It was the perfect storm… two fighters meeting at the peak
of their careers and both coming off an impressive string of victories. Both
undefeated... hungry to take the heart of the other…. with the winner on the
verge of being the next superstar in boxing.
Fernando Vargas walked into this epic bout at the mere age
of 22, five days before his 23rd birthday. The U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist had built up a
strong resume in a short period of time, winning his first 20 fights and
beating the likes of Ronald “Winky” Wright and Ike Quartey.
He shared a similar make-up to Oscar De La Hoya, but being
in the shadow of the “Golden Boy” produced a bitterness, edge and attitude
within the fighter… and in the ring, it was clearly evident. Fernando was a tough and rugged fighter with
the skill to box and brawl.
Vargas was brash… and his fighting reputation lived up to
his moniker; El Feroz [Ferocious].
On the other side of the ring stood the epitome of a
relentless fighter. Felix “Tito” Trinidad had one gear… and when it was running on all
cylinders, he was an unstoppable monster in the ring.
The pride of Puerto Rico
entered this battle with a flawless record (38-0,31 KO’s), after dominating the
welterweight division including a career defining win over the aforementioned
Oscar De La Hoya.
His first bout in the Jr. Middleweight division was against
U.S. Gold Medalist David Reid and after being floored in the third round,
proceeded to drop Reid four times on his way to a unanimous decision.
The setup was perfect… and what would ensue after the
opening bell was almost script-worthy.
Within the first :22 seconds of the fight… Felix “Tito” Trinidad landed a scintillating left hook so quick and
lethal that Fernando’s right arm had a spasm and was fixed against his head!
His only reaction was to fall forward and catch another left hook to the top of
his head before dropping to the canvas.
The Mandalay
Bay
Vargas rose from the canvas, with two and a half minutes
left in the round and came right back at Trinidad
only to be knocked down again from another big left hook. Somehow… Fernando survived, but was so
stunned, he went to the wrong corner.
The second round was all Trinidad
again, landing his destructive left hook, but Vargas began to regain his
composure by the end of the round.
Fernando landed a left of his own by the end of the round and gave
“Tito” a confident smirk as they walked to their respective corners.
In round three, the fight turned in dramatic fashion…
Near the end of the round, Vargas landed a flurry that
bothered Trinidad ’s right eye and ignited the
young star. He hammered Felix with
punches prompting “Tito” to hit Vargas with a low blow.
Fernando was alive now… the crowd was chanting his name… and
his confidence had risen.
Within 30 seconds of the fourth round, Fernando Vargas
landed a flush left hook, dropping Trinidad . The fight was on! Later in the round Trinidad hit Vargas with another low blow causing referee
Jay Nady to take a point from “Tito”.
The middle rounds were tough grinding rounds filled with
stiff jabs from Vargas and hard power shots from Trinidad . It became evident that Fernando would need to
outbox Trinidad in order to walk away with a
victory.
But Trinidad was
relentless.
Each round became a torture chamber for young Fernando as
Felix kept putting an immense amount of pressure on Vargas and landing brutal
shots. As each round would pass, you
could see Vargas and his gigantic heart begin to wither away.
In round ten, Vargas was penalized a point for a low blow
and at that point it was apparent that Fernando would have to knock the Puerto
Rican superstar out.
Fernando scored well in the eleventh round but “Tito” was
just too strong. His power punches added
up and it looked like it would take a miracle finish for Vargas to leave the
ring in triumph.
Legends of the sport aren’t built by their records or
accolades, they’re built on grit. The
blood, sweat and tears they leave in the ring.
The special feeling they exude whenever they dig deep in moments of
despair.
On December 2nd, 2000 in Las Vegas , a legend was born.
The bell rang for round twelve and within the first :40
seconds, “Tito” Trinidad landed a blistering right hand that left Vargas frozen
in a his stance, bouncing on his toes, only to be hammered with another one of
Trinidad’s lethal left hooks.
It was a devastating shot… but the remaining heart of
Fernando Vargas gave the young fighter the energy to rise up. As soon as Jay Nady allowed the fight to
resume, Vargas was yet again dropped with a fierce left hook by “Tito”. He rose up again… this time weary and all but
finished.
He took one more unnecessary right hand that ended the
night… and in my opinion, the ascension of his career.
For Felix “Tito” Trinidad ,
it was the apex fight of his career. His
relentlessness mixed with his lethal power was something to marvel and that’s
why he is the greatest Puerto Rican fighter in the history of the sport.
To quote Larry Merchant at the end of the fight – “He closes
the show… like the champion he is”.
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