Mosley Cruises Past Vargas

At the end, Fernando Vargas’ tank was empty. And he knew it.

Too many boxing wars waged, too much mileage in the ring, too much weight lost for this fight. And, Saturday night, too much Shane Mosley.

And so, when referee Kenny Bayless stepped between the two fighters in the sixth round of their junior-middleweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and told Vargas he was done, the Oxnard fighter didn’t utter so much as a word of protest.

He walked quietly to his corner to regain his equilibrium and ponder his future.

In the other corner, there was pure euphoria. Less than two years after his ring future was questioned following a pair of losses to Winky Wright, Mosley’s tank seems full again.

With his father, Jack, back in his corner, the 34-year-old fighter (43-4, one no-contest, 36 knockouts) showed the style that once propelled him into the upper echelon of his sport -- speed and mobility mixed with punching power. It is a style Jack once dubbed power boxing.

Mosley won every round on all three judges’ scorecards, flattened Vargas (26-4, 22) with a left hook that forced the 28-year-old fighter to twice struggle before getting to his feet, then continued to tee off on Vargas until Bayless mercifully stepped in.

“When Oscar [De La Hoya] fought Vargas, he threw a perfect left hook against him,” Mosley said. “When I was bouncing around, I saw an opportunity to do the same thing.”

Vargas said he saw nothing.

“I didn’t see the left hook,” he said, “until I saw the replay.”

After Vargas got to his feet, he took two right hands to the head and a body shot before the bout was halted at the 2-minute 38-second mark.

The prefight uproar over Vargas’ request to drink Gatorade between rounds wasn’t a factor. He could have consumed a jug’s worth and it wouldn’t have made any difference.

A key injury to Vargas in their first meeting five months ago, a badly swollen left eye that resulted in a 10th-round technical knockout victory for Mosley, also wasn’t a factor, although blood was leaking Saturday from a cut Vargas suffered over his right eye in the fifth round.

But Vargas’ crash diet to get down to 154 pounds, an unnatural weight for his body frame, was a factor, according to both sides.

“I think Fernando was weaker in this fight,” Mosley said. “He looked like he was going to break down. I knew if I hit him with body shots, he would break down even more.”

No argument from Danny Smith, Vargas’ trainer.

“He was too slow,” Smith said of his fighter. “It seemed like, as his weight came down, he was less sharp. Having those wars [tough knockout losses to Felix Trinidad and De La Hoya] also takes a toll on you.”

Vargas, who made $3.4 million Saturday, wouldn’t speculate on a future opponent, choosing instead to focus on his wedding next month to Martha Lopez. But he indicated he would move up to 160 pounds rather than entertaining thoughts of retirement.

For Mosley, who made $3 million but could wind up with twice as much depending on the pay-per-view buys, retirement is the last thing on his mind. His next opponent probably will be Floyd Mayweather Jr., although Mosley insists he won’t fight on the Nov. 4 date reserved by Mayweather, choosing instead to wait until next year to step back into the ring.

Whenever he comes back, Mosley should be brimming with confidence based on a return to the power boxing style some thought had been forever lost to the passing years.

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The semi-main event, matching World Boxing Organization junior-featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (29-1, 27) of Mexico and challenger Sod Looknongyangtoy of Thailand (27-2, 10), ended quickly and dramatically.

De Leon connected with a solid left hook in the first round that sent Looknongyangtoy crashing to the canvas face first. Referee Jay Nady started his count, but, seeing the fighter stretched out and motionless in a spread-eagled position, he signaled the fight was over 52 seconds into it.

Looknongyangtoy was revived with the aid of oxygen, but left the ring under his own power.

“I got caught,” Looknongyangtoy said. “I never saw it coming. It happens in boxing, but I’m OK.”

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In the first title fight of the night, Juan Diaz of Houston successfully defended his World Boxing Assn. lightweight title and improved his record to 30-0 with 15 knockouts by stopping Randy Suico of the Philippines (24-3, 21) in the ninth round. Referee Joe Cortez stepped in at the 2:06 mark of the round to halt the one-sided bout.

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Wright is merging his promotional company with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.