- 2 hours ago
Fernando Vargas returns to the ring to face Jose Shibata Flores on HBO. Also an interview with WBC/IBF Middleweight Champion Bernard Hopkins
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00:03under the limit and according to our unofficial HBO scale tonight we'll into the ring with Vargas
00:10the heavier by three pounds punch that numbers Larry these numbers are against Raul Marquez
00:16Vargas stopped Marquez in the 11th round Marquez defeated Flores by a decision these are the
00:24offensive numbers which look very much the same but what we see here in the defensive numbers that
00:31will be coming up we see that against Marquez that Vargas only allowed 42 punches to be thrown and 11
00:42punches landed in a round Flores 77 punches by Marquez 28 of which landed in each round that's
00:51a significant difference the simple import of that Flores doesn't create the same kind of fear
00:55and apprehension in opponents as does Vargas for more on the scoring of the bout our unofficial
01:01ringside scorer Harold Letterman the ferocious Fernando Vargas Jose Chibata Flores fight is
01:06scheduled for 12 rounds using the unified rules of the association of boxing commissions there is no
01:11three knockdown rule only the referee can stop the fight if a cut is caused by an accidental headbutt
01:17and that cut causes the fight to be stopped we go to the scorecards if the four rounds have been
01:22completed and you cannot be saved by the bell at any round including the 12th and final round
01:27Jim all right Harold and now here enters Chibata Flores he has lived in Southern California for the past
01:34eight years but says to us that he still regards himself very much as a Mexican citizen and a Mexican
01:41national but he also said hey if somebody were to ask me to go to war against terrorism right now
01:46I'd be grateful for the chance to do it which is interesting Jim because he is about 15 or 20
01:54percent Japanese he has a great grandfather who is Japanese and fled the US to go to Mexico because at
02:04that time in World War two American Japanese citizens were being interned in concentration camps
02:14and the record for Chibata Flores late in his career Fernando Vargas picked him up as manager
02:20and it was largely the decisions made by Vargas and his brain trust which earned for Flores the kinds
02:27of fights that got him the opportunity to fight for a title here tonight
02:36Fernando Vargas will enter will enter under the stars and stripes he told us that even though he has
02:43trumpeted his Mexican heritage in the recent past and gone well out of his way to assure all of his
02:48fans
02:49that he feels Mexican that what happened last week has made him feel more American than ever and you saw
02:55American former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson over Vargas's right shoulder as he prepares to enter the ring
03:02Jim this is only Vargas's eighth fight in three years and he's still 23 years old
03:10one of the problems when some of these fighters have won titles at very young ages they don't get
03:17to fight as much they stay out of the gym they get out of condition they're not learning that is
03:23what
03:23has happened to Vargas
03:29for his part Vargas and his trainer Eduardo Garcia say there were no hijinks and there was no failure
03:36of application in the lead-up to this fight that he's as well conditioned as he can be to fight
03:41Flores
03:42having learned the lessons he did he probably is but it's interesting that his handlers were afraid
03:48to really make the case that he had to get in the gym because being so successful they share in
03:55that
03:55success and maybe Rivera with a single right hand in the second round made the case for them here's the
04:01record for young Vargas 20 wins in a row before his loss to Felix Trinidad then the victory over
04:08Rivera 19 of his 21 wins by KO as you watch tonight's telecast you can log on to hbo.com
04:16slash boxing where you can listen to live corner audio choose which trainer and cornerman you'd like
04:20to listen to also expert commentary check CompuBox punch stats see round by round photos or chat with
04:26other fans you don't have to do all that you can just watch the fight and listen to us if
04:30you want
04:30to but if you want to participate on all those levels hbo.com slash boxing is the way to go
04:36and now let's go to ring announcer Michael Buffer for the official introductions and all that will go with them
04:47ladies and gentlemen 11 days ago the united states of america was viciously and violently attacked
04:54by terrorists taking thousands and thousands of innocent lives on behalf of the fighters fans and all
05:03involved in this event tonight on behalf of 300 million americans who now stand shoulder to shoulder
05:13with broken hearts but unbreakable in their resolve and unity and for the billions of america's friends
05:23and allies around the world from all of us to the loved ones and families of those who are lost
05:32on that day
05:33we will forever feel your pain we will forever share your grief we promise they will never be forgotten
05:43and we promise with every breath with every heartbeat justice not terror shall prevail
05:59ladies and gentlemen at this time we would like to follow the tradition of boxing
06:07your attention please
06:10and we would like the timekeeper at ringside
06:20to pay tribute to those who came to their final resting place in western pennsylvania
06:30to those who perished at the pentagon to the thousands who are lost forever at the world trade center
06:38and to the heroes on that day who gave their lives to save others to those victims we will now
06:46toll a memorial 10 bells would everyone please rise and stand in silence
06:52the
07:23May they rest in peace
07:24forever.
07:29Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, the national anthem of the United States of America.
07:49Oh, say can you sing by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's
08:05last gleaming?
08:07Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts of the
08:17ramparts were so gallantly streaming?
08:23And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our
08:37flag was still there.
08:40Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and all?
08:56Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the ramparts are so gallantly streaming?
09:16Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the ramparts are so gallantly streaming?
09:26this evening.
09:35And now ladies and gentlemen from the Mandalay Bay Resort Casino of Las Vegas main events
09:41is proud to present 12 rounds of boxing for the vacant WBA IBA Junior Middleweight Championship
09:52of the World.
09:57Brought to you in association with Miller Lite and in addition to the victims of September
10:0211th this event is dedicated to the memory of Jillian Kerkorian and the great Sandy Sadler.
10:08This belt is sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission Chairman Dr. Luther Mack.
10:13The three judges assigned to ringside scoring this contest on the 10-point must system will
10:19be Bill Graham, Dave Moretti and Jerry Roth.
10:23And when the bell rings working for the 143rd time in a world title contest Joe Cortez.
10:33And now ladies and gentlemen for the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around
10:39the world from the Mandalay Bay of Las Vegas let's get ready to rumble.
10:55Introducing first fighting out of the blue corner wearing blue trimmed with white and weighing
11:01in at 153 and one half pounds.
11:05An excellent professional record standing at 42 victories including 24 victories by knockout
11:11with eight losses.
11:13He comes to us from Montebello, California here is the WBA number one ranked junior middleweight
11:21in the world Jose Chibata Flores.
11:35And his opponent across the ring into the red corner wearing brown trim with gold and also
11:41weighing 153 and one half pounds.
11:43Also an outstanding professional record consisting of 21 victories in 22 bouts including 19 knockouts
11:52with only one defeat and he's the youngest ever to win a world title in this division.
11:57Here is the pride of La Colonia Boxing, Oxnard, California, the former junior middleweight world champion,
12:07the Aztec warrior, ferocious Fernando Vargas.
12:21All right gentlemen, we went to the rules in the dressing room.
12:26I expect a good clean fight.
12:28I expect a good clean fight with the low punches.
12:32Remember guys, I'm fair but I'm firm.
12:35Give me a good clean fight.
12:36Touch them up.
12:37God bless you and God bless America.
12:39So, Chibata Flores told us that this is a fight with gloves, not a war.
12:47It reminds us of all the overblown and overwrought language frequently used in this sport and others.
12:54Now that we know what real heroes and real courage are.
12:59Larry, I gathered listening to the guys talk that they both have a lot of respect for each other.
13:05Indeed, Daniel, you have a feeling that Vargas probably isn't all that comfortable with the prospect of fighting Chibata Flores.
13:13That's correct.
13:14I think they are good friends boxing wise and I think socially but I think he still feels a little
13:19bit of a respect factor coming into this fight for Flores.
13:24But normally, after a guy has been boxing with someone, say for two years, how long they've boxed and Flores
13:31was the role of the employee.
13:33If he was really having the better of Vargas, I would say he would not have been around that long.
13:38So, it lets me know that those workouts probably favored.
13:40And isn't there a mental barrier that's just difficult for the former sparring partner to overcome?
13:45He's been in the ring so often with Vargas where his job was not necessarily to threaten him but to
13:51be a target.
13:51That's correct. He was actually playing a role that was an employee.
13:54And it's very difficult for a guy to get out of that.
13:59Round one begins cautiously.
14:02Vargas says that he realizes the style he showed against Felix Trinidad, particularly in the first round, was the wrong
14:09one for him.
14:10That he's a boxer, not a brawler.
14:12That he must employ angles and strategy in order to be effective in the ring.
14:16And that he will not make again the mistake that he made against Trinidad.
14:21Many of his critics say, let's wait and see.
14:24His description of himself now is, he's going to be back to being an intelligent boxer puncher.
14:30Which he was when we saw him in his best fight against Ike Quartet.
14:35And in his other great performance against Yoriboy Campas.
14:38And Marquez.
14:41All clinical boxing performances.
14:43He has a lot of talent.
14:44Very basically sound, fundamentally.
14:47Much of a crispier punch.
14:49But nevertheless, as we found out, one solid punch on the chin can neutralize all of those advantages.
14:54Well, what we didn't know is that it could happen to him.
14:59Most critics say that Flores' big shortcoming is that he doesn't have a lot of punting power.
15:04And in response to that, Flores has promised, I'll knock Vargas out.
15:08Well, he's already landed two or three very clean punches.
15:12And they didn't seem to bother Vargas at all.
15:18Well, I think the fact that he believes that he can hurt Vargas.
15:20And that's possibly also the only way that he can win this fight.
15:24Means that in his mind, he's set himself to be a puncher.
15:31Jumping in with a lead right hook is Shibata Flores.
15:35Remember, even though Flores is taller, Vargas on paper has the longer reach.
15:43Flores with a straight left hand.
15:45And now, topping overhand right.
15:47He's able to land against Fernando early.
15:57What I've noticed in the past, Emmanuel, is that he tends Vargas to come in too squarely
16:02and not at an angle.
16:03Is he coming in more at an angle now?
16:05I think he's definitely coming in more at an angle.
16:07And he should be boxing more.
16:08He's looking for a big punch.
16:10He's doing everything that he said he wouldn't do.
16:14There's water here.
16:18There's water here.
16:19You've got to be careful with that left hook.
16:21He throws it in the knee.
16:22Be careful.
16:24Work intelligence.
16:26This fight's going to be able to.
16:30That's all he's got is that left hook.
16:39You're doing fine.
16:41Yeah.
16:42Let's get some Vaseline on him.
16:44Don't, don't get oranges.
16:46You're going to be the champion.
16:48You're going to work very intelligently.
16:50You're too, you're too smart for him.
16:53You're too smart.
16:54You're too intelligent.
16:57Interpreter Ray Torres working in both corners tonight
17:02as both trainers prefer to speak Spanish to their fighters.
17:05Come on.
17:05Let's go.
17:07Hold on.
17:08Hold on.
17:08All right.
17:08Time in.
17:09Let's go.
17:09Eduardo Garcia a little slow out of the ring and Joe Cortez finally allows them to go for the second
17:14round.
17:14He's going to go out.
17:22At his best, Fernando Vargas is a highly effective body puncher particularly with the left hand.
17:27I didn't see a single landed body punch in the first round from Vargas.
17:31No.
17:32Vargas seemed to be sitting back very content to try to counter with his right hand on his left after
17:36Flores comes in
17:38because Flores is a little bit slow sometimes and he leaves himself open after he punches
17:42and he's setting himself to counter punch but in the meantime he shouldn't be moving him more
17:46jabbing more and boxing more where he can relax for us but every punch that he's fighting is a
17:52power punch topping right hand by flores momentarily stunned vargas landing on the side of vargas's
17:58cheek flores the aggressor and then catches vargas again with a little right he's been
18:09very physical and in fact vargas is is fighting the wrong fight and now vargas lands the right
18:16kind of left hook and flores goes to one knee first knockdown of the fight flores thought he had
18:23vargas is moving in to try to put more hurt on him and put the left hook he's not as
18:29coordinated as
18:30fernando is but still fernando is a fight that is still dangerous for him because he's got so much
18:35talent that he doesn't have to take these risks if he would just use his boxing talents and much more
18:40crispier movements now vargas begins to go to the body you saw the double left hook upstairs
18:50glory's trying to stay out of harm's way as vargas looks to capitalize on the damage that created the
18:56knockdown the knockdown was a good punch but it was just as much credit to the fact that
19:01schiflano is off balance and so awkward when he punches
19:17battle of lead hands so far flores scoring almost exclusively with his right vargas with his left
19:28you wonder when fernando might begin to try to employ a straight right hand yes because he's
19:32a much more accurate uh a puncher and it's the classic tool against the southpaw for a conventional
19:37fighter the straight right hand lead once he gets close towards his natural lack of speed and coordination
19:44is going to be a big factor going down the stretch flores already seems to be breathing through his mouth
19:52i don't know if he's gotten over excited about being in his first big fight
19:58or if that's his natural way
20:06outside of the knockdown it was another pretty good right
20:10a round for flores don't get too excited early and try to load up so much
20:24he may get knocked down a few more turns a lot just because of his bad balance
20:49and you can see as he went down he was trying to regain his balance to prevent going down but
20:52he's
20:53in a bad position to do so
20:55interesting start to the fight
21:05vargas not yet in peak form flores coming out throwing more punches than fernando but fernando
21:12with one crisp left hook counter perhaps seizing the early scoring advantage
21:19but fernando's got much better speed i think he just used to pick up his attack a little bit more
21:22particular operating off of his jab in the straight right hand right down the pipe
21:26off the line
21:45where's your head coming in watch out
21:50two weeks ago in reno nevada we saw a textbook demonstration by marco antonio barrera as to
21:55how to take apart a southpaw he showed you every nuance of how to do it yes he did he
22:00did everything
22:01perfect and and uh vargas has not yet shown the the full range of tools that a conventional
22:08fighter with an advantage can use in that situation notably the absence of the straight
22:13right hand which borrero was using with tremendous effect and also possibly being a southpaw
22:19shibata and also throwing punches from such a wide angle it can sometimes get you off track
22:24and unorganized but the fact that they have boxed so much for two years together in the gym
22:29i thought vargas would have established a little bit better control than dominance at this one time
22:33good straight right hand to the body by vargas in that last exchange three straight body punches
22:40by flores i think one of the problems that vargas has is that flores isn't being as consistently
22:48aggressive as he normally is because he is trying to show a little bit more patience and
22:54versatility just as vargas is great point larry because in vargas's best performances
23:00against quarte and campus he was fighting relentless come forward aggressive fighters
23:05who walks to him every time flores is changing it up a little
23:15now the straight right hand begins to show up in vargas's arsenal
23:23fernando's energy level seeming to go up just a little bit in this round and shibata as larry said
23:30earlier seemed like he's having a breathing problem he's got his mouth gaped open this early and it hasn't
23:35even been a very fast-paced fight so i'm running if he's on right hand by flores rox vargas's head
23:41back
24:04for boxing mark these dates on your calendars next saturday night tv ko pay-per-view felix
24:10trinidad and bernard hopkins battle it out for the undisputed middleweight championship the fight
24:14postponed from september 15 to the 29th on october 6th boxing after dark returns with rising star julio
24:21diaz taking on angel manfredi and november 17 tv ko pay-per-view brings you the rematch of hasim
24:28rachman versus lennox lewis for rachman's heavyweight championship of the world hbo the heart and soul of boxing
24:43the baby there is one of fernando vargas's children there's fernando jr on the lap of fernando's
24:50mother and that's the vargas contingent um fernando says you know i'm fighting for
24:57the purpose of putting food on my children's table so therefore
25:00tonight there is no friendship with shibata flores you know after what i've saw the first few rounds
25:07if i was in the corner of fernando vargas i would change strategy and have him to go directly to
25:12shibata flores and try to engage him in exchanges because if he makes flores punch very rapidly
25:19he would have the advantage but flores basically loops wide punches it means that vargas would always
25:24beat him to the punch with short punches and also his balance is much better he should go right to
25:29him and
25:29keep shooting short punches where he's much better for automated than flores is
25:38body punching jim war for the moment vargas getting the best of flores big left hand by flores
25:46drives fernando back into the room he's fighting floors at the wrong distance just enough where those
25:52large and punches that he shoots can be effective if we shorten the gap up he would be more effective
25:58Hare hey hey
26:03by copy box numbers vargas landed half of his power shots and threw 27 of them in round three so
26:09his
26:09activity level has been picking up
26:16good jab by vargas sets up the right hand
26:19Hey! Bring up!
26:28Again, at his best, Vargas has a thudding jab.
26:31Yeah, but he needs to use it more.
26:33Yep. Doesn't use it enough.
26:36Flores is a lunger.
26:37When he shoots, if he misses a punch, if you notice,
26:40he almost falls down and loses his balance and momentum,
26:42just off a bad balance alone.
26:45But, see, once again, Vargas is fighting at the wrong distance.
26:48Without jabbing.
27:01One of the other things that Marco Antonio Barrera accomplished
27:04against the southpaw two weeks ago in Reno
27:06was to destroy the myth that you can't use your jab against the southpaw.
27:10He made it work like a symphony.
27:12And Vargas has begun to use his jab more frequently here in round four.
27:16It looks like it could set up a lot of good stuff for him if he'd stay with it.
27:21It was the best display I've ever saw of a right-hander boxing a southpaw
27:25and beating with the left jab.
27:26But he did it so effortless.
27:39Round four of the most one-sided of the fight so far as Fernando Vargas seems on the verge of
27:45finding a formula that might allow him to bust Shibata up.
27:53That's the way he should continue to fight him at this distance right here.
27:56Because Flores is not that coordinated.
27:58He's going to look very awkward trying to punch.
28:09Power shots in round four by far.
28:13Vargas' best round of the fight.
28:15He landed 18 of 30 by copy of box numbers.
28:18That's a 60% connect rate.
28:20If he's going to land his power shots that accurately against Flores, Flores will have to look for another way
28:26of fighting against Fernando.
28:29And there's a straight left hand down the pipe.
28:31Harold Letterman, how do you have it scored through four?
28:33Okay, Jim, I got it three rounds to one.
28:3539-36, ferocious Fernando Vargas.
28:39Of course, I get the first round of Shibata Flores.
28:41He was the busier guy.
28:42Fernando started slow.
28:43But since then, Fernando Vargas is just one heck of a hard puncher.
28:47And I think he's winning this fight on punching power.
28:49And I think the judges see that.
28:50And the one thing he does, he goes to his right instead of his left, which is the wrong way
28:54to go.
28:55And makes up for it with punching power.
28:57I have it two rounds apiece.
29:00Vargas ahead by a point because of the knockdown.
29:03And Vargas now is fighting a much closer distance fight and being more effective at that.
29:42Two left hands land for Flores.
29:46Vargas smiling.
29:58Great right hand in the body and a big left hook upstairs by Vargas in that exchange.
30:21Right hand again by Flores.
30:24Vargas momentarily wobbled by that.
30:28Flores not a big puncher.
30:30No.
30:30Or else he might have done some damage to Fernando with some of the clean shots he's landed earlier.
30:35But he's given Vargas a lot of power.
30:37Vargas savingly is sparing up boxing with him for the first time.
30:41He seems to be still very uncomfortable and can't adjust to Flores' style of punches and his delivery.
30:46Well sometimes you can try to be too intelligent in a prize fight.
30:50It's still a fight.
30:53And Flores comes back and catches him after he lands those punches and pull back and relaxes to nice work.
30:58And Flores comes with those off the wall punches and hits him right on the chair.
31:02Out of now.
31:152nd out.
31:16Vargas' purse for this fight incidentally is about a million dollars.
31:22Flores is getting $315,000 roughly half times more than he's ever earned before.
31:29And very happy about it.
31:31Yep. Very satisfying.
32:10Good body and head punch by Vargas. The best combination of the fight.
32:15Vargas will stay right there, right where he is, right there.
32:17Absolutely right. Right there.
32:19He's by far the stronger fighter. Why not just go in and muscle him?
32:22But he stopped punches there. He's standing right in his bad balance right there.
32:29He cannot stop punching in front of this guy.
32:32Cause it seems like he'll punch and relax and think that everything is safe and he stopped.
32:36And always Shibata comes back.
32:46Shibata showing his will. Vargas has the greater skill.
33:16Another good left hook inside by Vargas.
33:22But he stays at mid range and allows Flores to rake him with a right hand.
33:27Now Flores' mouthpiece has fallen onto the ring canvas.
33:33Joe Cortez has to wait for a lull in the action.
33:35And Flores can have his mouthpiece back.
33:38I'm not sure if Cortez saw that happen.
33:51Great right hand right through the guard by Vargas.
33:54Backs Flores up.
33:56And this is where Vargas needs to stay.
33:58I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them.
34:00Let's go.
34:03He's a pretty decent in fighter.
34:04He's an excellent body punter.
34:07He's the stronger fighter.
34:08He should be right there, Emmanuel.
34:09And better coordinated.
34:13But I think a lot of those right hands that we think that he's landed,
34:17I don't think he's successfully landed that much.
34:19And Fernando, I think, is well aware that Shibata has no mouthpiece
34:24as he goes after him and Flores...
34:26Like the Vargas we came to know before his fight with Trinidad in this round.
34:35Yes, but he's having problems landing solid blows with Flores.
34:38And the way it looks, I think, is a good chance that this fight may go the limit.
34:43Although Fernando just landed 40-some-odd punches in that round
34:46by CompuBox numbers, including 40 of 53 power shots at 76%.
34:53I don't know when I've seen a higher number.
34:55So Flores is becoming all too open a target for Vargas' stuff inside.
35:00Harold, how do you have it through six?
35:01I don't know, Emmanuel. I'm seeing him landing hard shots.
35:04I think a lot of those punches are being blocked and rolled.
35:07I think that Shibata Flores is rolling a lot of punches also.
35:10They can catch him and deflect him with the gloves.
35:14Okay. Five rounds to one.
35:1659-54, ferocious Fernando Vargas.
35:19I mean, he's doing all that really heavy, hard hitting.
35:22No, no, hit him up, hit him up.
35:23And basically, that's how boxing is scored.
35:25Clean effective punching is really 95% of scoring a round.
35:29Ferocious Fernando Vargas virtually unmarked in there,
35:32landing the cleaner harder shots.
35:34Shibata Flores, his eye closing up.
35:37I mean, he's just taking the harder shots.
35:39Vargas five to one.
35:41Yeah, Flores' right eye has a mouse under and an abrasion above.
35:46You can see the facial swelling around his eyes.
35:49Vargas' punches beginning to take effect.
35:53Stop!
35:54Pick up.
35:54Even if, even if he is rolling away from the impact of a lot of them, man.
35:58Yeah, and the fact that he's getting tired,
35:59but he's having a problem holding that mouthpiece in his mouth,
36:02and I think that's going to be a big problem too.
36:04Because evidently, he's going to get it knocked out or spit it out a lot more as the fight progresses.
36:08How much worse is it to take a punch when your mouthpiece is out?
36:11Well, if you get hit properly in the chin,
36:13you can get a bad cut inside of your mouth because the teeth cuts into the lip,
36:17and sometimes you actually can just end up getting your teeth knocked out.
36:22The way Jack Dempsey knocked out five of Jess Willard's teeth in the first round,
36:26July 4th, 1919.
36:28Yeah, but he had concrete in his head.
36:30Well, they say that.
36:31Yeah, that's the place in Paris.
36:33Even with a mouthpiece in, you can do that.
36:44Another Vargas display.
36:51Vargas is fighting that the intelligent thing to do in this fight is to fight, not to box.
36:58He's fighting at the right distance, right there,
37:00where his coordination is a bigger advantage for him.
37:02All right, we got it. Come on.
37:03You're too bad.
37:05You're too bad.
37:06Come on.
37:09Hey!
37:10Hey, come on.
37:25Oh, a hard body shot by Vargas there.
37:28When he commits to his body punches, he can really break any opponent that.
37:43It didn't look like friendship right there.
37:46Oh, no.
37:49Doesn't look like friendship the last couple of rounds.
37:52Joe Cortez stopped the fight.
37:55Ximata Flores taken apart in these past two rounds by Fernando Vargas.
38:00A very good professional finish.
38:03A good fight for Vargas, but I don't think he convinced everybody that he is the fighter
38:12we all thought he was before Trinidad.
38:15He still has a way to go.
38:17He didn't need it to beat Ximata Flores.
38:20The question is, can he get a fight with Oscar De La Oya?
38:23That's his goal.
38:26And the fight ended more with a combination of things and fatigues.
38:30That's what he said in the end, I think, and the fact that he was just so much more talented
38:33than Ximata,
38:33more so than any just one particular punch.
38:35And he stepped inside that ring.
38:37Here's the finish, Emmanuel.
38:39And that straight right hand of the body set everything up.
38:42Yes, because he was having problems letting the clean punches to the head.
38:46So then he goes inside, backs Flores into the corner, and this is what prompted Cortez eventually to figure that
38:54Ximata had had enough.
39:04Pretty good power with both hands.
39:07Just so many punches.
39:08He was trying to get away from the punches, but it was coming in profusion, as Howard Cosell would say,
39:12that he couldn't get away from all of them.
39:14Howard's not around.
39:15You may adopt profusion as your own now, Emmanuel.
39:20And now let's go to ring announcer Michael Buffer for the official particulars on this bar.
39:25Ladies and gentlemen, referee Joe Cortez reaches the count of ten at two minutes, 59 seconds of round number seven.
39:35The winner, and once again champion, now the two-time junior middleweight champion of the world,
39:45Ferocious Fernando Vargas!
40:21CompuBox punched that numbers.
40:23A final statistical profile of the fight.
40:27And the dominant impression you'll get here is Vargas' accuracy, particularly with power punches, once he got it going.
40:36He landed 54% of the attempted punches he threw during the fight.
40:42159 out of 293, and I think the power shot number is going to be even higher.
40:47As in the last couple of rounds, Vargas was connecting on roughly 70% of the power shots that he
40:53threw.
40:54No way Flores was going to be able to stand up to that, because Fernando demonstrably was the stronger of
41:00the two fighters.
41:01Power punch numbers, as I suggested.
41:04Vargas with an even higher connect percentage at 60%, throwing 14 more than did Flores.
41:10And even though Shibata was able to connect with power shots, that's not the heart of his game in terms
41:17of doing damage to an opponent.
41:19Once again, Fernando the stronger of the two fighters.
41:23And now let's go to Larry Mertent with the former American Olympian, who is the winner here tonight.
41:30Thank you very much, Jim.
41:33Congratulations.
41:35Congratulations, Fernando.
41:37Give us an assessment of your performance.
41:40You seemed a little bit tentative as you were changing styles early in the fight.
41:44Yeah, you know, Shibata knows me, and that's why I feel I got hit way too much by him.
41:49You know, you got to understand, I sparred with this guy.
41:52I don't even know the countless amount of times that I've sparred with him, so he knows a lot of
41:57my great moves.
41:58And so that's why I had to be a little bit of step of him, ahead of him.
42:02And I had heard him before in sparring with body shots, and that's what won me this fight.
42:08It seems, though, that you talked about fighting intelligently, you took your time, but at the end, the intelligent thing
42:14to do is to just go and fight him.
42:17Absolutely, because I was connecting punches, Larry, as you saw.
42:20And, you know, Shibata's a tough fighter.
42:23You know, he comes to fight, he was going to give it all his off.
42:25But, you know, there's no friends in the ring, and I don't know if he could beat me, you know,
42:29he would have been able to do so.
42:31So, before I end this interview, before we end, I want to say, I want to give a shout-out
42:34to my people at the top of the food chain.
42:36We did it one more time.
42:37And to my soccer team that just finished winning the championship, El Escuadrón Feroz, the ferocious squad.
42:43Shout-out to you guys.
42:45And I will be tomorrow at 6 o'clock at Guadalupe Church in Colonia.
42:49No more commercials, Fernando.
42:59You say there's no friendship in the ring, and obviously there wasn't tonight.
43:03But were there times when you felt, I know this guy, we've sparred a lot, it's business, but it isn't
43:10easy.
43:11Crazy, Larry, because I was thinking in my head, I can't believe I'm fighting this guy.
43:14All the times that I was sparring this guy, and I was sparring with him, and maybe sometimes not even
43:19throwing hard.
43:20Maybe I don't care, you know, he would get the better of me, because, you know, I wasn't even throwing
43:23hard some days.
43:24I say, man, I'm fighting this guy, and I don't want this guy to think that just because there were
43:27some days that I wasn't going hard on him, that he's going to be able to win.
43:30Yeah, he thought he was going to win, but, you know, he's a great guy.
43:33I had to do what I had to do to win, and that's what we did today.
43:35Let's take a look at the end of the fight and give us your version of what you were sensing.
43:40Did you sense he was having trouble breathing, that he was running out of space?
43:43I heard him a couple times with a body shot.
43:45That body shot hurt him.
43:46So I was just taking my time, I went to the other side.
43:48I pulled down that left hand of his, then I went back again, right hand, got him up there, and
43:54I knew I was going to start getting him up there, and that's when I got him.
43:56Fernando, you have now fought just eight times.
44:00Here's another view of that.
44:02I was coming in with a great punch that you saw with the uppercut, and I had hurt him, so
44:06I had to put it on him.
44:07You have fought just eight times in three years, and you're still 23 years old.
44:12Yeah.
44:12It doesn't seem enough for a young fighter.
44:15Do you have any plans to fight more often, whether it's on HBO or anywhere else?
44:19Absolutely.
44:19That's another thing.
44:20You know, I don't want people to think that just because I'm not fighting on HBO, that means that HBO
44:24won't have me.
44:24Because you know HBO, you know, I love me, and I love HBO.
44:27So, you know, yeah, I want to make a fight in Oxnard.
44:29That's my next fight that I'm planning, defending my title right there in Oxnard, top of the food chain in
44:34California.
44:34And I want to stay active.
44:36You're right.
44:37All right.
44:37The last thing, the obvious opponent out there for you is Oscar De La Hoya, but that may not happen
44:44because he may be fighting somewhere else.
44:46Shane Mosley now says he wants to fight at 154 pounds.
44:49What do you believe your next big fight will be?
44:52Well, I want, personally, I want a De La Hoya.
44:55He doesn't want to step up.
44:57He wants to be a limit on other things.
44:58I'm just thinking about unifying the division.
45:00So I will be a Winky Wright Robert Frazier, and I want, and I hope Winky Wright wins, because I
45:06want to fight him for the unification battle.
45:08Thank you very much, Fernando.
45:10Congratulations again.
45:11Back to you, Jim.
45:13All right.
45:13Thank you very much, Larry.
45:15Fernando Vargas thought that he had a deal to fight Oscar De La Hoya December 8th.
45:18Negotiation fell apart over what are still mysterious reasons.
45:23I have to think, Emmanuel, that the Vargas we saw tonight, even though not as sharp as in some other
45:28appearances,
45:29would be a threat against De La Hoya because he's so strong at this weight,
45:33and Oscar is still an open question as a puncher at 154.
45:37Your take.
45:38Well, that's true.
45:39You just subbed it all up.
45:40Oscar fighting at 154 has not demonstrated big punching power.
45:43Fernando Vargas is still a balanced-out, legitimate 154-pounder,
45:47and tonight I thought he finished up his fight very professional.
45:51Maybe he didn't look that good at the beginning.
45:53A little awkward, but he finished up very professional, and he's a big threat to anybody at 154 pounds.
45:57A danger sign, though.
45:58He says he might want to fight Winky Wright in a title unification attempt.
46:02He had a great deal of trouble with Wright in what some people thought was a gift decision for Vargas,
46:06and the styles are still the same.
46:08I think Winky Wright is always going to be a problem for Fernando Vargas.
46:11I know Vargas had a lot on his mind at that particular time when he fought before,
46:15but Winky Wright is a very smart fighter who gives everyone problems.
46:18If I was managing Vargas, I would forget Winky Wright.
46:21I would enjoy my WBA 154-pound championship and let Winky Wright go in and win him one
46:27in some other weight division and say bye-bye, Winky.
46:29No, no, this was IBF.
46:31But, you know, we all get confused by all of the alphabet.
46:34All right, thanks very much, Emmanuel.
46:36Well, so we're back on the scene, and with some pleasure in watching Vargas perform the way he did
46:42in those last couple of rounds.
46:43And now we can look forward with great anticipation to the fight which will take place next Saturday night
46:49in Madison Square Garden after having been rescheduled from September 15th.
46:52The fight which most observers anticipate as a potential fight of the year for 2001.
46:57Of course, that's the middleweight championship unification series finale live on TVKO
47:03between Felix Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins.
47:07Of the two, Hopkins is the lesser known.
47:11But he has not lost a fight in eight years and has held a middleweight title for far longer
47:17than has Trinidad, who just recently moved up to that weight class.
47:21Yesterday, we had hoped to interview both.
47:23Trinidad, for his own reasons, chose not to appear to participate in the interview.
47:28So I wound up with an opportunity to talk to the man who hopes to deflate Felix Trinidad's
47:34great stardom next Saturday night, Bernard Hopkins.
47:39Bernard, it might be seen as an advantage for you that you were able to get out of New York
47:45eventually and return to your home turf in Philadelphia to remain prepared for the fight.
47:50How have you been affected by the two-week delay in training and preparation?
47:56Well, Jim, I haven't been affected too much because I had the option, and I took that option,
48:02to leave New York to go to Philadelphia, where Sparm was waiting for me the next day.
48:07And it's been great.
48:09I just picked up from what I left off at the ranch in Las Vegas.
48:13I am ready mentally and physically to do my job come September 29th.
48:17But the delay hasn't hurt me.
48:20Matter of fact, I think mentally and physically it helped me.
48:23I got to see my daughter for the first time in seven weeks, and they remind me when times
48:30get hard, this is what I'm fighting for, her future.
48:34But the purpose of training for a prize fight is to prepare you for that moment, which was
48:41September 15.
48:42You had already brought your weight down to 160 pounds to be prepared for the weigh-in.
48:48At your age of 36, isn't it a challenge to maintain that peak of physical sharpness for
48:55the extended period of time?
48:57Well, maybe and maybe not, Jim, because I haven't noticed it yet.
49:01I haven't felt any of the 36 years that I am right now.
49:06I think it's got a lot to do with rest.
49:08I think if it's good on one end, then why isn't it good on the other?
49:14I think for a guy that's 36, I think the rest can play a good part in preparation for a
49:21fight, especially when you're a guy like Bernard Hopkins.
49:24I can't speak for anyone else.
49:26I'm five or six pounds over my weight when I'm not fighting, so I don't have to struggle
49:30like Trinidad openly tell people in the world.
49:33And I think he's telling the truth.
49:34Matter of fact, I know he's telling the truth.
49:35He walks around at 175, 180.
49:37That's ridiculous.
49:38You would never beat a guy like Bernard Hopkins if you walk around in the heavy, you had to
49:41sweat down and fight a hard, tough fight.
49:44Deep water is going to expose that.
49:46But I feel great.
49:47I feel great to be 36, 37 in January because I know that I have a lot of preserves in
49:52me
49:52that's going to show September 29th.
49:55But mentally and physically, Jim, I am ready and willing to be the undisputed middleweight
49:59champion of the world.
50:00Bernard, your high-spirited behavior at promotional events leading up to the fight had created
50:06an environment of confrontation, a fever pitch of excitement leading into the fight.
50:12Does the atmosphere in the country in the wake of the terrorist bombing necessarily bring
50:17us a quieter, more dignified profile for the event than otherwise would have been the case?
50:23I think it brings more of awareness that if you're American, then act like it.
50:30And that's for the Puerto Rican fans that disrespected the American national anthem and disrespected
50:34the flag.
50:35You got people jumping on the bandwagon saying already they wouldn't do that.
50:38I don't think they're going to do that.
50:39That's waiting to see.
50:40I think right now, even though the tragedy was so great and it was so sad and it was
50:46so evil, the American people are going to recognize that I am American and I'm a proud
50:53American.
50:54And all that I've been through in my life, America and myself, have gave myself an opportunity
50:58to be where I'm at now.
51:00And that's why I know that I will never disrespect the national anthem, the flag, or anything
51:07American stands for because I am an American.
51:09And I know that when I get in New York City, September 29th, the fans or the regular people
51:14that don't really care about boxing is going to recognize and support this American fighter.
51:19Let's see what Tito Trinidad all of a sudden become a flag-waving American Puerto Rican,
51:25which he haven't done in previous promotion.
51:28I'm not saying he shouldn't do it.
51:29I think he should do it, especially at a time like this.
51:32But I've been doing it all my life and I've been doing it for this promotion.
51:36This is war, Jim.
51:37This is what my bandana has said.
51:40It's been made up a month ago.
51:41And ironically, it fits two purposes.
51:44The United States are preparing for a war right now.
51:47And I am preparing for my own personal war right now with Felix Trinidad.
51:52And it's not going to tone down.
51:54It's going to get even more hot in the kitchen.
51:58Hopkins' references in that impassioned answer had to do with incidents which took place at Madison Square Garden
52:04during Trinidad's fight against William Jaffe in May, where some Puerto Rican fans participated in protests
52:10related to military exercises that take place on an American naval base in Puerto Rico.
52:15We remind you, the fight will take place next Saturday, September 29, live on TVKO, pay-per-view.
52:22And, of course, it will be a doubly poignant event taking place, as it will, in Madison Square Garden.
52:28And with that reminder of New York City in our own small way at HBO, we hope to continue to
52:34help.
52:34So we offer you these reminders of telephone numbers for organizations which you can reach
52:40and through which you can continue to contribute, as all of you have, for the past 11 days
52:45to the victims of this American tragedy.
52:51All right, Emanuel Stewart, Felix Trinidad, was unable to leave New York
52:55after the atrocity that took place there and has been there rather than returning to Puerto Rico the whole time.
53:02Hopkins, as he told you, went back to Philadelphia.
53:04Do you see any advantage in the two-week delay or any disadvantage for either of the two fighters?
53:09No, Jim, I can't see any real advantage.
53:11I think the fact that Hopkins went back home, he's very comfortable being with his daughter
53:15and being able to train back in an environment which he's been used to, I think that was good.
53:19But knowing Felix Trinidad and his father, who's a very professional man,
53:23and they've been through many big championship fights,
53:25I'm quite sure that they did something very similar.
53:28And I'm quite sure that Trinidad benefited from being around so many high-emotional Puerto Rican fans
53:34who are really into this fight in particular.
53:36Being in New York is just like being in Puerto Rico.
53:38All right.
53:40I think we can still hope for and expect a great effort from both of the two fighters.
53:44Larry Merchant rejoining us at ringside.
53:46Your take on how the event may or may not be affected by the aftermath of September 11th.
53:51There won't be any booing of the National Anthem.
53:55There won't be any abuse of anybody's flags.
53:58And the fear and perhaps even the expectation that the volatile atmosphere would go out of control
54:06probably won't happen either.
54:09A word about Trinidad.
54:11He's a 3-to-1 favorite.
54:12He's expected by most experts to win the fight.
54:15But he has behaved a little bit unprofessionally in terms of the media and meaning the fans
54:22by not taking part in this promotion.
54:25And should he lose, which would be a big, big upset,
54:30people will say, well, if he couldn't handle the media, how is he going to handle a man like Bernard
54:36Hopkins?
54:37Who is truly a man.
54:38All right.
54:39Um, well, we'll have a final word on what happened in boxing here in just a few moments.
54:43Right now, let's look ahead to some upcoming programs here on HBO.
54:47I don't think you should be having lunch with this girl.
54:49She's my assistant.
54:50Why is it a mistake?
54:51It's a mistake because you have to ask.
54:53Peggy, wake up.
54:55Hey, you.
54:56Just go home, okay?
54:58And if he's wasting any more sperm around here, it's on me.
55:01These are the kind of thoughts that are going through my head.
55:03I have to get another assistant.
55:05I'm just too distracted.
55:07Today, in, at CENTCOM, extended an extraordinary compliment to General.
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