Trinidad-Vargas Fight Has Promise

While preparing to fight Felix "Tito" Trinidad, Fernando Vargas had sparring partners complaining that he was punching too hard.

"I'm not worried about that (Vargas' power) because he's not going to be fighting against a sparring partner," Trinidad said. "He's going to be fighting Tito Trinidad and that's a different story."

Whether Trinidad is worried or not, an intriguing part of the story will be, can he handle Vargas' power in their championship showdown Saturday night in the Mandalay Bay Events Center?

"I've never been down, but he's been down six or seven times," said Vargas (20-0, 18 knockouts).

Trinidad, the 27-year-old WBA champion from Puerto Rico, has been down once in seven different fights, but he has gotten up to remain unbeaten (38-0, 31 knockouts).

Six of the knockdowns occurred in second rounds, one against Yory Boy Campas, who he stopped in the fourth round of an IBF welterweight title defense in 1994. Vargas, of Oxnard, Calif., won the IBF junior middleweight title by stopping Campas in the seventh round in 1998.

Trinidad had to get up from a third-round knockdown to win a one-sided decision over David Reid March 3 for his share of the 154-pound championship, which is denoted as super welterweight by the WBA.

"If I hurt him, I will stop him," said Vargas, who will be 23 next Thursday.

But if Vargas doesn't get him early, will he be able to handle the power of the poised, patient Trinidad in the later rounds?

Trinidad was a 7-5 favorite in the pay-per-view (TVKO) match. The telecast, which will include two other title bouts, begins at 9 p.m. EST. The main event will start about midnight.

Trinidad weighed in officially Friday at 154 pounds, about 15 minutes after having been a half-pound over the class limit. Vargas weighed 154 pounds.

Trinidad's vast experience in championship fights is one reason he is favored. In 18 title bouts, he has beaten such good fighters as Oscar De La Hoya, Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho, Oba Carr and Campas.

Camacho and Whitaker, both former multiple champions, might have been past their top form when Trinidad beat them, but De La Hoya was unbeaten when they fought in early 1999. Trinidad retained the IBF welterweight title and won the WBC championship with a majority decision over De La Hoya. He relinquished those titles after beating Reid.

Vargas scoffs at the suggestion he lacks the experience to beat Trinidad.

"I fought Yory Boy Campas in only my 14th fight and nobody gave me a chance to win that fight," Vargas said. Campas, fighting for the 75th time, couldn't handle Vargas' speed. Trinidad had beaten Campas in the Mexican's 57th fight.

Vargas' biggest win was a unanimous decision in a title defense against Ike Quartey, a former WBA welterweight champion, on April 15.

"A lot of people thought Main Events was wrong to put me in with such aexperienced guy," Vargas said. "I outboxed him."

If there is a negative about that victory, it would be that Quartey was fighting for the first time in a year.

In the other two title fights, WBA middleweight champion William Joppy of Silver Spring, Md., will fight Jonathan Reid of Nashville, Tenn., and IBF light flyweight champion Ricardo Lopez of Mexico will box Ratanapol Vorapin of Thailand.

Trinidad has said he wants to move up and challenge Joppy. Promoter Don King indicated he might have other plans for Trinidad.

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