A WARRIORS PRIDE: MY JOURNEY WITH FERNANDO VARGAS PART 1 OF 2

Simon Ruvalcaba

Marvelous Marvin Hagler is my all-time favorite fighter! I was about 8 years old when my Dad first told me about Salvador Sanchez and I now have a collection of his fights that I watch all the time. Although I grew up in the Tyson era, the first Heavyweight Champion that I ever remember and my favorite Heavyweight of all time is Larry Holmes! I only remember glimpses of Hagler and Holmes’s careers as they where already established World Champions when I was a child.

The one career of a fighter I admired and was able to follow in real time from the beginning was the career of “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas. The following is part 1 of a 2 part story that I originally wrote years ago but that never got published. It was never published likely because of the length, which is why I am now revising as a 2 part story. It is my journey as a fan and my recollection of Vargas’s career…enjoy:

Each time that I see “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas I find myself reminiscing about the memories of Fernando’s career that stand out to me. I grew up with Arnulfo Bravo who in 1995 became the number 1 ranked U.S. amateur flyweight and whose U.S. team career had him on many teams with Vargas. The impressive 100-5 amateur record that Vargas built up on his way to the 1996 Olympics wasn’t completely known at the time. I knew more of him from having done a paper in high school English class on the way sports, and in particular boxing, helps troubled youths. In researching the paper I came across an article in the library, yes fans, life was different pre internet when there was no easy access of information. The article introduced me to Fernando Vargas’s story and his estranged relation with his father, and how that anger helped to drive him in the ring. In subsequent interviews in the lead up to the Olympics you could see the charisma of someone that was going to be a pro star!

After a disappointing result at the ’96 games in Atlanta, Vargas at the age of 19 turned pro and much of his career to me is the type of journey that a fan takes with the stars they root for. I remember watching his pro debut on Tuesday Night Fights, a :54 destruction of Jorge Morales in Vargas’s hometown of Oxnard, California. Although not the main event that night, it was clearly the bout that people came to see. With each subsequent victory the Fernando Vargas fan base grew. He fought in my hometown of Lake Tahoe in his 5th pro fight against Eugene Lopez on the Lennox Lewis vs Henry Akinwande under card. It was the final live boxing match that I be attended prior to leaving for the Army. I happened to be at the steps leading to the showroom entrance of Caesars Tahoe when Fernando arrived wearing a baseball #1 jersey with “Vargas” on the back. I shook his hand and wished him luck. Although just a teenager at the time I returned to the casino that evening with my high school friend Carlos, although I only spotted Vargas at a distance, dressed up and looking like he was headed to the Buffet? I did end up chatting with one of his entourage members for this fight, a guy named Hector. I told him to tell Fernando congratulations, and that he was doing his fans proud!

During Army Basic training at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri, there where countless arguments in the barracks between Soldiers as to who would win between Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad? Ironically the said Soldiers always included myself and punchline co-host James Dominguez as our love of boxing connected us over 20 years ago and created a bonded friendship that continues today! This was around the time when Trinidad’s career was in hiatus as he dealt with promotional troubles at that time with Don King, while De La Hoya was the upstart main attraction of the sport and was about to fight Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho. I always argued that the two guys that could beat De La Hoya where Trinidad, and I figured within a year Fernando Vargas would be ready for him? I kept track of the boxing happenings when I could get time to call home to friends and family and knew that Fernando’s career was moving successfully forward.

In 1998 I was stationed the whole year in South Korea, and was often able to catch network televised bouts, although at odd times…It would be a Sunday morning or afternoon when a Saturday night prime time bout was happening in the U.S., but we often got to watch PPV matches for free listening to Col. Bob Sheridan’s commentary on the Armed Forces Network. The military has a huge minority contingency, and in a foreign country, for the most part, you stick with your own when off duty and hanging off base at local clubs on the strip. Within the Hispanic and Latino Army community, De La Hoya, Vargas, and Trinidad where the favorites. One of the first Tuesday Night Fights I was able to watch while in Korea was when Vargas defeated Romallis Ellis in the second round, a bout in which Fernando was seemingly going to be getting his toughest test to date, he passed it with ease….

Stay tuned for Part 2 which will follow my memoirs of Vargas becoming World Champion and having the biggest fights of his career!

About the Editor

Simon Ruvalcaba

Army Veteran and former Professional Boxer Simon Ruvalcaba started boxing at the age of ten and Had a 71 fight amateur career which featured a 139 lbs. 1998 8th U.S. Army Boxing Championship out of Camp Casey, Korea and a spot on the prestigious Army Boxing Team at Fort Hood, TX. After a journeyman pro career of 18 fights, which included sparring sessions with many champions and contenders including Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell “Sweat Pea” Whitaker, Simon started writing and has contributed to many publications and websites including fighthype.com, pound4pound.com, Tahoe Daily Tribune (South Lake Tahoe, CA), Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV). He has also been the Boxing Instructor for Ken Shamrock and The Lions Den and was MMA and Bareknuckle star Paige VanZant’s first boxing coach!
Born and Raised in South Lake Tahoe, California he now resides in Sun Valley, Nevada and spends as much time as possible with his Sons Gabriel and Oscar! Beyond boxing, Simon is an all around sports fanatic and is passionate about the teams that he roots for. Simon also works as a Sportsbook Supervisor for Caesars Sportsbook in Lake Tahoe.