Team Canelo: Canelo 100% beats Martinez. We will pursue fight.

Vargas had 5 defences before Trinidad, not 9.

And while I think Vargas being 'rushed' is somewhat overblown, mainly because his personal life seemed to be unraveling and so his handlers probably wanted to push him as fast as they could before he wound up in prison, so it was somewhat understandable at the time, in hindsight he could have been managed much much better.

Rematching Wright, after the thompson fight, and then having about 3 more fights for the next year against guys who would take him the distance, would have gone a long way to help prepare vargas for fighting on the next level. I would have had Vargas rematch wright (he beat Wright on his worse night in a controversial but competetive fight, I have little doubt a Vargas whos sole mission would be beating winky would have gotten the W again) and maybe even fight him again after that. Winky was a good opponent to shape a guy like vargas with and he should have been used more, especially considering the controversial decision in their first fight would give them reason to do it again. Winky is an elite elite fighter who would make Vargas learn, and work hard, and take him the distance over and over again, but wouldnt pose much of a threat at damaging vargas. They should have used winky to help mold vargas.

Vargas needed opponents that would take him the distance, despite his good opposition early on he had only gone the distance twice in his career before fighting trinidad.

Again, he had only gone the distance twice in his career.....

No matter how we split hairs on that, that is very under prepared for a showdown against a guy who had almost as many championship fights as vargas had career fights.

Vargas could have been seasoned and shaped a little more before Trinidad, there is no doubt. He had shown huge improvements even within a year and a half of fighting tito.

The difference between the Vargas that beat Campas, and the one that beat Ike, was significant. Would have been interesting to see what a Vargas who fought a couple more guys on the Ike and Winky level would have looked like, along with a year or two more for his body to grow and get sturdier.

That being said, Canelo has 41 fights already, and is a champion. His days of being groomed should be over, so all this talk of taking him slow at this point should be done with. Hes ready.