FightHype staff predictions are in for this weekend's clash as former jr. middleweight champion Fernando Vargas takes on former welterweight and jr. middleweight champion Ricardo Mayorga. Will Vargas be victorious in his final fight before retirement? Will Mayorga put himself back in line for big fights with a win over Vargas? Get the answers to these questions and more in FightHype's staff predictions.
The Hype - Mayorga by Split Decision
Huh? Decision? Yeah, it seems odd to make that kind of prediction given the fact that both fighters are best known for being on the wrong end of spectacular knockouts, but something tells me that the fight being billed as "The Brawl" will end up looking more like "The Crawl". I mean, let's be honest, when's the last time either one of these guys even had a knockout? For Vargas, it was back in 2003 against Tony Marshall. Who? Tony Marshall? For Mayorga, it was also back in 2003 against Vernon Forrest when he first burst onto the scene and became a household name. Of course, that was a long time and quite a few pounds ago. I definitely expect to see some fireworks in the first few rounds. Unfortunately, with the fight taking place at a weight that neither guy has any business fighting at, I've got a hunch that they'll both whether the storm and the fight will settle down into a sloppy boxing match between two out-of-shape, lethargic fighters. Fernando's skills have faded just enough to allow the wild-swinging Mayorga to look competitive in some very close rounds, giving the judges an excuse to award the victory to the fighter who will actually be continuing his career as opposed to the one who's ending it. Mayorga by sloppy split decision as Don King gets the Matador Express back on track and headed towards a rubbermatch with Vernon Forrest or a rematch with Cory Spinks.
Percy Crawford - Mayorga TKO6
It's always hard for me to pull for a fighter that is having his "last fight". I think Vargas will give a very Barrera-like farewell to the fans. The guy simply doesnt want to get hit anymore and looking at the way the smaller Mosley made him tumble like a tree, I can see why. Mayorga only knows one way to fight and that's coming foward and swinging for the fences. That has been Fernando's Kryptonite throughout his career (Trinidad, Mosley and even when Oscar put his foot on the pedal). The weight loss drains him and honestly, I dont look at him as a fighter anymore. He talks more about his business ventures than Mayorga in some interviews. I've never been overly impressed with his power and I think Mayorga will have him ready to pack it in midway through the fight.
Angel Colon - Vargas TKO8
I won't be suprised if Mayorga clocks Vargas and hurts him, but Mayorga doesn't seem like much of a puncher above 147lbs. That being said, Vargas is the more polished fighter and I believe that making 154 lbs. was straight killing him. Vargas should take a better punch with the added 12lbs. and will win by TKO.
Al Mermini - Mayorga KO9
Vargas has seen better days...much better days! After years of struggling to make the junior middleweight limit, Fernando's body and abilities have declined tremendously. I don't feel he will have the stamina or sharpness to deal with the wild swinging, persistant Mayorga. I like Mayorga inside 9 rounds to take out the former Junior middleweight champ. I don't think this is one more for pride...I believe it's one more for a payday.
Sean Malone - Mayorga TKO8
I am going against conventional wisdom by predicting that Mayorga will stop the more polished Vargas. While I firmly believe both fighters are near the end of the road, I simply feel that Mayorga has a little more left in the tank. Vargas will have his way early, but eventually "El Matador" will catch the Ferocious One with a looping haymaker that will spell the end of the night.
Charles Presnell - Vargas KO8
I enjoy watching Mayorga work the press. He makes a lot of noise. He also does a good job of inspiring his opponents to work hard to beat him. That's just what Vargas has done to prepare for this fight. Vargas is the much better boxer. He will stand there and trade with Mayorga in the opening rounds, but in round three, expect Vargas' boxing skills to start to make the difference in the fight as Mayorga takes another beating thanks to his big mouth. Mayorga will keep coming until he's knocked out, but he won't be in the fight after the second round.
James Almonte - Mayorga by Decision
I think Mayorga takes it. He appears to still be the hungrier of the two. Had this fight happened five years ago, I would have picked Vargas in a stomp, but at this point in his career, he's just a shell of the fighter that he used to be.
Jack Plato - Vargas TKO9
It's a shame that this fight didn't happen 5 years ago when both of these guys were closer to their primes. Neither fighter has been at the top of their game for a long time. What makes the fight so interesting, however, is that we have two punchers with bad chins. The conventional wisdom is that Mayorga wins from rounds 1-4. It is at this time in the fight that Vargas will have to be the most cautious. From rounds 5-12, I would favor Vargas. He has better boxing experience and, even at this stage, is the more elusive fighter, but not by much. We saw Delahoya floor Mayorga in the first round and Vargas floored twice against Trinidad. It is possible that either could go with the first big punch landed by the other. Nowdays, if a fighter can avoid Mayorga's wild early round punches, he becomes very beatable. I think that somehow, Vargas may survive a knockdown early in the fight. Referee Raul Caiz Sr. will let the action resume and in a rush to finish the fight, Mayorga will get caught himself. From that point, Vargas will begin to wear down Mayorga with better boxing mixed with some brawling before stopping him by TKO in the 9th.
Joey "Titlebelt" Karash - Vargas by Unanimous Decision
Joe DeMaria - Mayorga KO5
Come on. You all know you're going to order this. Despite the protests of this being a PPV and the main event being between two washed-up, blown-up fighters, you know you're going to tune in to see these guys throw down. We know that both are coming to fight, and whether the hate is real or not, you can still expect them to go to the center of the ring and try to knock each other out. Vargas is certainly the more skilled boxer, but does it really matter here? I fully expect this to be entertaining for as long as it lasts, which should be just under 6 or 7 rounds. In a battle of two guys that either can't get out of the way of punches or just don't want to, give me the one with the better chin. Mayorga by knockout somewhere in the middle rounds...figure the fifth.
John Tandy (Editor, www.ultimateboxingresults.com) - Vargas TKO6
The grudge match is on, but to be honest, I think every fight that Mayorga has been involved in has been dubbed with the same title. He has a unique way of annoying his opponents. Unfortunately, as of late, it has had the wrong effect as Oscar De La Hoya punched him into the ground. Vargas was a huge talent, but with the steroid abuse and the ban, he has ruined his career. This is possibly the last time we will see either man in the ring and both will be eager to impress. Vargas has been suffering from health problems and it will be interesting to see if he has just taken this fight as a final payday. If he is taking it seriously, especially up at super middleweight, he has all the advantages. Both will be looking for the early stoppage and there could be fireworks, but Vargas has the edge for me.