Barrera wasn't really a dirty fighter, he had a short fuse in the ring and would retaliate whenever he felt slighted!
The problem is he felt slighted alot. Don't get me wrong, love the guy, but slamming Hamed into the turnbuckle (though it was funny and he did need a good beat down), punching Marquez when he's down, attacking Morales from behind when he turned his back thinking the bell rang, these are only the ones off the top of my head.
its widely known thru-out boxing that trinidad sr did a method where trinidad's handwrappings would be hard like a cinderblock its not a debate, the question is should he be banned for doing that? On September 29, 2001 before the fight between Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad, team Hopkins sent a representative from their team to over-see Tito's hands being wrapped. When their representative arrived he was shocked to see that Tito's left hand was already wrapped, signed off and the boxing glove was on. In an exclusive interview Bernard Hopkins (said), "I sent my team in there to watch Trinidad wrap his hands and when they got there Trinidad's left hand was already wrapped and he had his boxing glove on. So my trainer, Bouie Fisher who has been doing this stuff for a long time went over there to straighten it up. The thing is Trinidad has been getting away with doing this for a long time. I know for a fact that he has done it at least one other fight. They are used to being able to do whatever they want and get away with it. That is how it is in boxing." First of all, you have to wonder who this commissioner was that let Don Felix wrap Tito's hand without anyone from the Hopkins camp being there. Hopkins said, "not only did he let him wrap the hands without us being there, but he was in there joking and laughing and talking Spanish with the Trinidads like they were best friends. When Bouie told them that he would have to take it off and rewrap it in front of someone fron their camp, he said "NO," its already wrapped and it's too close to time for the fight to start. Bouie had to go to the head commissioner before they were made to rewrap his hands." Luckily for Hopkins, Bouie Fisher is old school and he was not going to let this fight go on with Tito having wrapped his left hand and nobody from his camp watching it. "Bouie kept telling them, either we do this by the book or we don't do it all," said Hopkins. It didn't make since to Fisher why the Trinidad's were so insistent on not rewrapping the hand because obviously they knew the rules. They have been in enough of these big fights to know that a representative from the other camp is allowed to be in the room while they are wrapping Tito's hand. Even if the New York Commission's Representative didn't know any better, the Trinidads definitely did. The Trinidads went so far as to actually say, "If we have to rewrap Tito's hand then there will be no fight." Why was this left hand wrapping so important to the Trinidads? Finally, after the head commissioner became involved the Trinidads were told to either rewrap the left hand or the fight was off. After much argument, they finally agreed to rewrap the hand with a member from the Hopkins team present. Tito was made to remove his glove and the prior wrapping in front of Hopkins representative Naazim Richardson who noticed that the wrap looked very thick and when he felt it he says it was as hard as a rock. All the sudden it became very clear why they had tried to get away with wrapping the left hand without anyone from the Hopkins camp watching and also why they didn't want to remove it and rewrap the hand. Don Felix began to rewrap the hand again, but Richardson noticed that Don Felix was putting layers of tape and then gauze, tape and then gauze, tape and then gauze which is not in accordance with NYSAC rules. The rules stipulate tape cannot be applied directly over the knuckles, and that repeating the process several times (is not permitted). In an interview with Bernard Fernandez of Philly.com, Hopkins said, "If you put on tape, then gauze, then tape, then gauze, it's like a [plaster] cast. It's like being hit with a baseball bat. I'm giving out some secrets here, but you can dip your hands in ice water and that tape will, like, marinate and become harder. But it's only cheating if you get caught. Personally, I think Vargas' and Reid's people dropped the ball. Naazim did a brilliant job in spotting what [Felix Trinidad Sr.] was doing with the wraps." Don Felix was also putting tape on the skin and over the knuckles, both of which are not in accordance with NYSAC rules. New York's head commissioner put his foot down and made Don Felix wrap in strict accordance to the rules. Don Felix has insisted in several interviews that, " This content is protected and nobody else has ever said anything." :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( NOTE: MAYORGA SAID DE LA HOYA HIT HARDER THEN TRINIDAD, HUSSEIN RAHMAN SAID TRINIDAD USED ILLEGAL HAND WRAPPINGS AND GAVE HOPKINS THE HEADS UP BEFORE THEIR FIGHT ABOUT IT
With the exception of Mayorga Tito's power did fade from Joppy to Hopkins, or so it might appear. Mayorga got knocked out but took three flush left hooks early on and continued the fight when Joppy was staggering all over the place from ANYTHING that Tito threw (and hadn't the first kd only been Joppy's second knock down in his career?). Hoya knocked down Mayorga within first round but the punch was perfect as Mayorga was coming in with all his weight. I'm not really making a point just thinking out loud and trying to figure this **** out. :huh Vargas had been warned by someone close to the Trinidad fight to check Tito's wraps but the Vargas camp didn't. Vargas said he was amazed at the power of Trinidad and when he fell in the first he kept thinking, "Mike Tyson just hit me.":huh:huh:huh
neither vargas nor mayorga were smart fighters. tito wasn't especially either but he had superb power and his losses came against fighters who were technically superior - in a big way.
Vargas was a very intelligent fighter. Let me hit your balls with a base ball bat three times before we fight and see how intelligent you fight me under excrutiating pain and being unable to move as you normally do.:good I predict me KO U out within 12.:thumbsup
Bouie Fischer: "I tell you, Ike. They have been getting away with that for a long time. I sent my people to Trinidad's locker room to make sure everything was right. When they got there they came back to me and told me that Trinidad's left hand was wrapped before they got there. So, I had to go over to his dressing room myself, this is my business and I have been doing it for over 50 years. When I got there I told them to unwrap the hand and do it over because we need to see the hand being wrapped. They refused to unwrap the hands so I told them I guess the fight will not happen then, we can reschedule to another date. The officials came in and said we don't have time to do this over. I told them, well we must do this right or no fight. They know the rules, no tape on the skin or tape on the ankle. This content is protected . Guess what, the officials then said you can go and wrap Bernard hands anyway you want. Trinidad's father and his people didn't want to make the change because they knew they cheated and they tried to cover it up by asking me to wrap Bernard's hands anyway we wish. I wasn't going for that, we have to do this right, they raised hell like you couldn't believe. I said you can do it your way, but there will be no fight if you don't do it right. They said we are going to leave it as it is, so I told them we can reschedule the fight untill next week. They didn't want to do that. This is why we had a delay coming out. When they saw Bernard they tried to ask us to take off just a little tape, but they had a half roll of tape on Trinidad's left hand. This is why people say he has a good left hook."
i'll take you up on that bet - but it doesn't change the fact that vargas was an offensive machine who got nailed by fighters better than him because they had more muscle and savvy. bottom line is that vargas was a KO artist when he met tito (young too which i give him huge props for), but he never matured or adapted beyond that. a lot of KO artists have that problem. i loved watching fernando vargas, but he was a second tier fighter who you has beat if you wanted oscar or tito.
Vargas had alot of KOs but hes not a KO artist of the top quality fighters he did stop like Campas and Marquez he broke them down and TKOed them. Also your last part hes a 2nd tier guy people had to beat if you wanted Oscar or Tito ? :huh Well it never happened bro cause in his prime those are the only guys Vargas even lost to it and it was competitive. Fernando Vargas was a great fighter anyone who thinks differently doesnt know a damn thing.
my whole point is that because fernando lost to tito and oscar (in 2 cracking fights but deservedly) that's why he was a stepping stone. vargas was never a "great" fighter - but i loved watching the guy. call a spade a spade.
How can he be a stepping stone if he only lost to two of the best at 154 at that time. Hell, he beat Wiky Wright who was much better than Trinidad and many believe would beat ODLH. Vargas was amongst the best at 154 Winky DLH Tito Vargas Those were the guys to beat. All elite, all champs.
he's a stepping stone because he lost to tito and oscar - 2 of the biggest names of the last 15 years (PPV). beating winky, albeit controversially, should have been a feather in his cap - a BIG one. but because winky was genuinely avoided for so long it was overlooked but not with hindsight. right or wrong - vargas fought 2 of the biggest names in PPV boxing and fell short. in fact he was KO'd big time. he put up an awesome fight in both (i remember the oscar fight because i watched it live on PPV). by the way....boxing isn't a scissors, rock, paper scenario - so winky wasn't necessarily "much better" than tito simply because he spanked him when he had the chance. boxing doesn't work like that if you've ever done it.