Body Blows: Mosley/Vargas thoughts, WrestleMania Catfight, and I’ve Got Pictures.

Columns, News, Results

This past Saturday in Las Vegas, Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley proved that they still have enough pride and competitive fire left to put on an extremely exciting fight. Shane Mosley won the fight when referee Joe “Wathen” Cortez stopped the bout in the 10th round due to swelling above Vargas’ left eye. Mosley showed the hand speed and accurate punching that made him on of the best Lightweight fighters of all-time. After Mosley established an early lead, Vargas made an admirable comeback that went all for naught. Kind of like Sly Stone at the Grammy Awards. Vargas needed a knockout and started fighting with the fire that made him a beloved fighter. That’s when Vargas started winning rounds and the crowd. At the time of the stoppage, two judges had Mosley ahead 86-85 while one judge had Vargas ahead 86-85. It sucks when a fight ends due to referee stoppage but one look at Vargas’ eye and you’ll agree it was a good call:

Vargas claimed he could still protect himself and was bobbing and weaving away from Mosley’s punches. Really Fernando? Bobbing and weaving? It looks like you’re hiding a pear behind your eyebrow. Your defense was certainly not impregnable on this night. Fernando Vargas wins the Grotesque Swelling Award. Sorry Hasim Rahman:

Mosley-Vargas II – The Catfight

Shane and Fernando weren’t the only combatants Saturday night. In the post-fight press conference, Mrs. Mosley and Mrs. Vargas had to be separated from each other. Before Shane showed up to the conference, Fernando asked Mrs. Mosley if he would get a rematch. Apparently, the Family Vargas did not like her response. Naughty things were said and the ladies had to be pulled apart. Great. Now Vince McMahon is going to bring these women in for WrestleMania because you know he can’t stay away from a catfight.

The Boxing Banker

Heavyweight Calvin Brock fought Zuri Lawrence on the Mosley/Vargas undercard. Brock was a member of the United States’ 2000 Olympic boxing team. He has the best nickname in boxing (Brock worked for Bank of America before qualifying for the Olympic team) but besides that, “The Boxing Banker” delivered what looks to be a leading candidate for Knockout of the Year this past Saturday night. Zuri Lawrence got caught with a left hook flush on his chin. Lawrence was out cold and didn’t move for over a minute as he lay on the mat. Lawrence is fine, but he might want to keep those gloves a little higher next time:

Results From The Past Week

– Andre Ward, the only United States boxing gold medalist in the 2004 Olympics, improved to 8-0 with a unanimous decision over Kendall Gould.

– 2004 Fighter of the Year Glen Johnson easily defeated Richard Hall by unanimous decision.

– Joel Casamayor knocked out Antonio Ramirez in the fifth round.

– Juan Lazcano earned a unanimous decision over fellow Welterweight Ben Tackie.

– Danny Williams, the British guy that knocked Tyson out in 2004, defeated Matt Skelton by split decision.

– Joel Julio is ESPN’s 2005 Prospect of the Year. He validated the distinction on Saturday by forcing Wilmer Mejia to quit after two rounds.

– Jhonny Gonzalez knocked out veteran Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson in the 8th round.

Jockscraps – The Stories They Won’t Tell

Chris Sabo Auctions Goggles For Warm Meal

Akron, Ohio hosted an auction of professional sports memorabilia last month. The proceeds of most items went to charity. While many athletes sent their items in to be auctioned via mail, one former baseball player was on-hand for the event. Chris Sabo, of the Cincinnati Reds, personally auctioned away his trademark goggles. However, Chris’ charity was a little different than the others.

“I’m playing for the Feed Chris Sabo Foundation,” Sabo informed reporters. “I made a few bad investments since leaving baseball. It’s been a struggle to get by day after day. I knew that the time had come to auction my goggles away for a warm meal. I’m tired of bologna scraps and cole slaw. I just want a nice, warm, home-cooked meal for a change.”

Sabo’s prayers were answered by the Newton Family of Canton, OH. “I don’t even know who this guy is,” said Martha Newton. “I’m not really a baseball fan. I just felt sorry for the guy. My husband wanted to come to this thing and I just tagged along. I figured it wouldn’t cost me any money, so I was happy to help the poor guy out.”

“I am very thankful to the Newtons,” Sabo stated. “I had to part with my very identity but the time had come to move on. I’m looking forward to a great meal with great fans of the Cincinnati Reds.”

Chris Sabo’s auction stayed up for nearly five hours. It closed moments after Luis Gonzalez’s gum wrapper sold for $45. The only two auctions to remain up longer than Sabo’s were a wad of Lenny Dykstra’s chewing tobacco and a lock of Rodney Peete’s hair.

Spit Bucket

Reverend Sick previews this weekend’s UFC Pay-Per-View.

Tom Gubitosi does a fine job of recapping February’s last week of sports.

Rokk Adam is back and offers his opinions on my 10 fighters from last week.

Patrick Nguyen took some time off from On the Offense, proving that even crap needs a break.