On This Day: Oscar De La Hoya Ended The Grudge In Style In Halting Fernando Vargas

On this day in 2002, Oscar De La Hoya arguably scored the biggest and most satisfying win of his pro career. Facing bitter rival Fernando Vargas, De La Hoya was still golden but no longer an unbeaten fighter. Oscar had lost to Felix Trinidad (in controversial means, the decision still one that ranks here; Oscar was robbed, no doubt) and to Shane Mosley.

Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. 1 million pay-per-view buys. A grudge settled.

Vargas said he had really bad blood pumping through his veins, and he had to be beaten by “Tito. ” This is legit, great fight fashion. Vargas said De La Hoya “dissed” him during roadwork some time back, and he never could shake the image of De La Hoya’s beaming visage, this as he was laid in a snowdrift.

The fight turned out to be one that lived up to the hype.

Vargas, who often fought like a man possessed, won the early rounds, his pressure and his fierceness bullying De La Hoya. It was great action, and De La Hoya, the smart counter-puncher, was in town. And as Vargas faded, De La Hoya (ironically the fighter who, the critics said, would fade late during a big fight) came on strong. De La Hoya hurt Vargas in the 10th, and his left hook (such an underrated weapon) dropped Vargas heavily in the next session. At 1:48 of the 11th round, it was all over.

De La Hoya won, yet both men elevated themselves with courageous showings. Some fans are comparing the fight from 2002 to what we might see tonight. Canelo Alvarez is the somewhat aging superstar, while Edgar Berlanga is the young, cocksure hotshot.

If we get a fight tonight in Vegas that is half as good, half as dramatic as the De La Hoya-Vargas slugfest, we fans will be more than happy. As to whether or not tonight’s fight comes close to equalling the 1 million PPV buys the De La Hoya-Vargas classic (can we call it that….yeah, I’d say so) enjoyed, well, that’s another subject.

Today, De La Hoya and Vargas have full respect for one another, and Vargas, speaking with Fight Hype ahead of tonight’s fight, warned Berlanaga of the sheer brightness of the lights that come when a young guy faces a superstar and how they can affect him. Can Berlanga cope with the enormity of tonight’s fight/event/promotion/show when that opening bell sounds?