Billy's Boxing Blog

By William Trillo

With a big fight week upon us in Southern California I decided to reach out to a couple of the main players for the big weekend. One would the WBC Super Featherweight Champion Francisco Vargas. If you think the other was his opponent Orlando Salido you would be wrong. The other main player was California State Athletic Commissioner Andy Foster. As we know, Vargas had a drug test show up dirty over a month ago and instead of losing one of the most anticipated fights of the year Foster convinced Vargas to come to California to finish his training and more importantly to keep watch on the champion.

“William I want you to know,” said Foster, “by the time Vargas hits the ring on Saturday night he will be the most tested athlete ever in California State Athletic Commission history. And I want everyone to know he is testing 100% clean. I knew that the first test results were so minute that once we agreed to have him train here and keep a good eye on him there was going to be no problems at all.”

Vargas was put through a battery of tests and he is not surprised at the results and outcome. “I am glad Commissioner Foster is confirming I am a clean fighter,” said Vargas. “I am happy the commission feels this way because I consulted with experts after the first positive results and they assured me that because the results were so low it had to have been something accidental. That is when I was made aware of tainted meat issue in Mexico and I knew that’s how this came about. That is why I came to California to finish my training.”

Depending on the athlete, the negative test result followed by a battery of random drug tests could get up inside the head of the fighter. It might become a distraction during training that could have cataclysmic results come fight night. According to Vargas, that was not and will not be the case for this fight. Vargas stated, “The test result was not a distraction. Yes, it was a big surprise to me but it was never something that worried me. I remained focused in my training and this incident had no effect on my camp because I know I am a clean fighter. I always knew I was fine and the continued testing has proven I am a clean fighter. Although plenty of people did talk I did not let it bother me at all. I have been 100% focused on my training and this fight.”

Vargas will have one more test on Saturday night but this one won’t involve a collection cup. Instead that test will be given by Orlando Salido and a resume of world class experience. Say what you will about his victory over Lomanchenko, the fact is Salido beat him and that is something else no one else may ever be able to say. Throw in a names like Mikey Garcia and Juan Manuel Lopez and it’s clear Salido will be the toughest test Vargas will have faced in his career.

But throw that experience question out to Vargas and he does not seem all that worried. The champion confidentially said to that experience issue, “Yes, I am very well aware that Salido is a fighter with great experience. I know he has fought most of the top fighters out there. But….Salido has never faced a fighter like me! I am an aggressive fighter who will keep applying the pressure. I will never give up. Just like all Mexican fighters I will never give up, I will fight to the very end.”

This is a fight that cannot be missed by any true fight fan. Whether you can make it to Carson California’s Stub Hub Arena or are able to watch the card on HBO my suggestion is to be ready for a true battle in the ring on Saturday night .

Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido is a 12-round battle for the WBC Super Featherweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD, Casa Mexico Tequila and HANDS OF STONE: The True Story of Roberto Duran, in theaters this August. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins live at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The RingTvLive.com live stream begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 3rd, 2016 at 9:49 am and is filed under Boxing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.