18 years ago today: "Sugar" Shane Donte Mosley, Sr. vs. "El Feroz" Fernando Javier Vargas 1

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As opined by guest producer/host James Talmade Brown (subbing in for Lampley to cover his commute home from calling the Winter Olympics in Turin) in the opening segment, this was a battle to regain the "It Factor" that both men had enjoyed as undefeated prospects. I'd say that rings true.

SSM at 135lbs has always IMO been a potential ATG purely on h2h value, though his stay wasn't long enough (and even if he'd done so, perhaps the available talent pool not deep enough) to really cement that status with accomplishments. Then he also picked up a belt at welter but more than becoming a two division champ the feather in his cap was beating Oscar De la Hoya far more convincingly than had Trinidad.

All that buff & shine, however, was dulled by a quarter of defeats by a pair of perfect foils. Commendable though it was, rematching both of his kryptonite opponents (The Viper at 147 and Winky at 154) probably wasn't the wisest career move. The fact that both ill-fated 0-2 rivalries were sandwiched by a once again victorious rematch with DLH couldn't offset the fact that Mosley was perceived as having fallen off; thoroughly outboxed 4x by two men in under three years.

As for the Oxnardian chicano, a natural junior middle, his mercurial prime was of the blink and you'd miss it variety. He made his pro debut in 1997, the same year Mosley bagged the IBF lightweight title - and his two-bout ruination was complete in the same year Mosley's downfall started, in 2002.

Heading in Vargas had lost just twice - half as many times as Mosley - but whereas Shane's failures were certainly demoralizing and harmed the aura he previously held, they were still points affairs while Fernando's were more pysically brutal and career-shortening and to put salt in the wounds of his machismo, they ended in stoppage.

Younger, bigger, and fresher though he was this was always going to be a tough ask for Vargas at this stage. He gave it a go, and had it not been for the left eye hematoma it would have been interesting to see where it landed on the official judges' scorecards - but the swelling did occur, and did originate with a punch, so that's a valid W for Azucar. In the rematch, no doubt was left which man was still effective at the highest level as Shane redoubled his efforts (smelling that Floyd Mayweather Jr. payday in the water, although he would need to swim in circles for another four years before clamping his jaws on it) while Fernado had basically seen the spirit pounded from him already. Different trajectories. Mosley, while above his best weight and clearly declining, still had perhaps the most storied victory of his career ahead (versus Margarito), while Vargas would never taste one again, so depleted by the Mosley losses that he couldn't even get past Ricardo Mayorga with a ton of A-side concessions.