Shane Mosley vs Fernando Vargas II

Shane Mosley settled his rivalry with Fernando Vargas decisively at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 15 July 2006, stopping the former champion in the sixth round of their scheduled 12-round junior-middleweight rematch. Mosley weighed 153 pounds and entered with a record of 42 victories, four defeats and one no-contest. Vargas scaled the division limit of 154 pounds and brought 26 wins against three losses. Kenny Bayless was the referee. The end came at 2 minutes 38 seconds of the sixth round after Vargas had been knocked down by a left hook and proved unable to defend himself when the contest resumed. An attendance of 9,722 watched Mosley earn a guaranteed $4 million, with Vargas receiving $3 million; both men also had a share of the pay-per-view proceeds.

Their first meeting, five months earlier at Mandalay Bay, had ended unsatisfactorily. Vargas’s left eye had swollen almost completely shut, and the ringside physician advised that the contest be stopped in the tenth round. The official cards then had Mosley ahead by one point on two ballots and Vargas leading by the same margin on the third. Vargas insisted that repeated clashes of heads, rather than Mosley’s punches, had caused the injury and demanded another opportunity. The rematch was therefore arranged to remove any doubt. Mosley also returned to the guidance of his father, Jack, after the pair had separated following his defeats by Ronald Wright. This time, there was no championship belt at stake, but both men were highly ranked at 154 pounds, and the winner remained in position for further important matches.

Mosley took command from the opening round. He was lighter on his feet, quicker with both hands, and more willing to initiate exchanges. Vargas attempted to advance behind his jab, but Mosley repeatedly struck first and moved before the heavier man could reply properly. The right hand, which had troubled Vargas in their first contest, again found the target, while Mosley’s left hook was delivered from angles that made it difficult to anticipate. Vargas remained aggressive and tried to turn the fight into a physical contest, but his feet appeared heavy, and his punches came singly. Mosley was able to step in, land two or three blows and leave Vargas reaching after him. Although the exchanges were competitive enough to hold the crowd’s attention, the cleaner and more frequent work belonged to Mosley.

The same pattern continued through the second and third rounds. Vargas pressed forward but seldom succeeded in trapping Mosley for long. When he tried to work inside, Mosley tied him up or turned away; when Vargas attempted to box at longer range, he was beaten by the faster jab and right hand. Mosley did not waste punches or attempt to overpower the naturally larger man. He used changes of pace, occasionally bouncing beyond Vargas’s reach before suddenly moving forward with a right lead or a short combination. Vargas landed enough to remain dangerous, particularly when Mosley paused after punching, but he could not establish a steady attack. His frustration became visible as he followed rather than cut off the ring and increasingly loaded up on blows, which Mosley saw coming.

By the fourth round, the difference in speed had become pronounced. Mosley was moving comfortably in both directions and landing on the head before Vargas could set his feet. Vargas continued trying to force the pace, but his work lacked order. He would jab his way forward only to hesitate when Mosley changed angles, allowing the quicker man to resume the initiative. Mosley’s combinations were short and accurate, with the right hand often opening the way for the left hook. Vargas’s best chance remained to make the contest rough at close quarters and work the body, yet he was unable to keep Mosley in position long enough to do sustained damage.

Mosley opened a cut above Vargas’s right eye during the fifth round, repeated left hooks marking the opposite side of the face from the injury which had ended their first contest. The damage was not then serious enough to threaten an immediate stoppage, but it added to Vargas’s difficulty in following the punches. Mosley continued to land first and leave before the reply. Vargas remained determined and attempted to increase his pressure late in the round, though he was made to miss and was caught cleanly as he came forward. After five completed rounds, judges Jerry Roth, Dave Moretti and Adalaide Byrd had each scored every round for Mosley, 50–45.

The sixth began without any indication that the finish was close. Vargas still advanced, and Mosley continued to box from the outside, neither man producing a sustained attack during the first two minutes. With approximately 50 seconds remaining, Mosley shifted his weight as Vargas moved towards him and delivered a left hook, which landed flush against the head. Vargas’s knees buckled, and he fell heavily to the canvas. The punch had been thrown without warning, and Vargas later admitted that he had not seen it until watching the replay.

Vargas attempted to rise too quickly, stumbled, and went down again while trying to regain his feet. He finally stood at the end of Bayless’s count, but his balance remained uncertain. The referee allowed the contest to continue, and Mosley crossed the ring immediately. Vargas raised his gloves but was unable to respond effectively as Mosley struck with both hands. After approximately ten more seconds, Bayless moved between them and stopped the fight with 22 seconds left in the round. The intervention was necessary. Vargas had beaten the count, but he had not recovered sufficiently to protect himself.

Mosley had landed 136 punches through the six rounds, exactly twice the total credited to Vargas. The figures reflected the contest accurately. Vargas had been persistent but disorganised, while Mosley had controlled the distance, started nearly every exchange and landed the more precise punches. There was none of the uncertainty which had followed their first meeting. The left hook caused the knockdown, and the blows which followed made the stoppage unavoidable. Mosley improved his record to 43 victories and four defeats, with 37 wins inside the distance. Vargas fell to 26–4.

The victory restored Mosley to a prominent position after the difficult period in which he had lost twice to Vernon Forrest and twice to Wright. He spoke afterwards of returning to welterweight, where his speed would be less burdened by the strength of larger opponents. Vargas had entered convinced that the first result had been caused by an injury rather than a clear superiority in boxing. The rematch provided a conclusive answer. Mosley was quicker, more accurate and tactically better from the beginning, and when the opportunity appeared in the sixth round, his left hook ended the dispute.