- 5 hours ago
Fernando Vargas defends his IBF Jr Middleweight Title against no 1. contender Winky Wright on HBO Boxing After Dark.
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00:00:00Our attention now to the main event, young Fernando Vargas getting ready to defend his title against Ronald Winkie, right?
00:00:06Larry, when it all began a couple of years ago for Vargas coming off of his ingenue performance as an
00:00:13Olympian in 1996,
00:00:15you said that among all of the young fighters coming into the sport from that class of 96,
00:00:20Vargas is the one in which you would have wanted to buy stock.
00:00:24Given the major problem he's now facing outside the ring, would that have been a bad investment?
00:00:30Think Microsoft. Trouble with the law, still a great company.
00:00:37Also think of a young entrepreneur coming up with a brilliant new software application just about ready to go public.
00:00:45That's Fernando Vargas.
00:00:47Besides, aside from his talent as a fighter, he gives us the musky odor of some intense need and ambition
00:00:56to succeed.
00:00:58And he has the looks to go with it.
00:00:59If you saw him coming down the street dressed casually, you probably would say, that must be a prize fighter.
00:01:06What we're going to find out tonight and in his next fight, which if he wins tonight would be against
00:01:12Ike Corte, is how good a fighter he is.
00:01:15But he is, as you say, facing the felony assault charge outside the ring.
00:01:18He's got a hearing coming up a little bit later on, which he's certainly looking forward to with great expectation,
00:01:24hoping that he can get his problem cleared up.
00:01:27That's bound to be a huge distraction as he comes in against Wright.
00:01:30Sometimes when a fighter's in that situation, particularly a knockout puncher like Vargas, he tends to go for a knockout
00:01:36early.
00:01:36Isn't Wright, with his style, exactly the kind of fighter who might be able to take advantage of that.
00:01:41Well, Vargas is the type of athlete who would use a problem, use adversity, to make an opportunity for himself,
00:01:52to make a statement about himself.
00:01:53But whether he's overeager or whether he's patient, Winky Wright can be a problem for him.
00:02:00He's the kind of slick southpaw who gives nightmares to trainers and managers and promoters.
00:02:06He's fought all over the world. He's a real veteran. He knows how to fight.
00:02:13Maybe he's the right opponent for our champion, Vargas, or maybe Winky Wright is the wrong opponent for him.
00:02:22All right. We're about to find out as Fernando Vargas puts his 17-win, 17-knockout record on the line.
00:02:29Here's the tail of the tape. You see the seven-year age advantage for Vargas.
00:02:33Gives up a half inch in height to Winky Wright.
00:02:35Has the two-inch reach advantage.
00:02:37They both weighed in at 154.
00:02:39Fernando must be in pretty good shape, putting on only six pounds between the weigh-in and now.
00:02:43Wright putting on ten pounds to go up to 164.
00:02:47Rules of the bout with Harold Letterman.
00:02:49The ferocious Fernando Vargas Winky Wright fight is scheduled for 12 rounds using the unified rules of the Association of
00:02:56Boxing Commissions.
00:02:57There is no standing eight count, no three-knockdown rule.
00:03:00Only the referee can stop the fight, and you cannot be saved by the bell in any round, including the
00:03:0512th and final round.
00:03:07Jim.
00:03:08All right, Harold, and let's welcome Ronald Winky Wright from St. Petersburg, Florida.
00:03:15First appearance here on HBO for a world-traveling fighter who has spent his career trying to make his mark
00:03:23all over the globe
00:03:24and has scant opportunities up to now to fight in the United States.
00:03:31The mandatory challenge originally was invented for fighters like Winky Wright who don't have the kind of following that can
00:03:42give him leverage in negotiations
00:03:44but who have a high skill level that eventually, with patience and diligence, would earn them a shot at a
00:03:52title.
00:03:53Closer look at the challenger.
00:03:55He has never, ever fought in his hometown of St. Petersburg, 20 times abroad and in St. Petersburg.
00:04:04His buddies are a couple of baseball stars named Dwight Gooden and Gary Sheffield.
00:04:09How did a fighter get a nickname like Winky?
00:04:12His grandma gave it to him when he was 18 months old. That was before he started to be a
00:04:17fighter.
00:04:17He wasn't a fighter then.
00:04:18No.
00:04:19He was a baby.
00:04:20Although I guess he used his left hand with his rattle.
00:04:26And now we get ready for a new wrinkle in the Fernando Vargas act.
00:04:32As Vargas has decided to add to his ring entrance the showbiz element of wild animals.
00:04:41What animals, Larry?
00:04:43Well, let's just say I think we're going to see the princing of America or at least of boxing with
00:04:51an entrance that Vargas dreamed up himself, paid for himself.
00:05:01Vargas' people are already in the ring.
00:05:04His trainer, Eduardo Garcia, his co-trainer, Roger Bloodworth.
00:05:10Already there.
00:05:11And now here comes the Vargas entrance.
00:05:32Where's the fighter?
00:05:35Where's the fighter?
00:05:36Where are we going to fight for the Guardians of the Galaxy?
00:05:44Friends!
00:05:49What is this?
00:05:58Ah, ferocious Vargas and his ferocious big cats
00:06:06Not to be confused with my cats
00:06:09Incidentally, we've been talking about Roberto Garcia
00:06:12Beaten by Diego Corrales six weeks ago
00:06:15Surrendering his 130-pound world crown
00:06:17That's Garcia, Fernando Vargas' childhood buddy
00:06:22Holding up Vargas' championship belt
00:06:38Well, there's a two-handed cage animal
00:06:44Fernando Vargas
00:06:52This is an expression of a fighter
00:06:56Who has the nerve to put himself out there on the line
00:07:01Or as Muhammad Ali would say
00:07:03Who dares to be great
00:07:05Here's the fallacy, though
00:07:07The nature of this arena is such that practically nobody here can see Fernando
00:07:15Without television monitors, there's almost nobody in the arena
00:07:19Who can see Fernando or who has a clue what he's doing
00:07:34Fight managers used to say the fighter was their tiger
00:07:40I guess Fernando Vargas has taken that literally
00:07:51Meanwhile, there are a few thousand people here who are so far totally unaware that there's a tiger in a
00:07:56cage in one corner of the arena
00:07:59And the other new wrinkle is that Fernando shaved his head for the first time
00:08:02Let's take a closer look
00:08:03Let's take a closer look at Vargas
00:08:04Who was the youngest international amateur champion at 16
00:08:09Our youngest Olympian in 1996
00:08:13And is now the youngest manager
00:08:16A few days before his 26th birthday
00:08:19He has taken two fighters under his wing
00:08:28They are ready
00:08:29Let's go up to ring an ounce of Mark Biro
00:08:33Ladies and gentlemen
00:08:35From the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City, Oregon
00:08:40Main events in association with HBO Sports
00:08:45Ringside Tickets Incorporated
00:08:47And Miller Lite presents
00:08:50The HBO Boxing After Dark
00:08:53Main event of the evening
00:08:55Promotion at the Ocean
00:08:59Palm rounds
00:09:01For the IVF Junior Middleweight Championship
00:09:04Of the World
00:09:06Your judges at ringside are
00:09:09From Holmdale, New Jersey
00:09:12Deborah Barnes
00:09:14From Dubuque, Iowa
00:09:16Dave Hess
00:09:17And from Eugene, Oregon
00:09:20Jim Howard
00:09:23Your referee for this event
00:09:26From Las Vegas, Nevada
00:09:28Working his 125th World Championship
00:09:33Fight
00:09:34El Caballero
00:09:35Joe Cortez
00:09:41Introducing now the principals first
00:09:43In the blue corner to my left
00:09:45Wearing the black trunks
00:09:47With the white accessories
00:09:49He weighs in at 154 pounds
00:09:53His professional record reads
00:09:5639 victories
00:09:582 defeats
00:09:59And 24 wins
00:10:02Coming by way of knockout
00:10:03He hails
00:10:05From St. Petersburg, Florida
00:10:07The former WBO Junior Middleweight Champion
00:10:12And the challenger
00:10:14Ronald
00:10:15Ronald
00:10:15Winky
00:10:16Rye
00:10:20Rye
00:10:22Rye
00:10:23His opponent
00:10:24In the red corner
00:10:26Wearing the white leopard style trunks
00:10:30With black trim
00:10:31He weighs in at 154 pounds
00:10:35He is undefeated
00:10:38In 17 professional bouts
00:10:41All 17 wins coming by way of knockout
00:10:45He hails
00:10:46He hails
00:10:47From Oxnard, California
00:10:48The youngest ever
00:10:51Junior Middleweight Champion
00:10:53Of the world
00:10:54Ferocious
00:10:56Fernando
00:10:58Vargas
00:11:13Vargas
00:11:15Rye rules
00:11:15In the dressing room
00:11:16And I expect
00:11:17A good clean fight
00:11:18This is for the IBF
00:11:21Championship of the world
00:11:22I want good sportsmanlike conduct
00:11:24Understood?
00:11:25Understood here?
00:11:26Remember guys
00:11:26Not fair but I'm firm
00:11:27Understand?
00:11:28Alright
00:11:29Touch him out
00:11:31Just when you think
00:11:32You've seen everything
00:11:34It turns out
00:11:35You ain't seen nothing yet
00:11:36What are we going to see now?
00:11:42Oregon authorities
00:11:43Choosing to bring in
00:11:44Veteran Joe Cortez
00:11:46The referee this one
00:11:49Cortez now a regular
00:11:50Of course in the state of Nevada
00:11:52After having moved there
00:11:53From New Jersey a few years ago
00:11:56Vargas
00:11:56Usually starts tactically
00:12:00Builds from a slow pace
00:12:02Trying to find his
00:12:03Opportunities to land power punches
00:12:05As the fight goes on
00:12:10Wright going right at him
00:12:12Winky Wright
00:12:13In one of his better efforts
00:12:15A couple of years ago
00:12:16Against Bronco McCart
00:12:17Through 48 jabs per round
00:12:19So you expect
00:12:21That Winky will try to get
00:12:22The right jab going
00:12:24And control the early action
00:12:25With it
00:12:38Marcus insists he has
00:12:39No technical problems
00:12:40With southpaws
00:12:42Pointing to his experiences
00:12:43Pointing to his experiences
00:12:44Against Raul Marquez
00:12:47He said that if he could
00:12:48Hit Pernell Whitaker in the gym
00:12:51When he spired with him
00:12:52He suspects he could hit right
00:12:53He hits him right there
00:12:55With a left hand
00:12:56And the right uppercut
00:12:58That followed behind it
00:12:59First big combination
00:13:00Of the bout for Vargas
00:13:05Vargas to the body
00:13:07And one thing he promised
00:13:08Was rough body punching
00:13:10Of the kind he says
00:13:11Wright has never tasted
00:13:19Right blocking that right hand
00:13:21Lead with his gloves
00:13:22Already there's an abrasion
00:13:24Beside the right eye
00:13:25Of Ronald Winky Wright
00:13:31He insisted thus
00:13:33That he'd never been caught
00:13:38Vargas with the uppercut
00:13:39Second one was blocked
00:13:41First one landed
00:13:46Crowd chanting Vargas
00:13:47Vargas Vargas
00:13:49Left hook to the body
00:13:50Wright comes back
00:13:51With his own right hook
00:13:52To the body
00:13:53Uppercut by Wright
00:13:56They're trading shots
00:13:58From close range
00:13:59From time to time
00:14:00Vargas regarded
00:14:01As the more authoritative
00:14:02Punching
00:14:09It's a vicious
00:14:10Wright uppercut
00:14:11To the middle
00:14:11Of the midsection
00:14:12By Vargas
00:14:15Southpaws usually
00:14:16Don't fight this aggressively
00:14:20But Winky Wright
00:14:21Has fought abroad
00:14:22So many times
00:14:24That he knows
00:14:25He has to fight aggressively
00:14:27To get decisions
00:14:30And he is fighting
00:14:32Toe to toe
00:14:33With Vargas
00:14:35Interesting choice
00:14:36By Wright
00:14:37A lot of us thought
00:14:38He might try
00:14:39To be more elusive
00:14:40You see Vargas
00:14:41Busting his left jab
00:14:42Right through the middle
00:14:43Of Wright's guard
00:14:43A mark of Fernando's strength
00:14:47But Wright
00:14:47Well balanced
00:14:48Looking confident
00:14:50Able to make his jab
00:14:51Work from time to time
00:14:59In round one
00:15:00In Vargas' corner
00:15:01Where Eduardo
00:15:01Garcia speaks Spanish
00:15:03Our interpreter
00:15:03Is Ray Torres
00:15:06Are you working
00:15:07Real beautiful
00:15:08You gotta hit him
00:15:10With that straight right hand
00:15:12You fake with that left
00:15:13And then you hit him
00:15:14With the right hand
00:15:15You working beautifully
00:15:18Calculate him
00:15:20Bang
00:15:21Up to the side
00:15:22Okay
00:15:23You out hustle
00:15:24In that first round
00:15:25You out hustle
00:15:26In that first round
00:15:27Good round
00:15:31Good round
00:15:31Good round
00:15:33When you're inside
00:15:34Block block
00:15:35Look for that opening
00:15:36Give in combinations
00:15:37Okay
00:15:38Vargas showing that
00:15:40Although he is young
00:15:41He doesn't fight young
00:15:43Going to the body
00:15:45When the opportunity
00:15:46Presents itself
00:15:50CompuBox numbers
00:15:51In round one
00:15:51Vargas 15 out of 44
00:15:53Wright 10 out of 46
00:15:54You heard Wright's trainer
00:15:56Dan Birmingham
00:15:57Who has guided his career
00:15:59Ever since the beginning
00:16:00Of his amateur days
00:16:01Telling Wright
00:16:02That he thought
00:16:03He had beaten Vargas
00:16:03To the punch
00:16:04In round number one
00:16:12Winky Wright
00:16:13Not scared to trade
00:16:15In close quarters
00:16:16With Fernando Vargas
00:16:17And returning the fire
00:16:18To the body
00:16:22Chopping right hand
00:16:23Across the top
00:16:23By Wright
00:16:24Vargas manages
00:16:25To land the left hook
00:16:27They're landing
00:16:28Some heavy stuff here
00:16:29Wright with a right hand
00:16:31Right on the jaw
00:16:31Vargas
00:16:32They're testing each other
00:16:33Right here
00:16:34And Winky Wright
00:16:35Is making a statement
00:16:36That you're not
00:16:37Going to drive me off
00:16:38You're not going to
00:16:39Take the initiative
00:16:40Against me
00:16:43He is really making
00:16:45A bold statement
00:16:47Against Fernando
00:16:47Absolutely
00:16:53Vargas trying to land
00:16:55To the right hand
00:16:55To the body
00:16:57Wright with that
00:16:58Broad
00:16:58Well balanced base
00:17:00Firing his jab
00:17:02And trying to
00:17:03Backed Vargas up
00:17:04Backed Vargas up
00:17:06Even Yori boy
00:17:07Campos
00:17:08Couldn't back Vargas up
00:17:09And here comes Vargas
00:17:10Moving forward
00:17:11With the body shots again
00:17:17Right with his hands
00:17:18Held high
00:17:22Yet still throwing
00:17:24Enough punches
00:17:26Landing at a pretty
00:17:27Accurate rate
00:17:28So it would seem
00:17:29In this round
00:17:35But if Vargas expected
00:17:36Wright to
00:17:38Four punch combination
00:17:39By Vargas
00:17:41Each punch landed
00:17:43If Vargas expected
00:17:45Wright to go side to side
00:17:46Back up
00:17:46And try to be elusive
00:17:47Against him
00:17:48He must be surprised
00:17:49To see what he's facing
00:17:50Here
00:17:52Sparring with
00:17:53Pernell Whitaker
00:17:54Will not prepare you
00:17:55For this
00:17:56No way
00:17:57On the other hand
00:17:58If you had told Vargas
00:17:59Before the fight
00:18:00That Wright would do this
00:18:01I'm sure Fernando
00:18:02Would have said
00:18:02Great
00:18:03Bring it on
00:18:04I want him to come to me
00:18:06Still
00:18:06Wright seems to have
00:18:08Thrown him back
00:18:09Just a little bit
00:18:10With the unexpectedness
00:18:11Of this tactic
00:18:12And there's a hard right hand
00:18:13Landed off the front foot
00:18:15By Winky Wright
00:18:18Vargas a little bit low
00:18:19With the body punch
00:18:20Joe Cortez
00:18:21Let him get by with it
00:18:25Uppercut by Wright
00:18:26Hard right hand
00:18:27To the body
00:18:30Vargas partially blocked
00:18:31Across the top
00:18:32With the right hand lead
00:18:38Another vicious
00:18:39Wright to the body
00:18:39By Vargas
00:18:40Wright answers
00:18:41With the same thing
00:18:47It's a fight in there
00:18:48As round two
00:18:50Comes to a close
00:18:55He's standing too much
00:18:56In front of him
00:18:56I want you boxing
00:18:58Don't try to prove no point
00:19:00I want you boxing
00:19:01On them toes
00:19:02Don't stand still
00:19:03Breathe
00:19:04Breathe
00:19:04Breathe
00:19:06Relax
00:19:06Chew in
00:19:08Don't think about nothing
00:19:09What the fuck
00:19:11I want you feinting
00:19:12Jabbing
00:19:13Moving
00:19:14You're laying inside too much
00:19:15We don't want this guy
00:19:17We don't want this guy to score
00:19:17We don't want this guy to score
00:19:30He is right now going to the body
00:19:35Good shot to the ribs
00:19:37Later in the round
00:19:39Later in the round
00:19:39Vargas
00:19:40Vargas
00:19:40A left
00:19:40A right
00:19:41Another left
00:19:46Now you heard
00:19:47In the corner of Wright
00:19:48They were telling him
00:19:50Don't try to prove any point
00:19:52Start the boxing
00:19:54Dan Birmingham
00:19:55Dan Birmingham
00:19:56His trainer
00:19:56Obviously as surprised as we are
00:19:58To have seen Wright
00:19:58Standing in front of Vargas
00:20:00In that round
00:20:00Nevertheless on Letterman's card
00:20:02At one in the round
00:20:03He might have seen the CompuBox numbers
00:20:04That had him throwing
00:20:05A couple punches more
00:20:06And landing six punches more
00:20:08Than did Vargas
00:20:09So numerically at least
00:20:11Round two looked like
00:20:12A good one for Wright
00:20:12But his trainer
00:20:13Dan Birmingham
00:20:14Said I want you to box
00:20:16And still Wright
00:20:17Comes out
00:20:18And stands in front of
00:20:19Vargas and trains
00:20:25Good combination
00:20:26By Wright there
00:20:28Vargas unable to get off
00:20:30This seems a little
00:20:31Out of character
00:20:32For Wright
00:20:33You wonder if he can sustain it
00:20:50Meanwhile
00:20:51My suggestion
00:20:53That Vargas might come in
00:20:54Impatient for the knockout
00:20:56Goes by the boards
00:20:57As he starts out
00:20:58With cautious patience
00:21:00And tactical thinking
00:21:02As has been the case
00:21:03Throughout his career
00:21:04He says
00:21:05I train scared
00:21:06No matter who his opponent is
00:21:09He trains as though
00:21:10He's
00:21:10He's going to be fighting
00:21:12Ray Robinson
00:21:14They trade shots
00:21:16To the body again
00:21:18Round three
00:21:19Has so far been
00:21:20A tactical affair
00:21:21Not a lot of leather
00:21:23Landed on either side
00:21:24Now Wright
00:21:25Trying to step in
00:21:26And take the initiative again
00:21:27Vargas comes back
00:21:28With a right to the body
00:21:29Wright misses
00:21:30With a swinging right hook
00:21:31Triple uppercut
00:21:33By Vargas
00:21:36The right is right back
00:21:37On top of him
00:21:38Watch out
00:21:39Watch out
00:21:39Watch out
00:21:40Watch out
00:21:40Let's go
00:21:44Cortez
00:21:44Mind pull up
00:21:45The southpaw
00:21:46Versus conventional
00:21:47Fighter confrontation
00:21:48Warning both fighters
00:21:49To watch their heads
00:21:50This is a very very fast paced fight
00:21:53This is a very very fast paced fight
00:21:54Very long
00:22:01Uppercut landed for Vargas
00:22:03Snapped right head back
00:22:04Wright misses with the chopping left
00:22:06But comes back with a right hook
00:22:07Vargas with a straight right up the middle
00:22:09Wright returns the favor
00:22:13Right now
00:22:13We see Vargas has been investing
00:22:16More in a body attack
00:22:18And now he goes to the head
00:22:21And Wright trying to answer
00:22:23Every thunderous Vargas
00:22:25Shot with one of his own
00:22:26It's becoming a slugfest
00:22:29As they come down the stretch
00:22:30To round three
00:22:34Minor swelling outside the right eye
00:22:36Of Vargas
00:22:41Vargas trying to use those uppercuts
00:22:43To bust Wright out of his defense
00:22:58Double header on boxing after dark
00:23:00You meet our second round card girl
00:23:03Brooke Morales
00:23:04Of Agoura Hills, California
00:23:06She does her modeling
00:23:08Mostly in the fitness related area
00:23:10And I think you can see why Larry
00:23:12She's very fit
00:23:14Almost as fit as these two
00:23:16Little triggers
00:23:17Fighters right now
00:23:18Water
00:23:19Give him some water
00:23:20Breathe
00:23:22Breathe
00:23:23Breathe
00:23:26Excellent boxing
00:23:27Keep it up
00:23:27He's cut already
00:23:29He stopped in front of me
00:23:30For about five seconds
00:23:31I don't want you doing that
00:23:32Come on, move
00:23:33Watch Vargas' left foot
00:23:35Standing right on Wright's right foot
00:23:37And landing those punches
00:23:39It's inadvertent
00:23:41It's not unusual
00:23:42When a conventional fighter
00:23:44Fights
00:23:45A fighter of the southpaw persuasion
00:23:48The winky right
00:23:50Who beat Bronco McCart
00:23:52On the strength of throwing
00:23:5440 to 50 jabs per round
00:23:56In round three
00:23:57Throw 72 punches
00:23:58Against Vargas
00:23:59Only 25 of them jabs
00:24:0147 power shots
00:24:06Vargas landed 24 out of 67
00:24:10Interesting though that
00:24:12They're fighting
00:24:13A tough aggressive inside fight
00:24:16And it's Wright
00:24:16Who's choosing to make it that way
00:24:28Right hand lead for Vargas
00:24:32And they're swelling under the left eye
00:24:34Of Fernando Vargas
00:24:35And Vargas begins to fight
00:24:38With a greater sense of urgency
00:24:39Firing those umber cuts
00:24:41And coming back with hooks
00:24:54Right hand lead for Vargas
00:24:57Momentarily backs right up
00:24:58Winky gets on
00:25:00The move and comes straight back inside again
00:25:04Wright lands an uppercut
00:25:05Comes back with a right hook
00:25:07Vargas' left eye
00:25:09Swelling precipitously
00:25:10As this round goes by
00:25:16And there's a vicious right hand
00:25:18By Vargas
00:25:20Vargas is landing
00:25:21Between a hard throw
00:25:23But Wright is right with him
00:25:25And very busy
00:25:27And piling up points
00:25:29And Cortez allows Wright
00:25:30To twice
00:25:31Whack Vargas on the hip
00:25:33That's something that can immobilize
00:25:35A fighter over the course of a bout
00:25:40Straight right hands up the middle
00:25:41Starting to do big damage
00:25:42For Vargas in this round
00:25:48And another right cross on the left hook
00:25:50To the body
00:25:50And now Fernando begins to land
00:25:52Three and four punches at a time
00:25:54And Wright's strategy
00:25:56Of standing close to Vargas
00:25:57And trading
00:25:58Begins to look a little hollow
00:26:09Vargas is just tearing him up inside
00:26:12Wright is in amazing condition
00:26:15To take this kind of punishment
00:26:17He's been a pro for nine years
00:26:19He's always been a junior middleweight
00:26:21Which speaks well of his conditioning
00:26:23And his will
00:26:25And he's traveled all over the world
00:26:27To fight
00:26:27And he is really taking some
00:26:30Murderous body punches here
00:26:32But the big power difference
00:26:34In Vargas' favor
00:26:35Begins to show up
00:26:37Here in the fourth round
00:26:38As he repeatedly
00:26:39Rips Wright
00:26:40With power shots in close
00:26:42Combinations
00:26:43Left hook
00:26:44Right cross
00:26:45Straight right hand leads
00:26:47Uppercuts
00:26:48Body shots
00:26:49The last minute of the round
00:26:51A big Vargas punching display
00:27:05Okay let's get
00:27:06Let's give him some water
00:27:07He's tired already
00:27:08The other guy's tired
00:27:09Yo man
00:27:11Body shots are killing him baby
00:27:13You gotta sit up around
00:27:15You alright?
00:27:17You okay?
00:27:19That's all he had
00:27:20He's yours now
00:27:23That's all he's got
00:27:24He's tired as low
00:27:27Come on you're winning this fight
00:27:35Boxed boxed
00:27:35Look for that straight left hand sometimes too
00:27:38Good jab straight left hand
00:27:40Here they are in slow motion
00:27:42A good
00:27:44Left hook
00:27:45Get your corner
00:27:46Get your corner
00:27:47By Vargas
00:27:49Can Wright sustain this pace?
00:27:52Does he have to start boxing more
00:27:54As his corner is urging him to do?
00:27:58But after the body shots he's taken from Vargas
00:28:00Can he box more?
00:28:02That'll be part of the question as the fight progresses
00:28:05Harold Lederman
00:28:06How do you have it through four?
00:28:07Hey Jim
00:28:07Before I give my score
00:28:08Where's the Tiger?
00:28:09I got a 2-2
00:28:1238-38
00:28:13I got it all even
00:28:14Jim I want to tell you something
00:28:15I thought Winky Wright
00:28:16Stood right in there
00:28:17Stained Vargas' face
00:28:18And won rounds
00:28:19Two or three clearly
00:28:21But Benedo came back
00:28:22With that big fourth round
00:28:23It's a great slugging match
00:28:25Toe to toe
00:28:25It's just a matter of
00:28:26Who gets in more clean shots
00:28:28Vargas looking very strong
00:28:29To this point
00:28:31I have Vargas
00:28:32Three rounds to one
00:28:33But I agree
00:28:34With Harold
00:28:35That
00:28:36That
00:28:38Third round
00:28:39Could have gone
00:28:39To right
00:28:40And with regard
00:28:42To the Tiger comment
00:28:43Harold
00:28:43Producer Dave Harmon
00:28:45Points out
00:28:45Dying's easy
00:28:46Comedy's hard
00:28:51Round five
00:28:53Fernando Vargas
00:28:54Trying to bust through
00:28:55Winky Wright's guard
00:28:56With power punches again
00:28:57Now there
00:28:58Is a low blow
00:28:59For which Cortez
00:29:00Elects to stop the action
00:29:01For a moment
00:29:02And warn Vargas
00:29:07Winky Wright continues his strategy
00:29:09Of backing Vargas up
00:29:11Staying right in front of Fernando
00:29:13And trading with him
00:29:15Doing much better with that
00:29:17So far in the fight
00:29:18Than most of us would have suspected
00:29:19Could be the case
00:29:20But it's a dangerous strategy
00:29:22How long can he live with it
00:29:24With his corner
00:29:25Asking him to box and move
00:29:35Sticking his right hand
00:29:36Into Vargas' face twice
00:29:38As Fernando
00:29:38Tries to mount the attack again
00:29:43Body, body, body
00:29:45Fernando trying
00:29:46To take Wright's legs away
00:29:55It's amazing that
00:29:56A fighter of Wright's caliber
00:29:59Could materialize
00:30:00From St. Petersburg, Florida
00:30:03Where there hasn't been
00:30:05Any professional prize fight
00:30:07Nine years as a professional
00:30:0939 wins
00:30:10Two losses
00:30:1124 KOs
00:30:12The only two losses
00:30:13To Harry Simon
00:30:14And Julio Cesar Vasquez
00:30:16Nine years ago
00:30:18In the Olympic Festival
00:30:18In 1990
00:30:19Wright won the title
00:30:21In the 139 pound weight class
00:30:23Beating the illustrious
00:30:24Stevie Johnston
00:30:26World champion now
00:30:27At 135 pounds
00:30:32So he's been in
00:30:34Against quality
00:30:34Plenty of times before
00:30:42Ten seconds to go
00:30:43In the fifth round
00:30:44And Winky Wright
00:30:45Has regained
00:30:47Some of the momentum
00:30:48He had lost
00:30:49In a vicious fourth round
00:30:51Against Vargas
00:30:54Next Wednesday
00:30:55We invite you to tune in
00:30:57For the HBO documentary
00:30:59Unitas
00:31:00You'll learn how
00:31:01Number 19
00:31:02Johnny Unitas
00:31:03Became a football icon
00:31:04And a hero to
00:31:06An entire generation
00:31:07Unitas
00:31:08Coming Wednesday
00:31:09December 8th
00:31:10Larry
00:31:11I can't wait to see it
00:31:12When I was a kid
00:31:13In Hendersonville
00:31:14North Carolina
00:31:15This was the only NFL team
00:31:17That was showcased
00:31:18In my area
00:31:19So I watched
00:31:19Johnny Unitas
00:31:20Every Sunday
00:31:21When I was growing up
00:31:22Chuck Thompson
00:31:23Calling the games
00:31:24National Beer
00:31:25Was the advertiser
00:31:26They were the Baltimore Colts
00:31:27Remember that?
00:31:29I remember well
00:31:30I used to go
00:31:31To cover
00:31:32The Colts games
00:31:35Memorial Stadium
00:31:37In Baltimore
00:31:37Looking great
00:31:39Partly to see
00:31:40Johnny Unitas
00:31:41And partly to eat
00:31:42The crab cakes
00:31:42In the press room
00:31:43And to watch
00:31:44The great Lenny Moore
00:31:45Another tremendous
00:31:46Player on that team
00:31:50Jim Muxler
00:31:51Ray Berry
00:31:52Watch that
00:31:53Unitas special
00:31:54Which would be great
00:31:55Jabs in round 5
00:31:57Winky Wright
00:31:58Throwing 36
00:31:58And landing 15
00:31:59Of them
00:32:00So the fifth
00:32:01Was a much more
00:32:01Winky Wright type round
00:32:03But nevertheless
00:32:05Letterman
00:32:05Seduced by the
00:32:06Vargas power punching
00:32:07Gives it to Fernando
00:32:14But Wright
00:32:15Delivering more
00:32:16Of what we expected
00:32:17Would have been
00:32:17The game plan
00:32:18In the fifth round
00:32:21Now they're swelling
00:32:22Around both of
00:32:23Winky Wright's eyes
00:32:24They're swelling
00:32:25Under both
00:32:26The Fernando Vargas' eyes
00:32:27And well
00:32:28There should be
00:32:29With the kind of
00:32:30Leather they've been
00:32:30Trading in this one
00:32:32In nature
00:32:33Tigers may not
00:32:34Have any natural
00:32:35Enemies
00:32:37But in the ring
00:32:38They do
00:32:54What would you have said
00:32:55If I had told you
00:32:56Last week Larry
00:32:57Winky Wright
00:32:58Is going to back
00:32:58Fernando Vargas up
00:32:59Round after round
00:33:02I probably would have said
00:33:04It's a suicide mission
00:33:06But he's doing reasonably
00:33:08Well with it
00:33:09As we approach
00:33:10The midway point
00:33:10Of the battle
00:33:15Wright coming back
00:33:16With a combination
00:33:17As Vargas throws
00:33:18The one right hand lead
00:33:20Wright beginning
00:33:22And finishing
00:33:22The action
00:33:23In the exchanges
00:33:24Here in the sixth
00:33:29What a professional effort
00:33:31So far
00:33:31By the previously
00:33:33Little known
00:33:34Ronald Winky Wright
00:33:35As you said Larry
00:33:36This is the kind of guy
00:33:38Mandatory challenges
00:33:39Were made for
00:33:41Right
00:33:42And I also said
00:33:43That this is not
00:33:45The kind of guy
00:33:46That young titleists
00:33:49Would fight
00:33:50If they had a choice
00:33:56So Fernando Vargas
00:33:58Getting a stiff test
00:34:01So far
00:34:02As we approach
00:34:03The halfway point
00:34:04Of the scheduled
00:34:04Twelve round
00:34:05154 pound title defense
00:34:07For Vargas
00:34:08Who has 17 knockouts
00:34:10And 17 fights
00:34:11Coming in
00:34:11He was so happy
00:34:13When his previous
00:34:14Title defense
00:34:14Against Raul Marquez
00:34:16Went all the way
00:34:17The 11th
00:34:17Before he got the TKO
00:34:18TKO
00:34:19And he said
00:34:20Maybe people
00:34:21Will understand
00:34:22Now that I don't
00:34:23Train just to
00:34:23Fight six rounds
00:34:25Hard left hand
00:34:26By Winky Wright
00:34:30Vargas taking
00:34:30More hard punches
00:34:31From Winky Wright
00:34:32Than he took
00:34:33From the much
00:34:34More well known
00:34:35Marquez
00:34:35Or Yori Boy
00:34:37Campus
00:34:37In his title winning
00:34:38Effort a year ago
00:34:50Halfway through
00:34:51And it's
00:34:51Anyone's fight
00:35:00He can't get by this jam
00:35:03He can't get by this jam
00:35:04Vargas' mom
00:35:06Marta
00:35:07Looking fairly concerned
00:35:09Over there
00:35:12And urging her fighter
00:35:13And her son
00:35:30Is right effective
00:35:31With his jab
00:35:33Follows with a short
00:35:34Crisp
00:35:35Left hand
00:35:37Right
00:35:38Go ahead
00:35:39Well schooled
00:35:41Well conditioned
00:35:42Fighter
00:35:42Excellent
00:35:43Look at how
00:35:44Even those numbers are
00:35:46Through round six
00:35:47Anyone's fight
00:35:49Right with tiny edges
00:35:52There statistically
00:35:53In the fight
00:35:54Vargas
00:35:55Hoping to respond
00:35:57On to his mother's
00:35:58Exhortations
00:35:59Come out
00:35:59With the big seven
00:36:06The letterman card
00:36:08Even through six
00:36:30Kind of blistering
00:36:31Action bat
00:36:32We've become accustomed
00:36:33To having
00:36:34In the three years
00:36:35Of the boxing
00:36:35After dark telecast
00:36:39Almost four years
00:36:41Now
00:36:44Vargas
00:36:45Very satisfied
00:36:46To be the counterpuncher
00:36:47Here
00:36:48And being particularly
00:36:49Effective
00:36:50In the first minute
00:36:51Of this round
00:36:52Three breakout
00:37:01Interesting challenge
00:37:02Interesting kind of fight
00:37:04For Fernando Vargas
00:37:06Just with a hard right hand
00:37:08Right seemingly
00:37:09Momentarily stunned
00:37:11By the right
00:37:11Now gets back
00:37:12Into his posture
00:37:13And goes back
00:37:14To trying to lead
00:37:15Rather than follow
00:37:25Vargas
00:37:25Vargas takes a right hand
00:37:26From right
00:37:27And another looping right
00:37:28Over the top
00:37:31Rinky Wright said
00:37:33Coming in
00:37:33That he thought
00:37:34There were holes
00:37:34In Vargas' defense
00:37:35And he has found them
00:37:38Landing repeatedly
00:37:39Against the more
00:37:39Celebrated players
00:37:45Hard right hand
00:37:46By Vargas
00:37:47Lance Blush
00:37:48Back to the body
00:37:49One, two, three times
00:38:09This is the kind
00:38:10Of fight
00:38:11Which further underlines
00:38:13Fernando Vargas' image
00:38:15As a throwback
00:38:16An old time fighter
00:38:17As you said
00:38:18Larry
00:38:19Like something
00:38:19Out of the 30s movie
00:38:20Yeah
00:38:21You don't want to see
00:38:23A young fighter
00:38:24Get into
00:38:24Too many of these wars
00:38:27Just beat 22
00:38:29On next Tuesday
00:38:30And he is in a war
00:38:32Now
00:38:32And it's a war
00:38:33For survival
00:38:41Winky Wright
00:38:42Stunning
00:38:43Fernando Vargas
00:38:44With his ability
00:38:45To stand
00:38:46Toe to toe
00:38:46And trade with him
00:38:47Giving as good
00:38:48As he's getting
00:38:52Still anybody's fight
00:39:05Everybody stay calm
00:39:20Step around this man
00:39:21A little bit
00:39:22When you're on the outside
00:39:23Breathe
00:39:26You gotta move
00:39:27Don't stay in front of him
00:39:28You gotta move
00:39:29You can't fight back
00:39:30You gotta
00:39:32Hold him still
00:39:33Get the rag off
00:39:34Get the rag off
00:39:35From his heart
00:39:36I got something
00:39:37Come on
00:39:38I want mine
00:39:39Come on
00:39:42Come on
00:39:43Come on
00:39:50Vargas has never gone 12 rounds
00:39:54Stopped all 17
00:39:55As of his opponents
00:39:56Up to now
00:39:59At the very least
00:40:01Both of those
00:40:03Records are in jeopardy
00:40:10In round 7
00:40:11Copybox numbers
00:40:12Vargas 25 out of 77
00:40:15Wright 19 out of 61
00:40:17Of 44 connects
00:40:18Between the two fighters
00:40:20Only five of them were dead
00:40:21It's a power punching extravaganza
00:40:23Not exactly what we expected
00:40:25Winky Wright
00:40:26From round 1
00:40:27To round 7
00:40:28Simply hasn't boxed
00:40:29As much as you thought he might
00:40:30And has slugged a lot more
00:40:32Than you thought he might
00:40:32And has done well with it
00:40:47Straight right hands
00:40:49Up the middle
00:40:50By Vargas
00:40:52Wright still stalking
00:40:55Backing Vargas up
00:40:58Round after round
00:41:01Vargas content to counter
00:41:02As Larry pointed out
00:41:07And once again
00:41:08Getting comfortable with it
00:41:12Wright's punch is making contact
00:41:15Vargas' punch is doing more damage
00:41:31Vargas fans and the crowd
00:41:33Nervous
00:41:36Not having heard much
00:41:37About Winky Wright
00:41:38They might have expected
00:41:39Their man to score
00:41:40One of his patented
00:41:41Easy knockouts
00:41:42By now
00:41:54It's just right hand
00:41:56In the body by Vargas
00:41:57Wright snaps Vargas' head back
00:41:59With a counter right hand
00:42:00Of his arm
00:42:02Vargas back with a
00:42:03One, two, three
00:42:11Mike Korte
00:42:13Has come over from Ghana
00:42:15To watch this fight
00:42:18Hoping to fight
00:42:20Vargas in his next fight
00:42:23I'm sure he is
00:42:24Wondering what's going on here
00:42:26Let it go, let it go
00:42:27Let it go, let it go
00:42:28Get back
00:42:30As well as trying to go to school
00:42:32On how Wright is fighting Vargas
00:42:37Guarte with his brilliant jab
00:42:39Make a fascinating matchup
00:42:41Against the power-punching Vargas
00:42:46But, who knows
00:42:48Maybe by the end of the evening
00:42:49This title belongs to Winky Wright
00:42:51It's not out of the question
00:42:53But, what do you think for
00:42:56I'm sure you talk to him
00:42:58What do you think for
00:42:58The fight
00:42:58Easy
00:43:01Moodle
00:43:02Not out of the way
00:43:02No matter what time
00:43:03What to do
00:43:04You feel right
00:43:08Good
00:43:09You want to move through that
00:43:14Let your hands go
00:43:15Start hitting that body
00:43:16Come up to your head
00:43:17Let you down
00:43:18Move it away
00:43:18Move it away
00:43:18Don't move it away
00:43:19Okay?
00:43:21Gut check time
00:43:28You got to use a lot of intelligence to get in there.
00:43:39But do it. Let's make the fight easy.
00:43:41Don't let him get lucky.
00:43:42Don't let your toes in a nice rhythm.
00:43:43Box this guy, okay?
00:43:44Keep the faith working the jab.
00:43:46Jab, jab, come on.
00:43:54Fascinating fight. Action fight.
00:43:57Round eight, another in which Winky Wright threw and landed more punches.
00:44:00Harold Lederman.
00:44:01Hold time. Give me a towel. Give me a towel.
00:44:04As Joe Cortez wipes the ring dry, how do you have it scored?
00:44:08Okay, Jim. 77, 75.
00:44:11Five rounds to three.
00:44:12Rattled Winky Wright.
00:44:14Jim, I'll tell you something.
00:44:15I think the challenge of Winky Wright has just walked through Fernando Vargas
00:44:18in round six, seven, and eight.
00:44:20He takes Fernando's best shots.
00:44:22He gets off first, and he walks him down.
00:44:24He takes it right through him.
00:44:25The effective, aggressive, and getting into better shots.
00:44:28Fernando has got to come forward and just take the pressure away.
00:44:31With the red, walking right through him.
00:44:34Larry, how do you have it?
00:44:36I have Vargas ahead slightly.
00:44:43Meanwhile, as you heard Vargas' co-trainer, Roger Bloodworth, say,
00:44:48gut check time.
00:44:50He could not help it reflect on the fact that two weeks ago,
00:44:54Bloodworth saw gut check time for Andrew Galata, his heavyweight.
00:44:58And when they checked, they found no gut.
00:45:02Well, they're not going to have that problem here.
00:45:04What they have a problem here is, is that Winky Wright has just fought a wonderful fight.
00:45:12He's seizing this opportunity, and doing everything possible with it.
00:45:24Who is the famed animal trainer, Frank Buck?
00:45:31Right now, he is doing some training on Fernando Vargas.
00:45:39In the modern era, the famed animal trainers are Siegfried and Roy.
00:45:43Slightly different than Frank Buck.
00:45:47Marlon Perkins.
00:45:52Jack Hanna.
00:45:57Vargas trying to train Winky Wright.
00:45:59So far, without great success.
00:46:02Minutes are going around nine.
00:46:04Fernando gets a chance to double up the uppercut and does so.
00:46:06This is with the left hook over the top.
00:46:09Wright, despite continued swelling around both eyes,
00:46:12knocks Vargas' mouthpiece out with a straight left hand.
00:46:16Fernando says, come on!
00:46:18Wright, smiling, sticks his right hand into Vargas' unprotected mouth.
00:46:23Fernando comes back with a counter right of his own.
00:46:25And Cortez stops the action there.
00:46:30Interesting, Cortez is supposed to wait for a lull in the action.
00:46:34That was, at best, a brief low.
00:46:40It must have felt like a rude awakening for Fernando Vargas
00:46:44to feel that mouthpiece fly out of the ring.
00:46:51Well, two weeks ago, we saw Michael Grant
00:46:55in danger of losing his much-celebrated status
00:46:58as the supposed heir apparent in the heavyweight division.
00:47:01And Grant, trailing so badly on the scorecards going to the tenth
00:47:05that he would have lost the fight if it had been completed,
00:47:08knocked out Andrew Galana.
00:47:10Now it appears Vargas may be facing almost as difficult a problem.
00:47:15Can he produce the kind of heart-stopping performance that Grant did?
00:47:19Three rounds to go.
00:47:20You got it?
00:47:21Get the tape!
00:47:22Right here.
00:47:23Come on, walk water away, guy.
00:47:25You got it.
00:47:26You got it.
00:47:28I got some more for you, guys.
00:47:30It's alright.
00:47:31If he wants a tape, you can stop it if we're not ready.
00:47:34Alright, relax, buddy.
00:47:35Come on.
00:47:36Wait.
00:47:36You're winning this fight big.
00:47:37You're in the tenth round now.
00:47:39You got a three-round amateur flight, okay?
00:47:41We got it.
00:47:42Remember, just like before.
00:47:45Take a team with a jab.
00:47:46Use the intelligence, alright?
00:47:48How do you feel?
00:47:52Now, the one-two step up and touch him is something else.
00:47:55Stay out of the cars and off the ropes.
00:47:59You got to throw some combinations and be fast.
00:48:03You got to throw a lot of punches.
00:48:06And not so hard, but fast.
00:48:07You got to be fast.
00:48:07There's a left hand that deposited the mouthpiece of Vargas on the camera,
00:48:16And you heard the rising urgency in Vargas' corner, the rising urgency in the voice of
00:48:22our interpreter, Ray Torres, as he repeated Eduardo Garcia's comments, you've got to throw
00:48:27a lot of combinations, you've got to throw them fast, you've got to go out and throw
00:48:30a lot of punches.
00:48:31So they want to see a less measured, more frenzied effort now from Fernando Vargas as
00:48:36he goes into the last three rounds of the fight, perhaps trailing on the scorecard.
00:48:41Certainly if Letterman's scorecard is a guide, he's in danger.
00:48:45Down three points on Harold's card. Vargas going to work on the body, trying to put punches
00:48:50together. Winky Wright standing in front of him, and you heard Wright's trainer, Dan Birmingham
00:48:54say, three-round amateur fight. You've been through this before.
00:49:11As the Vargas fans can't their man's name, Wright's fans can't winky, winky, winky.
00:49:40That's what Eduardo Garcia wants to see. Multi-punch combination by Vargas, most of them landing.
00:49:54Winky Wright has only been stopped once in his long career by a good South American fighter,
00:50:03who later won a title, Vasquez. And you can see why right here.
00:50:13Vasquez was credited with five knockdowns against Wright.
00:50:17But Wright said no, three of them were slips, and the two knockdowns were as much of an exhaustion
00:50:22as anything. Certainly Vargas is a hard punter, and has not been able to come close to putting
00:50:27Wright down. And he's mounting a rally here, and he's gonna have to fight the next two rounds
00:50:35just like this.
00:50:40Wright beginning to hold a little bit more than in the early rounds.
00:50:43As Vargas tries, as Larry says, to mount the rally that might save him the fight.
00:50:51Body shot by Vargas. Left hook lands upstairs.
00:50:55Double uppercut. Wright comes back with a little right hook.
00:51:00Vargas keeps firing. Uppercut. Body shot.
00:51:03Busting Wright with power punches in the middle of the ring.
00:51:08Vargas seizing the momentum.
00:51:13Big burst of energy to finish the 10th round for the champion, Fernando Vargas.
00:51:22Big burst havelock wheezes in the middle of the...
00:51:26Wh 39 criterals.
00:51:29Big burst of energy.
00:51:31Big burst of energy, again!
00:51:32Big burst of energy...
00:51:34Big burst of energy.
00:51:36Big burst of energy.
00:51:38Big burst of energy.
00:51:38Big burst of energy.
00:51:40Big burst of energy...
00:51:41Big burst of energy wasни waveforms of and Spirit.
00:51:48Bl angee持 on the-
00:51:48When you don't want to shoot, you can shoot.
00:51:50Watch, all right?
00:51:51You're in a nice rhythm.
00:51:53All right?
00:51:55Come on.
00:51:55Get your hand.
00:51:56Get strong.
00:51:57Yeah.
00:51:58Every round.
00:51:59Look beautiful.
00:52:00Look beautiful.
00:52:01Come on.
00:52:02There's Ike Bazooka Cuarte, Ghanaian star,
00:52:07looking to move up from 147 to 154,
00:52:10and perhaps to fight Fernando Vargas this coming spring.
00:52:13Requires that Vargas pull out a victory here.
00:52:16Did you see the CompuBox number?
00:52:1999 punches by Vargas in the 10th round.
00:52:22Landing 34 of 84 power shots.
00:52:25That's a brilliant rally.
00:52:27He might need two more rounds just like it.
00:52:29Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.
00:52:31Hold it. Hold it.
00:52:46Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.
00:52:53Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.
00:53:01Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.
00:53:06Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.
00:53:06Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.
00:53:06Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.
00:53:06Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.
00:53:06Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold
00:53:10Winky Wright now starting to come back with an energy rally of his own in round 11.
00:53:14Vargas tries to stop it right here.
00:53:22Wright surely aware that he was outpunched in the tank.
00:53:28Vargas trying to load up one big right hand.
00:53:30Misses badly with him.
00:53:33Fernando is such an accurate puncher.
00:53:35You don't often see him miss Wilder.
00:53:37But he's got a little bit of desperation going here.
00:53:42When you get to this stage of the fight, it's not about boxing.
00:53:49It's about conditioning.
00:53:51It's about will.
00:53:52It's about fighting.
00:53:53It's about fighting.
00:53:56And what a fight by Winky Wright.
00:53:59Win or lose.
00:54:00He's made a name for himself tonight.
00:54:07Straight right hand flushed by Wright.
00:54:10Wright.
00:54:12Slowing down the Vargas rally.
00:54:14Going back to his jab.
00:54:15Boxing and moving a little bit.
00:54:18Something we expected to see a lot more of.
00:54:20He sees the initiative early by coming out and trading unexpectedly with Vargas.
00:54:25It's served him well through most of the fight.
00:54:33Right up on his feet and moving in the 11th.
00:54:36Vargas not getting the chance here to throw 99 punches as he did in the 10th.
00:54:42Vargas is doing, Wright is doing more movement here.
00:54:46Fighting more as we expected to see him early.
00:54:48Making Vargas come after him.
00:54:54Smart tactics at this stage of the fight.
00:54:59The other 154 pound champions are Jorge Castillejo of Spain and Olympic gold medalist David Reed.
00:55:08Reed attempting to put together a title defense against Felix Trinidad this coming spring.
00:55:15But that is contractually challenged right now.
00:55:20Vargas tired and slowed down a little bit in the Atlanta close pass.
00:55:25You got to put pressure on him.
00:55:27You got to throw the combinations.
00:55:29You got to throw everything in this round.
00:55:31You have to win yourself.
00:55:33You can't stand and look at it.
00:55:34You have to hit it.
00:55:36Hey, watch your low blows, Joe.
00:55:38You got to punch.
00:55:40Be careful, okay?
00:55:44Bust him.
00:55:44Be first.
00:55:45Be first.
00:55:45And when he's backing up, attack him with that jab.
00:55:48Because he can't get set.
00:55:52We got it.
00:55:53We need this round and we need it to be a clear round with the combination.
00:55:58He won't touch it if he throws the combination.
00:56:03Good job.
00:56:04Bust him.
00:56:05Bust him.
00:56:05Move at me in the right.
00:56:07Last round.
00:56:07Last round.
00:56:08Touch him up.
00:56:14Hoppybox numbers in the 11th fairly equal.
00:56:16Vargas 22 out of 53.
00:56:18Wright 16 out of 54.
00:56:20Harold, how do you have it scored coming to the last round?
00:56:22Jim, 106-103.
00:56:25Winky Wright.
00:56:26I thought he pulled out the 11th.
00:56:27But the big rounds for Winky is 6, 7, 8, 9 when he's really outpunched Fernando Vargas.
00:56:31He just will not let Fernando Vargas square up in front of him.
00:56:35He keeps moving away.
00:56:36Vargas trying to get right in front of him.
00:56:37Can't do it.
00:56:39So at least on Harold Letterman's card, Fernando Vargas needs another knockout.
00:56:45His 18th in 18 professional fights to hold on to his title.
00:56:52And you heard Vargas' instructions.
00:56:55Throw combinations.
00:56:57Unload everything you've got in this round.
00:57:00Because he is from Southern California and Mexican-American, Vargas is constantly compared to Oscar De La Hoya.
00:57:08This is the kind of situation in which on two or three occasions we have seen De La Hoya close
00:57:13the show authoritatively and pull out the fight.
00:57:16Can Vargas do the same in an equally dramatic 12th round?
00:57:22This is a much closer fight even in those fights, I believe.
00:57:28And this 12th round probably will decide who wins the fight.
00:57:34Vargas slips on a wet spot and goes down even while landing a three-punch combination against Winky Wright.
00:57:45They touch gloves.
00:57:47Minute and a half to go.
00:57:49A tiring Vargas misses with the left foot.
00:57:53Wright stands in and fires his jab again.
00:57:56Vargas trying to bust through with combinations.
00:58:02High drama in Lincoln City, Oregon.
00:58:07Unexpected pressure for the 154-pound superstar, Fernando Vargas.
00:58:15Marcus throwing and landing more than right now.
00:58:18One minute to go.
00:58:26Good combo right, Wright.
00:58:29Marcus momentarily unable to find him.
00:58:35Hold on ahead, hold on ahead.
00:58:37Let's go, hold on ahead, let's go.
00:58:42Hard right cross and another one.
00:58:45Doubling up on the right cross is Vargas.
00:58:47Trying to make the final statement.
00:58:51This one's going to be in the hands of the judges.
00:58:54Barring a miracle knockout here.
00:58:57So who do they like?
00:58:58The titleist, Fernando Vargas, who threw the harder punches?
00:59:02Or the challenger, Winky Wright, who unexpectedly dictated the flow of the fight?
00:59:07Vargas has won this last round, I believe.
00:59:10I think so too.
00:59:11And it will all depend on a few close rounds early in the fight.
00:59:17Which way did they go?
00:59:18For the first time in his professional career,
00:59:21Fernando Vargas is forced to go the distance.
00:59:23Did he also lose for the first time?
00:59:27We're about to find out.
00:59:34CompuBox numbers in round 12.
00:59:37Vargas landed 30 of 85.
00:59:39Winky Wright only threw 25 punches in the 12th round.
00:59:43Hard to imagine any judge giving the closing round to Wright.
00:59:48Harold, your final card.
00:59:50Okay, Jim.
00:59:51115, 113.
00:59:54Seven rounds to five.
00:59:56Rattled Winky Wright.
00:59:57Jim, it was a Philadelphia fight all the way.
01:00:00Winky Wright put more pressure on him.
01:00:02He took a right to Fernando unexpectedly.
01:00:04He out-punched him.
01:00:05Jim, he deserves this fight.
01:00:07I think the challenger now becomes the champion.
01:00:10Close fight, but Winky Wright just outworked him.
01:00:13The three official judges, Deborah Barnes of New Jersey,
01:00:17Dave Hess of Dubuque, Iowa,
01:00:21Jim Howard of Oregon.
01:00:22We've seen Barnes and Hess before.
01:00:24Howard, the Oregon judge, an unknown quantity to us.
01:00:28And the ultimate decision rests with those three.
01:00:38You heard challenger Winky Wright's trainer, Dan Birmingham,
01:00:42tell him three rounds ago
01:00:43that he had already won the fight going away.
01:00:48I have to suspect it's closer than that.
01:00:58Vargas, alert enough to put in a pop for his hometown.
01:01:03Despite the strenuous trial he's been put through here.
01:01:07Hike Quarte waiting nervously.
01:01:13Larry Merchant's scorecard was a draw.
01:01:17You're boxing beautifully.
01:01:20Beautiful.
01:01:21Can't take it from me.
01:01:22And here's the final decision.
01:01:24Let's go to ring announcer Mark Barrow.
01:01:27Ladies and gentlemen,
01:01:29here is the decision of the three judges at ringside.
01:01:32Judge Dave Hess scores the bout 114, 114, a draw.
01:01:45Judge Jim Howard sees it 115, 113.
01:01:51And Judge Deborah Barnes scores it 116, 112 to the winner
01:02:01and IBF junior middleweight champion of the world,
01:02:06for Roche's Fernando Vargas.
01:02:12Vargas.
01:02:15Vargas.
01:02:31So the judges go with Fernando Vargas.
01:02:35And in a tough majority decision, Vargas holds on to his title.
01:02:41Ike Quarte breathes a sigh of relief at ringside.
01:02:44We'll look at the final CompuBox punch stat numbers.
01:02:47Vargas landing 37 more, throwing nearly 100 more punches.
01:02:52And most of the difference came in the 10th and 12th rounds,
01:02:56where Vargas threw 85 punches in the 12th, 99 punches in the 10th,
01:03:02rallying furiously down the stretch to secure victory in the fight.
01:03:07Power punches.
01:03:08Surprisingly close.
01:03:10Although, as you can see here in the closing rounds,
01:03:13Vargas piled up a margin, landing 244 to only 131 for Wright.
01:03:18Wright much more active with the jab.
01:03:20Vargas has 623 power punch output.
01:03:23No doubt, the ultimate force in winning him the fight on the judges' scorecards.
01:03:29And Larry Merchant stands by with the 154-pound champ.
01:03:34Thank you, Jim.
01:03:36Congratulations, Fernando.
01:03:38That was easy.
01:03:40Not at all.
01:03:41You know, I'm going to be honest with you, Larry.
01:03:42There was a lot of personal problems that I had,
01:03:45which I care not to mention because I'm not the one that likes to say anything before the fight.
01:03:51You mean aside from your legal problems?
01:03:53Yeah, aside to that, family problems that are going on in my life right now
01:03:57that a lot of people probably would break down.
01:03:59But, you know, I had to bite down and do what I had to do.
01:04:02I really felt slow in there because of the fact that
01:04:06I was thinking about some things at home that are going on.
01:04:10Are you suggesting that you couldn't train as diligently as you would like
01:04:15because of those problems?
01:04:16I'll be honest with you.
01:04:17You know, I had a lot of things on my mind.
01:04:19This personal problem happened when I was in camp.
01:04:23And, you know, it really distraught me a lot.
01:04:25And my manager, Shelly Finkel, really knows what's going on.
01:04:29But, you know, I had to do what I had to do.
01:04:30I can't postpone if I hate it.
01:04:31I'm not going to do that.
01:04:32I have to bite down and do what I got to do.
01:04:34And were you surprised that he didn't come out and box you the way a southpaw is expected to?
01:04:41You know, I give Winky Red a lot of credit.
01:04:44You know, he did what he had to do.
01:04:45But, you know, he slept on a couple of rounds, and I was there to take it to him.
01:04:51But he's a very slick fighter.
01:04:52And, you know, I just, like I told you, I think I would have been a lot sharper
01:04:56if things would have been going on with me.
01:04:57So, did you think, do you believe that ultimately the difference was the body punching?
01:05:04I think of body punches and that I want it more.
01:05:07You know, I want to be great.
01:05:09And there's a lot of learning experiences that you have to go through.
01:05:11This is one of them.
01:05:13Did you feel that your streak, your title were in jeopardy going into the last rounds?
01:05:21I knew it was close, but I didn't think it was in jeopardy.
01:05:23I knew it was close.
01:05:24I just had to pick it up and bite down and show what I am
01:05:27and what type of intestinal fortitude I got.
01:05:30You know, not every fighter you're going to be 100%.
01:05:32A lot of fighters have had bad days.
01:05:34You know, I had a bad day, but, you know, I'm not going to cry about it.
01:05:38Well, you're telling us there's a personal problem that distracted you.
01:05:43Would you care to say anything more about it?
01:05:45No, I'm not going to say nothing more about it.
01:05:47It's too personal.
01:05:49But what can I do?
01:05:50You know, I'm a close family.
01:05:52Do you still intend to fight Ike Korte in the spring?
01:05:55No doubt.
01:05:56I mean, styles make fights, and Winky today was a little slicker than I was,
01:06:01but at the end of the day, I showed that I have that intestinal fortitude to pull ahead,
01:06:06and even on a not-so-good day, I pulled through and I showed what Fernando Vargas is about.
01:06:11Thank you very much, champ.
01:06:14And now, Winky Wright, a mandatory challenger who showed that he had earned that
01:06:21and gave us a terrific fight.
01:06:25Congratulations to you in your first big television fight for making such a good fight of it.
01:06:31Obviously, you thought you won.
01:06:33Yeah, you know, I won that fight.
01:06:35I dominated the fight.
01:06:36I was coming forward, blocking his punches, catching them clean shots.
01:06:40You know what I'm saying?
01:06:41He's throwing a lot of punches, but I'm blocking them.
01:06:42And I threw more punches.
01:06:44I dominated that fight, and I came...
01:06:46Now, Winky, Winky, your face tells us that some of those punches got through.
01:06:51Of course, of course.
01:06:52You know, this boxing, you're going to get hit.
01:06:54But I showed the fans, everybody thought I was a runner.
01:06:56I boxed and moved.
01:06:57You know, I can box, move, come forward, and I beat him in his fight.
01:07:00I came forward.
01:07:01I could have eaten his pocket.
01:07:02Why did you elect that tactic to come forward and fight him rather than making him miss and hit?
01:07:11You know, he did.
01:07:11Because I knew everybody would...
01:07:13If I boxed him, they was going to say, oh, you ran, just like they try to say with Delahoy
01:07:17and Trinidad.
01:07:18But I beat him.
01:07:19Were you afraid that you couldn't get a decision if you boxed him?
01:07:23Is that what you're saying?
01:07:23Yeah, I knew.
01:07:24If I boxed him, move, I knew they wouldn't give me a decision.
01:07:26They wouldn't say he was running.
01:07:27So I said, I'm going to dominate the fight.
01:07:28I'm going to come forward.
01:07:29You know, he hit me and I hit him.
01:07:31You know what I'm saying?
01:07:32He didn't hurt me at all.
01:07:33And I hurt him a couple of times.
01:07:35You know what I'm saying?
01:07:35I know I won this fight.
01:07:37Winky, you waited a long time for this kind of a shot.
01:07:41You gave a terrific performance.
01:07:43Do you get any satisfaction, even though you're obviously unhappy with the decision, that you fought as well as you
01:07:50did?
01:07:51Oh, yeah.
01:07:51I'm upset that, you know what I'm saying, I didn't get a decision.
01:07:54And I already knew that, you know, if I didn't knock him down or knock him out, that I probably
01:07:58wouldn't get a decision.
01:07:59But I wanted to show the world that I'm a great fighter.
01:08:02And, you know, you can't, y'all try to say he pound for pound one of the best fighters.
01:08:05I'm supposed to be pound for pound one of the best.
01:08:07I beat him easily.
01:08:08You know what I'm saying?
01:08:08He fought a good fight, but I still thought I beat him.
01:08:10Thank you very much, Winky.
01:08:13Everybody in St. Pete.
01:08:15All right, just his final word.
01:08:18Coming down from Portland to Lincoln City earlier this week on a thruway, a couple of cars crashed in front
01:08:30of me.
01:08:31I saw my life blinking before my eyes.
01:08:35The cars were caroming all over the road, into each other, off walls.
01:08:40Fortunately, the driver was able to slalom his way through there.
01:08:44I thought for a moment that I was in some kind of a movie stunt.
01:08:49Well, I thought I had enough action for the week.
01:08:53Tonight we saw the human version of that near accident for me.
01:08:59And it was a special event to see.
01:09:03Congratulations to both.
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