
“When Danny Smith brought Ishe Smith to spar with me, he would see me spar Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and he would be like ‘What?!’”
Not only does team Vargas believe Fernando can fight strong as a middleweight, but they also feel that not having to focus on making weight, a prior issue, can allow him to focus only on his boxing.
His short term mission after over a year of inactivity due to a back injury is crystal clear:
"The only title I want is that WBC. It's the only belt I want. I've had the WBA and the IBF, and the WBC is the world's best champion, to me. My idol, Julio Caesar Chavez had it around his waist, and I remember being a kid and saying man that green belt looks so beautiful, one day I've gotta have it."
Looking down the line to bigger names and perhaps a rematch to avenge his only 2 losses to Tito Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, Vargas quickly embraced those opportunities, but stayed focused on his current goal. “Those would be the only fights I would want. As soon as I get the WBC, I'm really gonna think. Luckily God has blessed me. I don't have to fight no more. There's a lot of great things happening........the clothing line, the movies that I'm finished working on, and people are always approaching me with new deals. But right now, the only thing on my mind is the WBC. I want that 'World's Best Champion' belt."
Amidst talk of a rematch with Winky Wright, ‘El Feroz’ mused on the upcoming Trinidad-Wright bout, and how that could play into a rematch. "Trinidad, let me tell you something, ain't nothing nice. You gotta have something to keep Trinidad off you, and he (Wright) ain't got nothing to keep him off of him. I beat Winky on my worst night..... If you can't beat me on my worst night, how are you gonna beat me when I'm on? So I know he is not going to be able to beat Trinidad. All Trinidad has to do is cut off the corner and it’s over Jack. He can do that peek-a-boo all day. I wish him the best, but if that don't work out, I'd love to fight him again."
With talk of the only 2 men to defeat him, Vargas had some kind words for the upcoming fight of the only man to defeat the both of them. "I don't know much about Eastman, but Hopkins is a great fighter. I think that Hopkins is a fighter that knows how to adapt to situations. He is a thinker. So I think he is going to take his time and then get his man out of there.” Words that no doubt Raymond Joval will pay attention to; as his mission in moving to the US was in the hopes of securing a bout with the undisputed middleweight champion.
With the temporary move up into the middleweight division and over a year of inactivity, questions of Vargas’ back injury certainly will arise. Although no signs were evident at the media day, Vargas acknowledges that the injury is not completely gone.
"It's a lot stronger now with the exercises that Robert Ferguson is having me do. There can be days when it doesn't bother us at all, and then there's days when it really flares up on us."
As proven in his past, Fernando Vargas has always come to fight. Although there may be questions regarding his temporary move up in weight class and possible remnants of the back injury, one also has to take into hand the ferocity with which he fights and the newfound focus on his boxing, and nothing else.
at least hes showing some respect lol