Vargas KOs Ike from spotlight

Dean Juipe

Friday, April 14, 2000 | 10:32 a.m.

Looking very Dennis Rodman-esque in his bleached white hair and sunglasses, Ike Quartey could only shake his head in dismay as photographers scurried into position to shoot Fernando Vargas.

The same photographers that were fawning over Vargas had barely budged when Quartey was introduced moments earlier, a scenario that underscored the notion that it's Vargas who is the focal point of a fight scheduled for Saturday in the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Quartey may be the more experienced fighter and may have only one loss in his professional career, yet, as that one snippet from Thursday's press conference pointed out, it's his younger and undefeated opponent who has the inside track to superstardom.

Not that Quartey can't beat him.

"I'm back," he said when it was his turn at the podium, referring to his 14-month absence from the ring and the public eye. "And I'm about to win the IBF title."

It's Vargas who has that International Boxing Federation belt and it's Vargas who is favored to win this fight between a pair of 154-pound sluggers. The current line has Vargas as a minus 220 betting favorite, with Quartey a plus 180.

Vargas, of Oxnard, Calif., is 18-0 with 17 knockouts.

Quartey, of Accra, Ghana, is 34-1-1 with 29 KOs.

They're fighting in the main event of an HBO-televised card that is expected to draw a full house of 6,084 in the scaled-back arena at Mandalay Bay. An HBO representative said the fight would not be blacked out in Las Vegas.

"This will be a boxing fan's delight," said Quartey's manager, Godwin Asifo. "Vargas is a fine fighter and everyone knows Ike Quartey is one of the best in the world."

Quartey, 30, has fought only once since November 1997 and that was a close loss to Oscar De La Hoya last year. That inactivity may or may not be a negative, although Vargas continues to reiterate that he's taking no chances.

"I've worked real hard," he said. "Not once did I say during training camp that I've had enough. I sparred 190 rounds to get ready for this."

While 190 rounds seems to be an extremely high total -- De La Hoya, for instance, has never sparred more than 80 rounds in preparation for a fight -- Vargas maintains he did it as part of a crash course in conditioning.

"I thrive off these type of fights," he said. "I've always been able to step up to the plate and perform. Fights of this magnitude make me rise to the occasion.

"And for this fight there isn't any doubt that I'm in my best-ever condition."

Vargas, 22, will be making the fourth defense of the IBF championship he took from Yory Boy Campas in 1998. His manager, Shelly Finkel, is certain Vargas is up to the challenge.

"I've been watching Fernando's transformation for several years," he said. "And this is definitely the best Fernando you'll ever see. I believe we'll see a great Quartey for this fight, but I just don't believe it will be enough to beat Fernando."

If that is the case, it's Vargas who will advance to even bigger fights, like one with Felix Trinidad that is already on the drawing board.