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Vargas gets lackluster victory against CastillejoAugust 21, 2005 -- In front of a packed All State Arena in Chicago, Fernando Vargas went the distance against former WBC super welterweight champion Javier Castillejo to win a 10-round unanimous decision. Many thought that Vargas, who came into the ring chiseled and in great shape, would dominate Castillejo, who hasn't fought a worthy opponent since 2001 when he lost to Oscar De La Hoya. Vargas' (26-2, 22 knockouts) best round came when he staggered Castillejo (58-6, 39 KOs) with a right to the head and knocked him down with two short lefts in the closing seconds of the third round. But Castillejo stayed in it. "I thought I was (going to knock him out), but he's a former world champion," Vargas said. "He's a durable fighter and he came to fight. I knew it wasn't going to be a pushover." As the fight went on, Castillejo became more confident and fought more aggressively, but he didn't have anything to hurt or stop Vargas. Two judges scored it 97-92, and the third had it 98-91, all in favor for Vargas Trainer Danny Smith rated Vargas' performance a five on a scale of one to 10, saying, "He let the guy touch him with too many punches." The crowd, who was also expecting an impressive victory from Vargas, booed throughout the bout. "F, F, F! I fought bad," Vargas said when asked to rate his performance. "I wasn't feeling the way I should. I think the late start might have affected me" Castillejo was originally scheduled to defend the WBC super welterweight title, but the governing body stripped him of the belt on May 31 for refusing to fight Ricardo Mayorga, making this a 10-round fight. There are talks that Vargas might get a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in May 2006
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