Vargas punishes Thompson, will face Trinidad next

Vargas defeats Quartey, sends a message to Trinidad.

Vargas punishes Thompson, will face Trinidad next.

August 27, 2000 -- Right from the start you could tell "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas was going to take care of business.

Angry and "ferocious" after being punched by Thompson during a pre-fight press conference, Vargas vowed to punish Thompson who made an effort to be competitive, but was no match.

Vargas has been working on an elaborate entrance ala Prince Nassem, but kept it simple with fireworks, Mexican folk music and his entourage which included Mike Tyson, Zab Judah and Roberto Garcia.

The first two rounds were close as Thompson held his own. Both men were trying to land counter shots and each landed a few singular blows, none of which were very telling. Vargas was warned for rabbit punching as it appeared he may lose his cool.

In round three, the referee deducted a point from Vargas for rabbit punching again. Just when it appeared Thompson was putting together his punches, Vargas landed a beautiful left-right combination that dropped Thompson for the first time in his pro career. Thompson got up and tried to duck and cover but a big flurry from Vargas put him through the ropes just as the bell sounded.

The end was near as Vargas sprang to the attack at the start of round four and soon a flurry had Thompson down again. At this point, Vargas' anger over the pre-fight shenanigans, stood over the fallen Thompson and screamed at him and attempted to spit on his face. Thompson was clearly upset by this and tried to say something to Vargas.

When Thompson got up he looked angry and yelled something back at Vargas but his legs would not allow him to set himself to punch. Vargas quickly moved in and battered a dazed Thompson on the ropes until Joe Cortez stepped in and stopped it at 1:07 of the fourth round.

After the fight, Vargas screamed out "Who's a bum now!" Though Vargas claimed in the post-fight interview that he doesn't lose his cool in the ring - he clearly came close to that with a point being taken away for rabbit punching (punching behind the head).

The punch stat numbers showed Vargas with a big edge in power punching landing 52 of 106 power shots to only 24 of 114 for Thompson.

It was the fifth title defense for Vargas (20-0, 18 knockouts) and a solid tune-up for a potential match on Dec. 2 or Dec. 9 with the undefeated Puerto Rican champion Felix Trinidad.

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