Fernando Vargas knocked out former sparring partner Jose Flores of Mexico in the seventh round to take the vacant World Boxing Association super welterweight title. The American put Flores on the canvas in the seventh after landing fourteen punches without reply, and the Mexican was counted out with one second left in the round.
The judges had Vargas ahead by 59-54 after six rounds, but the former IBF champion was not entirely convincing. He was jarred with punches to the head in the second, third and fourth rounds. "I got hit way too much by this guy. I had to do something. I had hurt him before in sparring (during 1999) with body shots. That's what won this fight," said Vargas, who took control in the fifth round when he elected to go inside.
The 23-year-old rocked Flores with four rights to the head in the fifth. In the sixth, he opened a small cut over the Mexican's swelling right eye. Flores had stunned Vargas early in the second with two rights to the head, but the southpaw was caught with a counter left and knocked down.
Vargas has an impressive record of 22-1 with 20 wins ending early, but he was floored five times by undefeated Felix Trinidad in their title fight and was also knocked down by veteran Wilfredo Rivera in May.
After the fight, Vargas said he would like to fight either WBC super-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya, unbeaten WBC welterweight champ Shane Mosley or the winner of the Winky Wright-Robert Frazier bout, set for 12 October, for the vacant IBF junior middleweight championship.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
