15/09/02: De La Hoya vs Vargas

[Guest]

I rate Oscar to be one of excellent boxers currently active. He's probably at his peak as male specimen. He's a good fellow off the ring. Funding school and all that. I'd like him to win.

Vargas looks a young guy. Unfortunately, I've never heard of him. (I don't have satelite nor cable) He supposedly has a reputation of being a good fighter.

Tell me your opinion, especially:

1 - Who will win

2 - Prediction on the way the fight ends (e.g. KO; TKO; retirement due to cut, etc.)

3 - In which round the fight will end?

Links appriciated.

CV

 

[Marxist]

De La gets knocked around like the punk bitch he is.

 

[Guest]

De La gets knocked around like the punk bitch he is.

I knew I could count you on replying. Take it a Vargas fan, then?

 

[Marxist]

I knew I could count you on replying. Take it a Vargas fan, then?

Yeah, kinda. Mostly from Jim Rome interviews.


http://www.maxboxing.com/Avila/avila090702.asp

 

[Guest]

Yeah, kinda. Mostly from Jim Rome interviews.


http://www.maxboxing.com/Avila/avila090702.asp

I'm liking the Latino fighters who dig Sushi. Thanks for the link, Marx. I don't like .asp though. Keep freezing my PC. Too slow, I guess.

Are they Welter weights, or Super Welter?

Constantin (Costya as he likes people to know him) Tsu is definitely the best. He's a hard Russian (Now a Aussie)

I've just watched Roy Jones Jr. knock about an English boy. He's good, but why did he keep avoiding fighting Nigel Ben, Chris Eubank, Steave Colins, etc when he was Supper Middle?

He still avoids meeting with Joe Carazaghi(sp)

 

[Marxist]

Here's the article CV, ironic, no?

BIG BEAR, California — Every morning in the dim morning light, prizefighters like Fernando Vargas and Oscar De La Hoya can be seen scampering on well-traveled mountain trails.

Sometimes they even cross each other’s path.

“It was about 6 a.m. when I saw Vargas running with his people,” said De La Hoya. “I held up the number six. He probably thought I meant 6 a.m. but I meant he was going down in six rounds.”

In the small mountain community of Big Bear, professional boxers have established this rustic area as the new training camp Mecca. Both De La Hoya and Vargas have permanent training sites here as they prepare for their showdown on Sept. 14 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

In the summer, there are few places to engage in social activity aside from the restaurants and sports bars. The 10-mile strip of Big Bear Boulevard harbors almost all of the social hot spots.

“We’ve had both Vargas and De La Hoya here at the same time a few weeks ago,” said Lauri Schumacher, who works at the Sushi Ichiban, a popular hangout for both Latino fighters. “They looked at each other but didn’t do anything else. They’re always on their best behavior when they come here.”

On the sushi restaurant’s wall hang pictures of De La Hoya and the owner Tomoya Abe, who cuts the fish and prepares the fresh sushi rolls. He likes boxing.

Since 1995, when Gabe and Rafael Ruelas moved their training camp to these mountains, more and more boxers have followed. Though not all like it.

“I hate Big Bear,” said Vernon Forrest, the WBC welterweight champion who trained here several times. “There’s nothing to do.”

Carlos Bojorquez, a junior middleweight contender, prefers training at sea level.

“I didn’t like training in Big Bear,” said Bojorquez, who used the Big Bear Boxing and Fitness Club to prepare for his fight against Nick Acevedo a year ago. He lost. “It was a mistake to train there.”

But for every boxer that dislikes Big Bear, there are five others to take their place. Several new boxing camps have arrived in the ski resort town.

“There’s a new boxing gym across the street from the old Kronk Gym,” said Akbar Muhammad, a boxing enthusiast.

Another boxing gym is being constructed and is nearly complete at a higher elevation than the other gyms.

“Its further up,” said Tony D’Acci, a self-acclaimed boxing nut. “A guy from New York is putting it up.”

Because of scientific revelations that high altitude training increases stamina, many professional fighters have taken to the mountains like snow-starved skiers.

“I don’t see boxers like Vargas that often,” said Rook Oxandaboure, owner of La Montana restaurant. “When they do come in they sit in a corner and keep to themselves.”

Big Bear Welcome

Though De La Hoya, Vargas and Sugar Shane Mosley have residences in Big Bear, they’re not necessarily given the key to the city.

In De La Hoya’s last press conference, at his mountain home, a man driving a large brown sedan outside his property honked his horn and raised the middle finger as he drove off.

In 1997, when a group of De La Hoya fans attempted to have his residential street re-named De La Hoya Avenue, neighbors banned together and stormed city hall. After several weeks of verbal warring between opponents and supporters, De La Hoya asked to drop the attempt to change the street name. However, a mock street sign that reads De La Hoya Avenue is outside a driveway leading into his house. Another sign says Golden Boy Road.

Not to be out-done, Vargas has a similar sign outside his property that says Ferocious Avenue.

In 1999, while Vargas prepared to fight former world champion Raul Marquez, a friend of De La Hoya, they all accidentally met in a sports bar.

“Vargas lost it,” said Marquez, recalling that incident. “People had to hold him back. We can talk about it now. But back then, we were enemies.”

In most instances, boxers are rarely seen outside of the gyms unless it’s very early in the morning.

“I saw Mike Tyson running by the restaurant one time,” said Oxandaboure. “People come in here and tell me they saw so and so running in the morning. But other than that, you rarely see them.”

Oxandaboure and most merchants feel boxers like De La Hoya and Vargas don’t make much of a difference economically in Big Bear.

“They’re not good or bad for Big Bear,” he said. “They’re just here.”

Carol Mulvihill, vice president of Economic Development for the Big Bear Chamber of Commerce, said boxers make no impact when compared to the money skiing brings.

Boxers Keep Coming

Training in the mountains has long been a tradition for boxers since the days of the Great John L. Sullivan in the 1880s. Though many of the techniques used in the late 19th century have disappeared, a few remain.

At De La Hoya’s camp, a huge tree log lies in the property that the WBC 154-pound champion attacks with a large ax. Chips of wood fly off the sharpened edge as he drives the ax’s edge through the yellowish-looking wood.

De La Hoya was the second world champion to move to Big Bear when he prepared to fight Ruelas on May 6, 1995. At that time he prepared in a Karate dojo as his present cabin was being built.

“I’m going to keep coming up here until I quit boxing,” De La Hoya said. “Then I might still keep it to train other fighters.”

Vargas recently bought a cabin last year. Before that, he would rent a cabin and train at the Big Bear Boxing and Fitness Club.

“Vargas doesn’t come here any more,” said David Garza, who oversees the Big Bear Boxing and Fitness Club. “He has his own place now.”

Every month, world champions and contenders venture up the mountain on a consistent basis like featherweight world champion Marco Antonio Barrera, Johnny Tapia, Clarence “Bones” Adams, Danny Perez, Jose Celaya, Shibata Flores and others.

“It’s the best place in the world to prepare for a fight,” said De La Hoya. “Nobody bothers you up here.”

 

[Guest]

Re: Here's the article CV, ironic, no?

I've read that much. Where is the irony though.

 

[Marxist]

Re: Re: Here's the article CV, ironic, no?

I've read that much. Where is the irony though.

The fact that in all the wild wide world these two men (who actually hate each other for ethnic reasons) can't seem to get out of each others way. Even in training.

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Re: Here's the article CV, ironic, no?

The fact that in all the wild wide world these two men (who actually hate each other for ethnic reasons) can't seem to get out of each others way. Even in training.

Is it Mexican vs American born Mexican decendants, like De La Hoya vs Chavez?

Or like other hispanic thing, like Puerto Rican, Cuban, etc?