LAS VEGAS, Nevada, 17 July 2006 — “Sugar” Shane Mosley made it just as sweet the second time by beating fellow American Fernando Vargas in a light middleweight bout here Saturday.
Three-time former world champion Mosley, 43-4 with 37 knockouts, stopped Vargas, 26-4, in the sixth round.
In the first rematch of his career, Vargas promised more but appeared surprisingly lethargic. He was beaten to the punch throughout and never mounted a serious attack.
“I can’t take anything away from his performance,” Vargas said. “I was trying to put my punches together. I thought I was doing good and he caught me with a good shot. That’s boxing.” Five months after their controversial first bout, Mosley made quick work of Vargas, using superior hand speed to win every round on the judges’ scorecards before finishing him off. In the center of the ring, Mosley easily ducked a lazy left hand and unleashed a roundhouse left that dropped Vargas, who was down for several seconds before getting to his feet.
Referee Kenny Bayless finished a standing eight-count before allowing the bout to continue. Mosley moved in with an unanswered barrage, and Bayless stopped it at 2:38 of the sixth round.
“It was a combination that me and my father were working on in training camp,” Mosley said.
“I set it up with the jab, step back and then hit him with the left hook.” Just 6-4 in his last 10 fights, the 28-year-old Vargas may have nowhere to go. The former IBF junior middleweight champion struggled to make the 154-pound weight for this bout and would have less punching power should he move up in class.
On the undercard, Juan Diaz recorded a ninth-round technical knockout over Randy Suico to retain his World Boxing Association lightweight title.
Daniel Ponce de Leon posted a first-round knockout over Thailand’s Sod Looknongyangtoy in a super bantamweight bout.
