Battle of opposites

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000 | 10:55 a.m.

The contrast was unmistakable.

Fernando Vargas, first up in a room that included about 15 members of the nation's print boxing media, all but bared his soul in a lengthy interview that included repeatedly hostile references to his estranged father. "I don't want anything to do with that maggot," he said, a touch of solemnness mixed in his voice with a healthy dose of animosity.

Later, Felix Trinidad took his turn and, after being seated, his father -- the debonair and exquisitely dressed Felix Sr. -- positioned himself within arm's length of his famous son. "He's my trainer, he's my manager, and, besides that, he's my father, which makes him even closer," the fighter said of the undisputed head of the Trinidad household.

One man hates his father. The other defers every major decision to his.

Is it any wonder Vargas and Trinidad come across as opposites as they head for a Saturday fight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center?

Vargas is bilingual, outgoing and often painfully honest. Trinidad speaks only Spanish, is detached and reserved.

Vargas is willing and able to carry the fight's promotion. Trinidad has to be led to the spotlight.

But each agrees on a singular point: Both Vargas and Trinidad say they'll win the fight. And the issue will be settled when they step into the ring for a pay-per-view showdown that has two world titles at stake, Vargas risking his International Boxing Federation 154-pound title and Trinidad matching the stakes with his World Boxing Association title at the same weight.

Tickets remain available in the 12,000-seat arena although a Mandalay Bay spokesman said a sellout is expected.

Trinidad is a minus 170 betting favorite, with Vargas a plus 150 underdog.

"Trinidad's saying this is an easy fight but he's just trying to convince himself," Vargas said. "I'm angry for this fight. I'm angry for what he said."

The reference is to Trinidad stating during an earlier conference call that Vargas is an inferior fighter. Trinidad reiterated that opinion Wednesday while meeting with the press.

"I train hard to be better each time," he said. "I'm sure I'm going to beat Vargas and next in line is (WBA middleweight champ) William Joppy and I'll beat him too."

Trinidad, 27, is 38-0 with 31 knockouts and feeling invincible.

Vargas, 23 next week, is 20-0 with 18 KOs and believes his life experiences have positioned him to ascend to the top of the sport.

"God put it there for me to grab," he said of what he feels is his boxing destiny. "I went through a lot as a kid, things I can't even mention. I don't think anyone can mess with me, let alone break me down.

"I've been through so much."

That rocky road, he says, came courtesy of a father who was already out of his life before he was born.

"I never had any direction in my life," he said. "I never had a father. I never had anyone tell me 'No, son, don't do that.' I did what I wanted. I hurt kids."

Dozens of street fights hardened Vargas, yet maybe not as much as fending for himself without a dad.

"To me, he wasn't there when a lot of things happened in my life," Vargas said, going on to explain that his father never reached out to him until two years ago. "He tried to contact me after I won my (IBF) title and I told him if he ever tried again he was going to see what a real man was. I was going to beat the s--- out of him."

Asked for his father's first name, Vargas stiffened.

"Maggot," he replied. "Maggot. The lowest life on Earth."

With those bitter memories ever present, Vargas treats his own two children -- sons Fernando Jr., 4, and Amato, 4 months -- with care and love. "I try to be the best father in the world," he said. "I can't understand how somebody can make a life and not be there to see how it turns out."

If Vargas' father could see him now, he would see an accomplished and fearless slugger who is fast becoming a millionaire.

"I was in fights all the time as a kid," he said. "I guess I was the bully of the school.

"Then (after being suspended from school for a day) I was switching through channels watching TV when I started watching boxing. I was astonished. It was like I hit the lotto.

"All I wanted to do after that was win (amateur) trophies. The next thing I knew I was getting paid for this, paid handsomely at that."

Vargas may be undefeated as a pro yet he admits to an occasional loss on the street.

"Sometimes you're fighting guys who are bigger than you," he said. "You win some, you lose some.

"But the way I look at it now is that most of those guys couldn't beat me on the street, so how are they going to beat me in the ring?"

Not surprisingly, he says he's a better fighter than ever.

"My pro game is so tight," he said. "You've got to have a lot of tools in your game. I also have a lot of pride in not getting beat.

"Now I can't let this guy take my belt. This guy is going to have to kill me to take my belt, that's how I honestly feel."

It's Vargas who has taken the initiative in promoting the fight with Trinidad, making himself available and remaining fairly accessible throughout his training camp. He's doing that, he said, because he feels it's his time to capture the public's attention.

"Trinidad thinks he's the show and he's not," Vargas said. "He thinks he's the main attraction. But I'm the one that's pulling in the numbers; I'm the one who's interesting people.

"I'm the one they really want to see."

Asked point blank why he hasn't provided the same access, Trinidad called upon his father to reply.

"He's the one who decides that," Trinidad said through interpreter Bobby Munoz, who then handed the microphone to Felix Sr.

"You can go to the fight or buy it on pay-per-view," was Trinidad Sr.'s rationale for preventing the media from having a closer look at his son. "If people don't know what to expect from Tito in this fight, buy it on pay-per-view."

"I'm always ready to talk to the press," Trinidad added, twirling a makeshift Puerto Rican flag in his fingers, one that had "Tito #1 Trinidad" emblazoned on it.

Nevertheless he remains a reluctant public figure, a great fighter who may never fully maximize his earning power due to his avoidance of English and his overprotective father.

The Trinidads have charted their course and are going to live with it. Vargas, conversely, spent his formative days in uncharted waters.

How or if those facts of life influence their fight is one reason to take an interest in how it plays out. The fight is billed as "Forces Of Destruction" but could deservedly be subtitled "Does Father Know Best?"