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Tito brings the thunder Trinidad TKOs Vargas in the final round
LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- Notorious for his slow starts, Felix Trinidad came out with a flurry tonight and finished even stronger, knocking out Fernando Vargas in the 12th round to take home the WBA-IBF junior middleweight titles. Trinidad, who rallied from behind to win his previous two fights against Oscar de la Hoya and David Reid, knocked down Vargas twice in the opening round and recovered from touching the canvas for the seventh time in his career to remain unbeaten. Trinidad (39-0, 32 KOs) had the edge in experience in what was being touted as a bout between two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The feisty Vargas appeared poised to turn the tables on Trinidad, coming on strong in the middle rounds before wilting under the constant pressure of the Puerto Rican in the "championship" rounds -- Nos. 10, 11 and 12. "I thought the fight was going to be over quick, but you have to give credit to his stamina and conditioning. That is why he lasted," Trinidad said through an interpreter. Vargas went down three times in the 12th before referee Jay Nady stopped the action at 1:33 of the final round. The 22-year-old Vargas (20-1) had shown experience beyond his years in previous bouts but looked frazzled early before falling apart late against the grizzled Trinidad.
Although the bout lacked the draw of a heavyweight championship or boxing's "Golden Boy" de la Hoya, fight fans and the media expected one of the year's most competitive fights and got just that as Trinidad and Vargas both fought valiantly. Having made 17 defenses of his title since capturing the IBF welterweight crown by knocking out Maurice Blocker in June 1993, Trinidad knew a thing or two about fighting through adversity, recovering from knockdowns to win six fights in his career. But Vargas, who had never kissed the canvas, got an early taste of Trinidad's fury when he was the recipient of two vicious left hooks in the opening round, both of which sent him sprawling. Undaunted by Trinidad's furious flurry, Vargas maintained his composure and held his own like a true champion until exacting revenge in the fourth. The victim of a low blow in the third, Vargas took time to gather himself and showed off his own formidable power by battering Trinidad with his own left hook, sending his adversary reeling to the ground. "He hit me with a good left hook, but I was in great condition and thank God I knocked him out in the 12th round," Trinidad said. After getting up quickly, Trinidad again went too low with punch and this time it cost him a punch, getting Vargas right back in the fight with a crucial 10-7 round. Spurred on by his big blow, Vargas began to outbox and outwork Trinidad in the fifth and sixth rounds.
Trinidad looked ready to take the fight back in the seventh but lost another point for a questionable low blow that brought the fight to a halt for a third time. Clearly not fouling on purpose, the constant infighting between the combatants caused Trinidad to fire low on several occasions. "The first two I can't argue, but the third one I thought it was unjust to lose a point," Trinidad said. "For a minute I thought (about being disqualified), that's why I held back with low punches." With swelling forming over his right eye, Trinidad began to take the fight to Vargas, stalking him throughout the seventh and into the eighth when his blows began landing with more frequency, creating puffiness around Vargas' left eye. The ninth round ended with a furious exchange in the center of the ring and Vargas, showing clear signs of tiring, lost a point in the 10th when he struck Trinidad below the belt. The 11th proved to be an accurate harbinger of things to come as Trinidad closed with a series of powerful and accurate lefts and rights, peppering his steadily wilting opponent. Ahead on all three scorecards entering the final round, Trinidad left nothing to chance, using another tremendous left hook to floor Vargas with 2:16 remaining. Rising to his feet for more punishment, Vargas was victimized by a right cross and failed to win a clean exchange of lefts, slumping to the canvas yet again.
"I don't think I needed a knockout in the 12th, I was winning all the way," Trinidad said. With Nady clearly deciding whether to let Vargas continue, Trinidad settled matters with a right to the chin moments later. "It was a great fight," Trinidad said. "I told everybody it was going to be a great fight, and I knew I was going to win. It was a tough fight. Vargas is a great fighter and he is very strong, but I came prepared great." Vargas did not speak after the bout. On the undercard, William Joppy retained his WBA middleweight title with an easy fourth-round technical knockout of an overmatched but previously undefeated Johnathan Reid. Joppy (32-1-1, 24 KOs) stunned Reid with a right hand midway through the third round before depositing the challenger to the canvas with a series of blows against the ropes. Reid rose at seven and took a beating until the final bell. Joppy proved to have too much and continued his domination before he dropped Reid (27-1) for the second and final time with seven seconds remaining in the fourth. For Joppy, his options are open for a career-defining fight with either IBF middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins or Trinidad. "I had to take care of business," said Joppy. "The next possibility is Bernard Hopkins. I am not going to count my eggs before they hatch." Also tonight, Mexico's Ricardo Lopez (50-0-1, 38 KOs) defended his IBF junior flyweight title with a third-round stoppage of Ratanapol Vorapin of Thailand.
© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
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