COMPUBOX: POST-FIGHT ANALYSIS

June 29, 2006 - by Compubox/Joe Carnicelli

This time Shane Mosley left no doubts.

In his first bout against Fernando Vargas five months ago, Mosley produced a grotesquely swollen mass around Vargas' left eye that prompted referee Joe Cortes to stop the fight in the 10th round. Afterward, Vargas protested that Mosley had caused the swelling with repeated head butts and that he was rallying when the fight was halted.

The result was an HBO Pay-Per-View rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the second time around, Mosley showed he was clearly the dominant and superior fighter. He hammered away at Vargas from the opening bell, dropped him flat on his back with a textbook left hook in the sixth round and came away with a technical knockout victory. The emphatic triumph vaulted the 35-year-old Mosley back into the megafight picture and left serious doubts about Vargas' future.

FIGHTERS	Shane Mosley	Fernando Vargas
TOTAL PUNCHES
Thrown	330	68
Connected	136	270
%	41%	25%
JABS
Thrown	62	21
Connected	204	103
%	31%	20%
POWER PUNCHES
Thrown	74	47
Connected	126	167
%	58%	28%
JUDGES SCORECARDS

Mosley set the tone right from the start. He fired off 50 jabs in the opening round, landing nine, and connected on 10 of 14 power punches in the round. Vargas, appearing befuddled by the speed of Mosley's punches, managed to land only three of 29 punches in the first round.

Vargas began to show some signs of life in the second but Mosley still managed to outland him 19-12. Mosley took complete command in the third as he peppered Vargas with double and triple jabs, double and triple left hooks and even doubled up on right hands to the head. Mosley landed 29 punches in the third round, his high for the fight, including 15 jabs and 10 power shots, while Vargas could manage only 13 connects. The assault continued in the fourth as Mosley landed 25 of 54 punches, including 15 jabs, his high total in the fight, while Vargas connected on only 15 punches, six of them jabs.

At this point, Vargas was bleeding from one eye and the swelling once again had begun around the other and it was obvious that he would need something dramatic to turn the fight around. But it was Mosley who produced the drama. After outlanding Vargas 23-15 in the fifth, Mosley continued his assault in the sixth before unleashing the left hook that dropped Vargas. Vargas barely managed to beat the count and attempted to continue but a rapid-fire barrage by Mosley prompted referee Kenny Bayless to stop the fight within seconds. There was no protest from Vargas this time.

Mosley landed 136 of 330 total punches, including 62 of 204 jabs and 74 of 126 power shots, just shy of 60 per cent, as he raised his record to 43-4 with his 37th knockout. Mosley had won all five previous rounds on the judges' scorecards before the stoppage.

Vargas managed to land exactly half as many punches as Mosley, connecting on 68 of 270 total punches, including 21 of 103 jabs and 47 of 167 power shots. He fell to 26-4 and could be through as a legitimate contender at the age of 28.

"I remember watching the tapes and seeing Oscar (de la Hoya) throw that perfect left hook against Vargas," said Mosley, tossing some credit to his promoter who also stopped Vargas. "When I was dancing around, I saw the opportunity and threw that perfect left hook again. The hook was there for me. He knew I was going for right hands and he was looking for the right and that left him open for the left hook".

Vargas admitted that he never saw the punch coming.

"I thought I was doing well," said Vargas, who was probably the only person in the building with that perception. "I was starting to put pressure on him and I was trying to put some punches together and then he caught me with a clean shot. I didn't see it. It was just a good shot."