BOXING'S BAD BOYS AGREE TO MEET AT STAPLES CENTER ON SEPTEMBER 8. "FEROCIOUS" FERNANDO VARGAS VS. RICARDO "EL MATADOR" MAYORGA IN LOS ANGELES - LIVE ON PAY PER VIEW
Two of boxing's most popular and colorful personalities, two-time world champion "El Feroz" Fernando Vargas and three-time world champion Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga have agreed to face each othr in a scheduled 12-round match fought at a catch weight of 162 pounds in what promises to be a knock-down, drag-out, fight to the finish slugfest .
Leaders from two of the most successful boxing promotional firms in history - Don King from Don King Productions and Kathy Duva from Main Events - have joined to promote the event in association with AEG and STAPLES Center.
Vargas (26-4, 22 KO's) won his world titles at junior middleweight and is best known for his indomitable will and courageous heart as evidenced by the fact he knocked out his first 17 opponents - including former world champion, Raul Marquez. He also won decisions over former (and future) junior middleweight champion, Winky Wright and former welterweight world titlist Ike "Bazooka" Quartey.
The native of Oxnard, California, now 29, became the youngest junior middleweight world champion in boxing history at just 21 years and 5 days when he dethroned "Yory Boy" Campas to win the International Boxing Federation title in December 1998.
He is best remembered for two epic clashes: a slugfest featuring six knockdowns with then-undefeated Felix "Tito" Trinidad in December 2000, which won Fight of the Year from the Boxing Writers Association of America and a spirited contest against "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya in September 2002.
Mayorga (27-6-1, 22 KO's has captured the hearts and imagination of boxing fans around the globe due to his full-tilt boxing style and penchant for mixing beer and cigarettes with his training regimen - not to mention the withering verbal assaults opponents endure before the weeks leading up to his matches.
Mayorga, 33, hails from Managua, Nicaragua. He burst upon the boxing world in 2002 in his first world title shot against then-World Boxing Association welterweight champion, Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis. A virtual unknown at the time, Mayorga taunted his opponent by allowing him to punch him in the face repeatedly with his hands at his waist before sending the champion to the canvas wit a thunderous assault in round five that left Lewis unfit to continue in the match.
Few could have predicted at the time that Mayorga would shock the world again when he took on BWAA 2002 Fighter of the Year, Vernon "The Viper" Forrest, who held the World Boxing Council welterweight title when they met. Forrest appeared to be as perplexed as Lewis when the Nicaraguan bomber smothered him with a barrage of combinations that sent him to the canvas in the first round. Forrest lasted until just the third round before the referee waved off the beating.
Mayorga proved he was no fluke by agreeing to an immediate rematch with Forrest where he notched a majority-decision win.
Mayorga shares the common opponents of Trinidad and De La Hoya with Vargas.
