Ricardo Mayorga floored Fernando Vargas twice as he scored a majority points decision in their bitter battle in Los Angeles.
Mayorga wins bitter battle with Vargas in LA.
Ricardo Mayorga floored Fernando Vargas twice as he scored a majority points decision in their bitter battle in Los Angeles.
The two men had been at each other's throats in the build-up to the fight in LA, but it was the Nicaraguan who got the better of the argument to spoil Vargas' retirement party.
Mayorga floored Vargas twice in their super-middleweight bout, in the first round and the 11th, and those two knockdowns were enough to give him the verdict.
Judge Max DeLuca had Mayorga winning 115-111, Glenn Trowbridge had it 114-112 for Mayorga, and David Mendoza scored it even at 113-113.
The two former world champions stood toe-to-toe for the majority of the fight, and it was Vargas who began to grew stronger as the rounds wore on but the knockdowns cost him dear.
Knockdowns
The 11th round was pivotal in the fight, with Vargas growing in statute Mayorga caught him with a sweet right hand which put him on the deck.
"Those were just flash knockdowns," said 29-year-old Vargas. "I don't want to take anything from Ricardo. He just got the better of me.
"This is my last fight. You don't want to have a bad night but sometimes it's just one of those nights.
"I thought he would be a lot more wilder. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. He was the better man."
Mayorga took his record to 28-6 with the victory, in what was his first fight since losing to Oscar de la Hoya 18 months ago.
"In training I showed a lot more discipline and I was able to put it into practice," Mayorga said. "The style of fighting he came with, I didn't anticipate it, but I was able to change and come up with it."
"It was a difficult thing to overcome the de la Hoya loss but I was able to come back with a big win."
