CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - If last night's fight was any indication of what is to come from Fernando Vargas. I'm sure may will pass.
Once ferocious, but now tranquil, former two-time world junior middleweight champion Fernando Vargas fought his way to a 10-round unanimous decision over Raymond Joval at the American Bank Center.
After a 15-month layoff as a result of lower back problems and a thyroid condition, Vargas was cautious to put it kindly against the non-power punching Dutchmen.
The 27-year-old Vargas, 25-2 (22 KOs) was never in danger, unless you count a ninth round low blow that the referee did not see. His choice to box rather than slug earned the Oxnard native scores of 98-92, 96-94 and 97-93.
"I have been away for awhile but I wanted to come back and try new things," said Vargas, who earned a seventh-round TKO over Tony Marshall in December 2003 before stepping aside. "I may not have been as tough as I wanted, but I am my own worst critic. I was just glad I was able to go 10 rounds and box and do some of the things that (trainer Danny Smith) has been teaching me."
In front of a partisan crowd of 9,332, Vargas got the first big blow in with a strong left hook in the third round that staggered Joval.
"I didn't get too overly excited when I hurt him," Vargas said. "I used my jab. I never thought I had a jab until Danny Smith told me I had a great jab."
Vargas relied on the jab to keep some distance between he and the 36-year-old Joval but did not press the issue until the later rounds when the Dutch contender tired.
The middle rounds brought little action and an anxious rise out of the crowd. Vargas responded to the calls with a strong effort in the eighth round, taking over the fight as Joval's attack waned.
"He was killing me with the jabs," Joval said. "I wasn't expecting the jab."
The low blow allowed Joval to get in a few quick shots while Vargas winced in pain and collapsed to the ropes, but Vargas recovered and coasted over the final two rounds.
Vargas hadn't seen action since stopping Tony Marshall in the seventh round in December 2003. But he showed little sign of rust, controlling the fight from the outset.
"The back was OK. I was not as sharp as I wanted to be, but I'm my own worst critic," he said.
Vargas indicated after the fight that he will return to the light middleweight class and has his eyes set on the WBC title, currently held by Javier Castillejo.
Sonny Banerjee
Editor-in-chief
Information from other publications and wire services was used in the compilation of this report.
