He Is Vargas’ Friend, Foe

As Fernando Vargas spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Jose “Shibata” Flores, his opponent in tonight’s title fight, tapped Vargas on the arm and wished him luck.

No snarling, no fist-waving, no threats between these two.

Part of that can be attributed to the climate in which this fight, for the vacant World Boxing Assn. junior-middleweight title, will be fought.

In a nation still grieving over the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and faced with the prospect of war, in a town hard hit by the economic downturn, there is little stomach for the manufactured grudge matches of more carefree times.

But even in the best of times, it would be difficult to manufacture a feud between Vargas and Flores. They are close friends, the bond between them forged when Vargas, seeing his former sparring partner ready to give up a frustrating boxing career, gave Flores new opportunities and new hope. If it weren’t for Vargas, Flores wouldn’t be getting tonight’s title shot in what will be the first big boxing show in the country since the terrorist attacks.

“That’s the way this business is,” said Eduardo Garcia, Vargas’ trainer. “It is destiny that Fernando and Flores must fight. Just because they are friends outside the ring doesn’t mean they will be friends in the ring.”

The friendship began in 1999, when Flores was hired to help Vargas prepare for his match against Raul Marquez.

Flores had a mediocre 37-6 record, but felt he wasn’t being promoted properly nor paid enough. When he and Vargas put away the gloves for the day, Flores would talk about retiring--at 27.

Vargas talked him out of it.

“I thought people were taking advantage of him,” Vargas said. “It happens a lot in boxing. I told him, ‘I am going to start putting you on my undercards, my man, and putting money in your pocket.”’

Flores responded. In his first fight after Vargas took him in, he stopped Pedro Ortega with one devastating punch in the fourth round to win the North American Boxing Assn. junior-middleweight championship.

Since then, Flores has won his five fights, two by knockout, raising his KO total to 24.

He also has risen to the No. 1 spot in the WBA rankings for 154 pounders, putting him in the path of Vargas, trying to recover from having lost his International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight title to Felix Trinidad last December.

Trinidad knocked down Vargas five times before the fight was stopped in the 12th round, leaving disturbing questions about the previously unbeaten Vargas--questions about his chin and about lasting damage from Trinidad’s fists.

Those questions weren’t answered in Vargas’ next fight, in May, when light-hitting Wilfredo Rivera knocked down Vargas and had him in trouble before Vargas finally won on a sixth-round TKO.

Nevertheless, Vargas didn’t lower his sights. He decided to go after another title, the 154-pound WBA championship given up by Trinidad when he moved to 160. Vargas hoped the WBA title would give him some leverage in negotiations for a match against his Southern California archrival, Oscar De La Hoya.

A month ago, it appeared a Vargas victory tonight would get him his fight against De La Hoya. But, at the last minute, talks collapsed.

Still Vargas (21-1 record, 19 knockouts) has much to gain from winning tonight’s fight, which he should do rather easily against a man with lesser skills.

A victory for Vargas gives him a new championship, more power in negotiations and a possible shot at either De La Hoya or Shane Mosley.

To gain all that, Vargas will be putting his friendship with Flores on hold. Will they again be friends when the fight is over?

“Yes,” Vargas said, “if he can take losing.”

Quick Jabs

Tonight’s card will be shown on HBO with the main event starting early, at 6:30.... Vargas and Flores each weighed in Friday at 1531/2 pounds.... Also on tonight’s card, 2000 Olympian Jeff Lacy (4-0, 4) will fight a six-round super-middleweight bout against Levan Easley (14-6-2, 6), and former IBF junior-lightweight champion Roberto Garcia (33-3, 24) will face John Trigg (6-11-4, 2) in another six-rounder.

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The Facts

* Who: Fernando Vargas vs. Jose Flores

* Where: Tonight at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

* What: 12 rounds, for the WBA junior-middleweight title.

* TV: HBO, bout begins at 6:30.