- 2 months ago
Johnny Tapia defends his WBO Super Flyweight Title against Ricardo Vargas on TVKO HBO PPV
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00:00There should be adults out there who can say when you've gone too far.
00:04A very hard thing to judge, though, because how do they really know who has gone too far sometime and who hasn't?
00:11It's an inexact science at best.
00:14So an uneasy quiet for a moment here inside the Seasons Balanced Outdoor Arena.
00:20And now the music starts off as Johnny Tapia begins to make his way in.
00:25Johnny Tapia, great personal story out of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
00:30And check it, that's not Tapia, that's his opponent, Ricardo Vargas.
00:34Yep, thank you very much, Roy Jones Jr., pointing out to me that it's Vargas.
00:38So this is Ricardo Vargas out of Tijuana, Mexico.
00:43And he'll be fighting at 114 pounds now against Johnny Tapia.
00:50Mills Lane getting ready to referee this one.
00:53And you see the ring record brought to you by The Ring, the Bible of Boxing.
00:58Ricardo Vargas, 20 wins, 4 losses, 2 draws, only 7 KOs.
01:02By his own admission, he is strictly a boxer.
01:05And he's getting ready to go against a pretty hard puncher.
01:09Johnny Tapia, out of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
01:1229 wins and one draw in his professional boxing career.
01:17He is 28 years old, started boxing as a professional back in 1988,
01:23was well on his way to superstar prominence in the lower weight classes
01:28when in 1990 he exited for drug rehabilitation.
01:31And he and his career lost three and a half years in the ring
01:36because of his difficulties in overcoming substance abuse problems of many different kinds.
01:43But he's back, has been back for about a year and a half.
01:46He's winning again, 29-0-1 with 18 KOs.
01:50And here now, another chance to polish his credentials as he looks down the road
01:54toward a possible big showdown with another Albuquerque, New Mexico fighter, Danny Romero.
02:00Doesn't he look foolish that way?
02:03Put that hat on top of the hood.
02:06Not stylish, guys.
02:09Dale of the tape.
02:10Johnny Tapia, 28, 5 years older than Ricardo Vargas.
02:14You can see the Tapia is 2 inches taller.
02:16And look at what happened between their weights yesterday and tonight, Larry.
02:20Yeah.
02:21Vargas, who normally weighs in heavier than 114,
02:25obviously dehydrated himself to get down to this weight
02:29and has added 12 pounds overnight.
02:32There's an interesting experiment going on here in Las Vegas relevant to this.
02:37They're trying to see how much weight fighters are putting on
02:40in the 24 to 28 hours after these weigh-ins.
02:45All of that prompted by James Toney's extraordinary weight gain
02:49in the 24 hours before his ill-fated entrance into the ring
02:53against Roy Jones Jr.
02:55The rules, Harold.
02:56The Johnny Tapia-Ricardo Vargas fight is scheduled for 12 rounds.
03:00There is no standing egg count, but Jim, in this fight,
03:02the three-knockdown rule is in effect.
03:05Only the referee can stop the fight,
03:07and he can be saved by the bell in the last round only.
03:09James.
03:10All right, Harold, and just before we go up to Michael Buffer,
03:15I'll tell you that Jimmy Garcia was conscious
03:16as he was transported to the hospital.
03:18He is going to get a CAT scan at the hospital.
03:20Medical authorities call it precautionary.
03:22We'll give you the results as soon as we get them.
03:24Right now, let's go up the ring announcer,
03:26Michael Buffer, for the free fight introductions.
03:29And once again, ladies and gentlemen,
03:30Top Rank Incorporated, along with
03:32your undisputed, undefeated king of beers,
03:35Budweiser, present World Championship Boxing,
03:39sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission,
03:42along with the World Boxing Organization.
03:45President Francisco Baltarcel,
03:48supervisor at ringside for the WBO for this bout,
03:50Jerry Woolard.
03:52The three judges scoring this contest
03:54on a ten-point must system will be
03:56Bill Graham, Clark Sanmartino,
03:59and Dolby Shirley.
04:00And when the bell rings,
04:02the man in charge of the action referee,
04:05Mills Lane.
04:07And now, ladies and gentlemen,
04:08from Caesars Palace,
04:1112 rounds of boxing
04:12for the Junior Fandomweight Championship of the World.
04:20Introducing first,
04:21fighting out of the blue corner,
04:23wearing the green, red, white,
04:26and weighing 114 pounds,
04:28his professional record,
04:2920 victories against four defeats,
04:32with two draws,
04:33seven KOs to his credit,
04:35Damas y Caballeros con Tijuana, Mexico,
04:39the challenger,
04:41Ricardo Chapo Vargas.
04:49And his opponent across the ring,
04:51fighting out of the red corner,
04:54wearing the black trimmed in turquoise,
04:55weighing in at 115 pounds,
04:58his professional record,
05:0029-0 with one draw,
05:0218 of his 29 victories by KO,
05:05he is the pride of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
05:09Ladies and gentlemen,
05:11presenting the undefeated
05:13WBO Junior Fandomweight Champion of the World,
05:18the baby-faced assassin,
05:21Johnny Tapia!
05:24Okay, now look,
05:33he goes right here,
05:34it's gonna be all right.
05:36He goes right here,
05:37it's gonna be okay.
05:37Now, we've already gone to
05:38a re-instruction wrestling room,
05:40for the championship of the world,
05:43that the tough, clean fight,
05:45protect yourself at all times,
05:47any questions we challenge him.
05:49From the champions,
05:50let's get it on!
05:51They tell me, guys,
05:56that if Tapia fought Romero and Albuquerque,
05:58it could fill a football stadium,
06:01but he's gotta keep winning right here.
06:04Johnny Tapia,
06:04via his struggles with cocaine and alcohol,
06:07has seen the bottom.
06:09He wants to see the top,
06:10and for him,
06:11that would be a matchup with Romero and Albuquerque.
06:14To get it,
06:15he must win this fight,
06:16and keep hoping that Danny Romero will come to him.
06:23Yeah, there's already been discussions about this,
06:26and within the next six months,
06:28we might see another neighborhood showdown for a championship.
06:33Round one begins.
06:35Ricardo Vargas says that he knows
06:37Johnny Tapia is the puncher in this fight.
06:39He plans to move,
06:41stick the jab,
06:43and not present a still target at any moment
06:45for Tapia's heavy punch.
06:47And that's a very smart technique,
06:49a very smart way to fight Tapia,
06:51because Tapia is a strong, sharp puncher,
06:53but the one thing that we have to also watch tonight
06:55is that the other guy, Vargas,
06:59has gone up to 126,
07:00which is where he probably came from
07:02to make the limit of 114,
07:04so he is the bigger of the two tonight.
07:07Well, only two things can happen
07:09as a result of that weight gain from last night,
07:1212 pounds from 114 to 126.
07:14Either he'll be slower and more sluggish than he should be,
07:16or he'll be a lot stronger than Tapia expects him to be.
07:20Maybe he's not that strong of a puncher in the beginning,
07:23so he may not be stronger than Tapia expects,
07:25but he may be able to absorb more.
07:27I spoke to Flip Homansky before the fights tonight
07:32about this experiment they're doing
07:35in measuring weights just before the fight,
07:38and he said that the idea of having early weigh-ins
07:42was so the fighters could rehydrate quicker
07:44and cause less of a danger to themselves
07:48by being dehydrated going into the fight.
07:51Well, here again, Larry,
08:02I think Vargas may turn out to be
08:06a little bit more stronger than Tapia may expect
08:09because he looks big.
08:12He looks much bigger than Tapia.
08:14But unlike Gabriel Ellis,
08:15who came out winging power shots,
08:17Tapia has taken the first round
08:19to get a look at Vargas.
08:20Try to stick the jab a few times,
08:22and until that right hand and left hook,
08:25he hadn't thrown a lot of power shots.
08:26Now he lands a right hand up top
08:28and backs Vargas into the ropes.
08:30Tapia already has a nosebleed,
08:32but Tapia is game,
08:33so you know he'll fight forever.
08:35But Vargas looks like the type of boxer
08:37that is able to stay outside
08:40and do just what he wants to do when he gets ready.
08:42He's not getting trapped into
08:43or getting lured into trading punches.
08:46He's digging to his game,
08:47and this is very smart.
08:48Vargas fundamentally sound,
08:50up on his toes,
08:51has a pretty good jab.
08:52Rocks Tapia with a right hand over the top.
08:57His punches, Tapia punches seem to have no effect on Vargas, though.
09:01But Vargas, every time he's Tapia,
09:02he opens up a loose guard.
09:03Johnny Tapia already with a mouse under his left eye.
09:09Tapia has taken some surprising punishment for the first round for Mikado Vargas.
09:14And Vargas digs the left hook to the body.
09:16Tapia with a lightning left hook in return.
09:18But like I said before, Tapia's punches seem to have no effect on Vargas, though he's so big.
09:23Oh, oh, oh, oh.
09:23That was a bad round for Tapia's.
09:26Bloody nose and a puffed left eye already.
09:29Don't reach him too much.
09:30That's okay.
09:31That's okay.
09:32Don't worry about it.
09:33Don't worry about it.
09:34You get the feel of it.
09:36You're a little bit too over-anxious now, Johnny.
09:38Don't get too over-anxious.
09:40Okay?
09:41Let's see.
09:41Don't, don't, don't get, don't get so over-anxious.
09:45Just take your time.
09:46Are you too straight up?
09:47Yeah, you are.
09:48You've got to get a little more movement.
09:50And you're not throwing punches in combination.
09:52Okay.
09:52Okay?
09:53All right.
09:54You're doing all right.
09:55Just keep moving around.
09:57You're trying to move right hand?
09:57With the right hand.
09:58Lead, lead right hand.
09:59But you've got to follow up on it.
10:00All right.
10:01Okay?
10:01Give me the water.
10:02Give me the water.
10:08Tapia trying to figure out Garcia.
10:10While Garcia is landing punches.
10:13I'm sorry.
10:14Vargas.
10:15Vargas is working off his jab.
10:17And it's very effective right now against Tapia.
10:20What is it?
10:22Vargas land that right hand over the top.
10:24That's where Tapia got the mouse under the left eye.
10:28And that mouse begins to swell.
10:31Human interest story in the corner.
10:3376-year-old trainer manager Paul Tapia has been with Johnny Tapia
10:36from the beginning of his boxing career as an amateur.
10:39Including the three-and-a-half-year wait
10:41while Tapia battled his drug and alcohol demons.
10:44Johnny Tapia says of the 76-year-old Chavez,
10:48I'd give his life for him.
10:49I'd give my life for him after what he's done for me.
10:52And that's very good.
10:53Being the right...
10:55I think that's the way you should be with your manager trainer.
10:58But may I ask one question?
10:59Did he use an N-swirl on his eye then?
11:01I didn't see it.
11:02I was going to ask that,
11:04but I thought maybe it's a little early
11:05and he didn't think he needed it yet.
11:07We'll see in the subsequent rounds.
11:09But we do see Tapia following instructions
11:11by trying to throw the right and follow up behind it.
11:14Vargas is using very good movement here.
11:18It's enabling him to catch Tapia over and over again
11:21with the right hand
11:22because he doesn't sit right in front of Tapia.
11:26This is smart boxing to me.
11:28He's not a strong, strong puncher,
11:29but he's much bigger than Tapia,
11:31so it will be effective.
11:33Good right hand.
11:34This is why when I used to fight 160,
11:39I didn't mind coming from 180 and 185 to make 160
11:43because I knew I had a size advantage on most middleweights
11:46and their punches were very unaffected against me
11:48even though I don't get hit much.
11:58Vargas is a very unusual cutie for a Mexican fighter.
12:02You don't see many fighters from south of the border
12:04fight this way.
12:05Hard left hand by Tapia.
12:08Doesn't seem to shake Vargas' confidence.
12:10He comes back with three jabs
12:11and a right hand of his own.
12:19Vargas has had a couple of early chances
12:21to taste Tapia's power
12:23and doesn't seem to be too moved by it.
12:26And mainly I think it's because of the weight difference.
12:31That's right.
12:31And he does present the bigger picture in there for sure.
12:34Tapia now has a bloody mouth
12:36as well as a bloody nose
12:37and a puffed up right eye.
12:40Tapia just missing with the right hand there.
12:42It was a glancing blow
12:43even though he had an open shot.
12:48Vargas not with a lot of head movement.
12:51He relies on his feet to keep him out of trouble.
12:53And I think your feet, your feet are your best defense.
12:56That's the way I was taught.
12:57That's what I think right now
12:59is enabling me to stand over the rest of the field
13:01because I don't use my hands
13:02so much for defense as I do my feet.
13:04round two coming to a close.
13:13Surprisingly good first two rounds
13:15for the challenger,
13:16Ricardo Vargas of Mexico.
13:17I gave that round to tapia,
13:27but it was a tough round.
13:29You're waiting too long.
13:30You're waiting too long, Connie.
13:32Okay.
13:33You can't wait so long.
13:34You've got to go first every time, okay?
13:36Okay.
13:36Otherwise, don't get over anxious.
13:39Don't get over anxious now.
13:40Okay.
13:41Just take your time.
13:42You're doing a good job.
13:43So you're not throwing no combinations.
13:44You know, I can't get in.
13:45He's moving.
13:46Well, I'll cut you now.
13:47Cut the ring off from the guy.
13:49Okay.
13:50Okay?
13:50Okay.
13:51Superficial cut.
13:53Here's the bra is the butt.
13:54No problem.
13:55And the checker.
13:55I need this.
13:56Oh!
13:57It's not bad.
13:58Hey, don't get out of the way.
14:03Don't get out of the way.
14:03You walk there.
14:05You walk there.
14:07Don't get out of the way.
14:08Repetit.
14:08Repetit.
14:08Repetit.
14:09Look at what I'm telling you.
14:11Look at what I'm telling you.
14:12Look at the shot.
14:12Look at the shot.
14:13Look at the shot.
14:13Look at the shot.
14:14Right now, Johnny Tapia looks like he's in the fight of his life to get him to the fight
14:29of his life against Danny Romero.
14:32Marcus's corner men telling him to faint and then come with the jab.
14:40So they want him to faint before the jab, thinking that Johnny Tapia reacts to that.
14:44The one thing that I see that's helping Vargas out is that when he moves, Tapia is set in his track.
14:51So when he decides to come out to Tapia, Tapia cannot get out of the way because he's already
14:55set in his track.
14:55He has to first come up on his toes, then move out of the way.
14:58Vargas stays on his toes, so he doesn't have to do nothing but just come in.
15:01And there's no way Tapia can get out of the way in time.
15:05Tapia holding his cup to indicate to Mills Lane that he believes Vargas is hitting him low.
15:10Vargas took advantage of the opportunity to step in and pop a combination on Johnny Tapia.
15:16Tapia's a very good fighter.
15:17He's a very game guy.
15:18I hate to see him in the ring at this big size disadvantage like this because you hate
15:23to see the game guys go down and have such a hard fight.
15:26And over and over again, he's going to find himself in this situation if he continues to
15:29fight guys with this big size.
15:35Hard left hand by Tapia.
15:38Vargas continuing to move well on his feet and continuing to land jabs.
15:42Two good body shots there by Johnny, huh?
15:44Very good shots, but Tapia's bleeding everywhere.
15:48Tapia will have to be concerned about his health later on in this fight.
15:54When you're the puncher and you're trying to do damage as Tapia is, but you're already
15:59dinged up with the mouse under your eye and blood coming from your nose, how big a distraction
16:03is that?
16:04It's a very big distraction.
16:05Then you're much smaller than the guy, so it seems like everything you do does no
16:10good.
16:11You know, he can't hurt this guy.
16:12He hasn't even buckled this guy yet because of the size advantage.
16:15Disadvantage, I mean.
16:16That's right.
16:18Get him off.
16:19Get off the neck.
16:20Come on.
16:21Come on.
16:22Come on.
16:23Come on.
16:24Come on.
16:25Come on.
16:26Come on.
16:27Come on.
16:28Come on.
16:29Come on.
16:30Come on.
16:31Come on.
16:32Come on.
16:33Come on.
16:34Let's go.
16:35Come on.
16:36Come on.
16:37Come on.
16:38Come on.
16:39Come on.
16:40Come on.
16:41Come on.
16:42Come on.
16:43Come on.
16:44Come on.
16:45Come on.
16:46Come on.
16:47Come on.
16:48Come on.
16:49Come on.
16:50Come on.
16:51Come on.
16:52Come on.
16:53Come on.
16:54Come on.
16:55Come on.
16:56Dr. Capanna, a neurosurgeon, is on the scene,
16:59and will keep you posted on Jimmy Garcia's condition.
17:08Tapia getting inside just a little bit more frequently,
17:11but he pays the price as Vargas lands a hard left hand.
17:15I tell you, I like this Vargas kid.
17:17He needs his feet very wisely.
17:20Tapia's trying to get him to swap with him right now,
17:22but I don't think it'll happen.
17:26And we look at Oscar De La Hoya,
17:35warming up in his dressing room.
17:37Earlier, Oscar was reclining and smiling,
17:39and now he begins to try to work himself into a sweat.
17:47Sun has set, darkness falls on the outdoor arena,
17:51and we are one bout away.
17:53Rafael Huelos on the right, Oscar De La Hoya on the left.
17:57Biggest battle between Los Angeles-based fighters since the 1970s.
18:02It's bigger because the fight you're referring to is...
18:06Let's listen to the corner first.
18:09Come in easy once you throw the jab.
18:11Okay?
18:18Already been...
18:21Fighting the series with Bobby Chacon and Danny Red Lopez,
18:24both future champions, not champions at the time.
18:27Johnny Tapia momentarily losing his mouth guard as he came out for round number four.
18:34In the third round, Roy Jones, Vargas had 84 punches to only 57 for Tapia.
18:41So if Vargas is able to stay busier than Johnny and stay away from the power shots,
18:46he could mount a lead on the scorecards here.
18:49Yeah, and I don't think the power shots are nowhere effective against him
18:53because of his weight's difference.
18:55I told you before, the weight sometimes enables you to be able to absorb much more
18:59than if you were the same size.
19:01Yeah, it anchors you to the ground. Isaac Newton told us that.
19:07It doesn't add power, you're saying, but it does add some strength.
19:10No, it doesn't necessarily add power, but it does add strength.
19:13And sometimes it will seem to add power because it's more mass,
19:17so therefore it has to be strength behind it.
19:19Do you think if James Toney hadn't put on 15 pounds in the 24 hours before he fought you
19:24that you would have knocked him out?
19:26Yes.
19:27And I think if I ever see him again, I'll knock him out.
19:30So next time it won't make a difference.
19:32But my thing was, just like this guy Vargas here,
19:34not to go in and swap with the bigger guy.
19:36Well, Vargas is the bigger here, but not to go in and trade.
19:39Go in and I'll box the guy.
19:40That's the name of this game, boxing.
19:42You go in, use your head.
19:43If you get a knockout, good.
19:44But if you don't, don't worry about it.
19:46That's not the sport.
19:47It's not called knockout.
19:48It's called boxing.
19:49Well, it requires the talent that you've earned over years of work in the gym,
19:53and clearly Ricardo Vargas has put in the work.
19:55He's a good boxer.
19:58And his boxing skills are giving Johnny Tapia a lot of trouble right now.
20:01Tapia the heavy favorite.
20:03And it's not to take nothing away from Tapia because sometimes
20:05these are the type of fights that make good fights.
20:08Tapia just a puncher.
20:10He used to being a puncher.
20:11He used to having a guy sit up with him that he can trade with him.
20:14That's right now he's at it.
20:15This guy's just smart enough not to do that.
20:17Tapia's whole background, of course, is one of trying to beat the odds.
20:21So he's at home here with a badly marked up face.
20:24A weight disadvantage going against a fighter who has succeeded early against him.
20:29Fight is scheduled for 12 rounds.
20:31Tapia is throwing some very good fighter shots.
20:36This may slow Vargas down later on.
20:38You never can tell until it reaches that point.
20:41That was a good hook by Tapia.
20:43But every time Tapia hits Vargas, Vargas hits Tapia.
20:46And when he doesn't hit Vargas, Vargas hits Tapia.
20:50And as the left eye begins to swell for Tapia, might Vargas go to more lead right hands?
20:57No, he should just stick to what he's doing.
20:59He's getting the job done well, going in behind the jab and the left hook.
21:03Occasionally, he's landing the right hand.
21:05That's good enough.
21:07Tapia has a habit of sort of commenting with his nods and shakes of his head about what's going on in the ring.
21:14Yes, that was a good punch.
21:16No, that didn't get me.
21:17I got you.
21:19Nothing wrong with that.
21:20He's just an active guy, you know.
21:22He's real hyper and that's how those guys are.
21:25He's a good sportsman, though.
21:32That's better now.
21:33Give me the punch.
21:34That's better now.
21:35Okay?
21:36Now you're starting to go first.
21:38Give me your tongue.
21:40Starting to go first now.
21:42That's all you got to do.
21:43The wrist comes easy.
21:45The wrist comes easy.
21:46The wrist comes easy.
21:47Huh?
21:48Just keep that jab in his face, Johnny.
21:51You got a hell of a jab.
21:53Let's use it now.
21:56Okay?
21:57I see him using the end swell there, Roy.
21:59Just settle down.
22:00Ed, I think he should have started a little earlier.
22:06Go ahead, Larry.
22:07The score after four rounds.
22:08It's nice to be wanted by everybody.
22:10I've got a 2-2, 38-38.
22:12You know, one very, very important thing in the story of the fight, Jim, is you don't score the blood.
22:16You score the punches.
22:17Johnny Tapia does get busted up more easy, but I really thought in rounds two and four, he did more damage with the power shots.
22:23You and I are on the same wavelength, Harold.
22:30As round five begins.
22:32I like that comment, Harold.
22:36You don't score the blood.
22:37But blood can influence people, can influence the crowd, even judges.
22:46Without question, it does influence the judges, and that's the problem.
22:51I just hope for Tapia that the blood and the swelling doesn't become a problem later on in the fight.
22:58Well, they'll certainly spur his determination, need it to be spurred any further.
23:03And slowly, imperceptibly, Roy, I think Johnny Tapia is shortening the distance between himself and Vargas.
23:09And it seems that he's now catching up with Vargas Moore.
23:11I think he's finally figuring out what it takes to catch him.
23:14He's cutting the ring off.
23:15He's not just standing there waiting.
23:17Before, I told you, he was just waiting and he was getting hit because he was right there dead in his track.
23:21Now he's not dead in his track, he's being first, and I think that will be very effective for him.
23:26Mills Lane with a lecture for both fighters.
23:33Lately, Mills Lane has been taking points away from fighters who punch low.
23:39So if there's another low blow, you can be sure a point will be taken.
23:44Yeah, now Tapia's getting smarter.
23:56He's fainting, oh, good body shot.
23:58He's fainting trying to hold Vargas so he can punch him.
24:01Vargas can't just come at will now because he doesn't know if Tapia's there now.
24:04Now, when Tapia's standing still, he does come, so...
24:09Vargas with a really good sequence there.
24:12Outlanded Tapia in two toe-to-toe confrontations.
24:16His confidence soars again.
24:18This is a very skillful fight.
24:20Both guys are very good technicians.
24:23They're doing a good job of trying to use their heads.
24:25One guy will take the lead, then the other guy will come back and take the lead.
24:28That's the marks of a great fight.
24:30Left hook inside by Johnny Tapia.
24:33Vargas continues to bounce on his toes, using those feet so well to defend himself.
24:40He also has a small mouth under his left eye now because he's getting caught more.
24:45Tapia's beginning to release the right hand a lot more quickly as Vargas comes toward him.
24:50ì˜¤ë¹ !
24:56With her headband, come on, come on, here we go!
25:00Step on 기사!
25:03Let it go! Let it go, let it go, let it go, here we go!
25:09Good left hand and right hand to follow by Tapia.
25:23Now Mills Lane tells him to keep it up.
25:24And Johnny with a little Japanese bow.
25:27And now he wants Vargas.
25:30As Vargas threw one at the bell.
25:33And that's a little misplaced.
25:35Johnny himself tried to throw a left and a right after the bell at the end of round one.
25:39Don't worry about the crowd.
25:40Don't worry about the crowd.
25:42Like I said before, you don't have to apologize.
25:43He is that.
25:47Okay?
25:47Don't worry about the crowd.
25:49It's so much fun talking to him yesterday.
25:51You got to root for him.
25:52You keep on hand-blading me, folks.
25:53He's the kind of guy you can't help what you like once you talk to him.
25:58There's the inswell.
25:59I'm going to be stupid.
26:00He's stupid.
26:01Don't worry about the crowd.
26:03Give him a wrench.
26:04Give him a wrench.
26:05Give him a wrench.
26:05Keep your head-blading me, bro.
26:09All you got to do is go first, Johnny.
26:11Never mind.
26:16There he goes.
26:16Take it out.
26:20This was the end of the preceding round.
26:22And that was Tapia going after Vargas after the bell had sounded.
26:27He wasn't seriously trying to hit him or nothing.
26:29But I think he's just trying to deliver a message.
26:36You ever do that, Roy?
26:37No.
26:39Let the fist do the talking, right?
26:41Most of the time.
26:45Sometimes the uniform speaks up.
26:46Roy Jones, world boxing champion, chicken farmer, and now expert boxing commentator.
27:05Not yet an expert.
27:06Are you enjoying this?
27:08Yeah, it's fun.
27:09It's good to be out here watching other guys take those shots instead of being in there watching those shots come at my head.
27:14Everybody says that.
27:18One minute into round six.
27:20Johnny Tapia trying to overcome early damage inflicted by Mexico's Ricardo Vargas.
27:27Tapia defends his 115-pound title.
27:31Tapia is a true champion.
27:33I really like Tapia.
27:34I like the thing that Tapia does in the ring.
27:36Tapia goes there.
27:37Down goes Vargas.
27:41And that left-hand shot landed against Vargas' glove, which is up against his face.
27:46It shows you how much power Tapia does have.
27:49I did say Tapia was a strong puncher.
27:51He's a very sharp fighter.
27:52But he can't lose his composure here because Vargas has very good foot movement.
27:56He probably would not catch Vargas anymore.
27:59A lot of blood on Tapia now as he tries to finish.
28:06You can't get too excited here because Vargas is smart.
28:09Vargas wasn't hurt very badly by that shot.
28:12You think all that blood is coming from his nose, Roy?
28:15Or does Tapia have a cut in his mouth, maybe?
28:17I think most of it's coming from his nose.
28:19There is a mouth cut.
28:20As Jeremiah mentioned that a few rounds ago.
28:23There's a mouth cut as well as a nose cut.
28:25All right, well, that would account for the abundance of blood there
28:27as Tapia went in on Vargas and tried to finish.
28:34I think the majority of the blood is coming from the nose, though.
28:42Which is more bothersome to the fighter?
28:44Probably the nose because he has to breathe out of the nose.
28:51Good short left inside by Tapia.
28:53Vargas, with his legs back,
28:56tries to regain some level of aggression as well.
29:06Vargas chasing Tapia into a corner.
29:09Not landing anything hard, but making his presence felt.
29:12Now, here comes Johnny with a right and a left.
29:15Like I said, Johnny is a very game-true champion.
29:18He wants to win, he shows the other guy he wants to win,
29:23he shows the crowd, he shows the judges,
29:25he shows everybody that he is out to keep his title.
29:28A normal human being who looks like Johnny Tapia
29:30is on the way to the doctor's office.
29:33He's staying in there and knocking the other guy down.
29:36Don't blow your nose.
29:37All you've got to do is settle down, Johnny.
29:39See what you did when you settled down?
29:41Take a look at the knockdown.
29:44It was a kind of a half hook, half jab, right on the button.
29:49Caught Vargas on the way in.
29:54We're off balance.
29:56He did manage to sneak that left hand past the glove.
29:59Yeah, he got it past the guarding glove there.
30:01And he was flat-footed facing him,
30:04and he was a little off balance.
30:17A punch like that can have an important psychological effect
30:22on the crowd, on judges, on everyone,
30:24because here's Tappi all bleeding.
30:27Everybody is thinking he's taking a beating.
30:29He turns around that perception with one punch.
30:35And it gives him confidence, I think.
30:37Maybe it lowers the other guy's confidence level a little bit.
30:40It also gives him a 10-8 round.
30:42Was that knockdown such that you would have scored
30:44at a 10-8 round, Larry?
30:46I did score at a 10-8 round.
30:48I did.
30:49Sorry, I did also.
30:51You did too, Harold?
30:52Okay.
30:53Which is very big for Tappi at this point.
30:59Interesting fight to score.
31:03Vargas has out-boxed Tappi.
31:05Tappi has out-slugged Vargas.
31:13Now Vargas seems more willing to slug toe-to-toe with Tappi,
31:17though he's still staying up on his toes and moving.
31:21This is not the fight that Vargas wants to fight.
31:23He doesn't want to swap with Tappi because Tappi,
31:26like I said before, is the champion.
31:28Very, very game fighter.
31:29Much more gamut than Vargas, I think.
31:31And that is Tappi's fight.
31:34To sit there and trade, prove that he's a warrior.
31:36That's what he wants to do.
31:37But at the same time, he undoubtedly feels he has to do something
31:41to get back into the fight now and turn around
31:44the perception that the fight was starting to go Tappi's way.
31:48And that's what a good fighter does and a good challenger.
31:58Left hook landed for Tappi.
32:00Now he comes underneath to the body.
32:02Vargas still moving, still up on his toes,
32:05just a little bit more accessible of a target now.
32:09Uh-oh, uh-oh, terrible butt.
32:13Unintentional butt.
32:17Good time.
32:18Flip.
32:20Come over here.
32:23It's an unintentional clash of heads, okay?
32:28No, I don't think it's too bad.
32:29Looks like blood's coming from both fighters.
32:33Tapia above the left ear on his skull.
32:39Back and go.
32:40All right.
32:43And Vargas above the left eye, and you can see that...
32:46Okay, time.
32:47Here we go.
32:48Both are significant wounds.
32:49This is turning into a bloodbath.
32:57And the response of both fighters seems to be,
33:00let's try to finish now.
33:01Let's try to finish now.
33:01Let's try to finish now.
33:05Let's try to finish now.
33:06Let's try to finish now.
33:11Heavy leather from Johnny Tapia in the corner right above us.
33:15Right before that happened,
33:16I was going to give Tapia credit for stopping the right hand now.
33:20He wasn't getting hit with the same right hand he had been getting hit with earlier,
33:23which caused the mouth upon his eye.
33:24In the midst of them trying to beat the hell out of each other,
33:36they're shaking hands twice already this round.
33:39They've both shown great sportsmanship in the fight, I think.
33:42Only in prize fighting.
33:43Good sportsmen.
33:44I like to see good sportsmen.
33:45Hard right hand there by Vargas.
33:47He tries another one and misses.
33:49Takes a right hand over the top from Tapia.
33:51Both fighters apparently going to make it out of round seven.
33:55Now, Harold Letterman.
33:57Open up Harold's mic and let's get an interpretation here.
34:01If the bout were stopped because of this accidental head butt, what happens?
34:06Jim, if the fighter stopped at this point, we go to the scorecards.
34:10If it stopped in the middle of a round, we score the partial round and then go to the scorecards.
34:16And whoever is ahead on the scorecards is the winner by technical decision.
34:21Let's see if we can catch the butt right in there.
34:40Apparently, it was happening.
34:42It just was a kind of a glancing, cutting butt.
34:46You think they'll be able to keep that bleeding stopped, Troy?
34:56I don't think so.
34:57I think every time he gets hit in that cut, it's going to start back bleeding.
35:01Okay.
35:02Okay.
35:02What about Tapia with the cut apparently on the ear or above the ear on the skull?
35:07His cut is not as bad to him as Vargas' cut is to him.
35:10Because Vargas cut is right off his eye, Tapia is bleeding down the side and behind his ear,
35:14so it won't bother his vision.
35:18Tapia, I mean, Vargas may feel more urgency right now with that cut eye,
35:22and he's got to stand and trade with Tapia.
35:25There it is, bleeding already.
35:26As soon as he got touched, he started bleeding.
35:28That's right.
35:28Johnny Tapia landed a right hand.
35:30Vargas' left eye began to bleed.
35:33And it's spurting blood now.
35:35Yes, and that's not good.
35:36Interesting fight for scoring up to this point.
35:39A technical decision would be a matter of some suspense for both fighters.
35:46Hard left hand by Tapia as Vargas is coming in.
35:49Great combination by Tapia.
35:52Time! Time!
35:54Come over here. Time!
35:55He's going to call the doctor in to examine Vargas.
36:02Looks to me like it's bad now.
36:04Busy night for Flip Komansky.
36:06He's stopping the fight.
36:11Now, are we going to go to the scorecards?
36:13Go to the scorecards.
36:16You've got to go to the scorecards.
36:18Flip said that's enough.
36:22Up.
36:25Johnny.
36:28You're going to...
36:29The fight can't continue.
36:31The cut's too bad.
36:31The commission, I believe, is going to go to the scorecard.
36:34It's an unintentional fight.
36:39Two careers hanging in the balance here.
36:43In a major, major fight, Tapia's against Danny Romero and Albuquerque.
36:50Tapia's ambition to fight Danny Romero and Albuquerque subject now to the scorecards which are being collected.
36:56Who's unable to continue?
36:59Both or him?
37:00No, if he's unable to continue, it's unintentional but.
37:04But when it was unintentional, Bob, if it had been intentional, it would have been different.
37:07Right.
37:07Okay.
37:08We scored this round?
37:09Well, you have to ask the commission.
37:10Well, Harold Letterman has already told us, yes, there's a partial scoring in this round, which will be a part of the total score for the fight.
37:18Is that correct, Harold?
37:19This is what Mark Ratner told me in the rules meeting.
37:22He says, if it's stopped in the middle of the round, we score the partial round.
37:25He was emphatic about it at the rules meeting.
37:28What was your scorecard at the time of the stoppage, Harold?
37:31Okay, at the time of the stoppage, I have at 77, 74, five rounds to three, Johnny Tapia.
37:38I mean, I just thought he did enough in that eighth round to win the eighth round.
37:41I did give him an extra point on a knockdown, but it's going to be tight.
37:44Here comes Michael Buffer.
37:45I'm elated, Harold.
37:46You and I are synchronized exactly.
37:49It was because of an unintentional headbutt.
37:52We will go to the scorecards of the rounds accumulated before this round.
37:57We'll have the score for you in just a moment.
38:01Now, Michael Buffer said before this round.
38:04And Mark Ratner was emphatic at the rules meeting that we scored a partial round.
38:10Well, let's see.
38:11Since both of us gave that round to Tapias, that could be a danger to him.
38:16Okay.
38:16Well, let's go back to the score after seven.
38:18After seven, I still have it, 67, 65, Johnny Tapia.
38:24I have Tapia by two points.
38:26The knockdown, remember, was in round number six.
38:29If the judges scored a two-point round for Tapia in the sixth, that could well turn out to be the functional margin in the bout.
38:37Ladies and gentlemen, we go to the scorecards.
38:41The tallies go through six completed rounds under the rules of the World Boxing Organization.
38:46No, no, it should be seven.
38:47Clarkson Martino scores the bout.
38:4966, 66.
38:51He has it even.
38:53That's seven rounds.
38:54Dobby Shirley scores the bout.
38:5668 to 64 for Tapia.
38:59Bill Graham scores the bout.
39:0166, 66.
39:03By majority, it is a technical draw.
39:07The champion is still the undefeated WBO champion, Johnny Tapia.
39:18Technical majority draw.
39:20You heard the numbers.
39:21And those numbers were only through round seven.
39:23Now, I saw Mark Bratner talking to you, Harold.
39:26What did he say?
39:27Mark Bratner was emphatic in a rules meeting.
39:29He came over to me, and he said that at the time the fight was stopped, the president of the WBO, Francisco Balthussell, said that they don't score the partial round in the WBO.
39:40And he went back to the scores for after seven rounds.
39:43One judge still had Tapia ahead, as did I.
39:46But what's the difference Tapia retains the title?
39:48Well, Johnny Tapia retains his title, his unbeaten record, but he has the second draw of his career, sandwiched around 29 wins.
40:01He had a draw in his first bout, and now a technical draw in his 31st bout.
40:06And the question will be, does that keep alive his chances at a Danny Romero fight?
40:11Larry Merchant, what do you think?
40:12Yes, I think it does.
40:13He's still the champion.
40:14It's a draw.
40:16The one judge who scored the fight in favor of him had him winning decisively.
40:20All right.
40:20We have recent information now on the subject of Jimmy Garcia.
40:25And sitting with me at ringside here is Nevada State Athletic Commission Dr. Flip Omansky.
40:29Flip, am I premature in asking you to tell me what's up with Jimmy Garcia at the hospital?
40:34He's at University Medical Center.
40:37He's being cared for by Dr. Al Capanna, a neurosurgeon.
40:41The report I have now is that he's got a subdural hematoma and will probably be going to surgery tonight.
40:47A subdural is a blood clot on the brain.
40:50He's already had a CAT scan.
40:52And, again, as I understand it, they're making preparation to take him to surgery at this minute.
40:57Well, in fact, you say probably going to surgery tonight.
41:00If he's got a subdural hematoma, he is in all likelihood going to have surgery as soon as possible.
41:05Isn't that correct?
41:06That is not 100% correct.
41:07Depending on the size and his symptoms is whether he would go to surgery.
41:12The way I got a report, and I must tell you this is, you know, by telephone, I wasn't there,
41:17is that this is large enough that it would demand surgery.
41:19All right.
41:20Again, that's preliminary.
41:20Are you satisfied that everything possible was done to safeguard Jimmy Garcia here before he was taken away to the hospital?
41:28Oh, sure.
41:28He had oxygen.
41:29He had decadron before he left.
41:32He had a neurosurgeon go to the hospital with him, and they had the CAT scan suite waiting on him.
41:37It is one of the factors of boxing we face every time two young men go in the ring.
41:43What about the tough decision here to stop this bout between Tapia and Vargas?
41:47Tough decision, but a bad cut.
41:50I mean, you have to make the decision.
41:52And you felt that Vargas simply wasn't going to be able to get that bleeding stopped,
41:56and in fact, there must have been a chance that he could be further damaged.
41:59Oh, it was in the corner of the left eye.
42:01It was deep, down into the muscle, and the blood would have gone in and affected his vision.
42:07You'll keep this posted on Jimmy Garcia.
42:08I will.
42:09All right.
42:09Thank you very much, Dr. Flip Womanski and Nevada State Athletic Commission.
42:12So, three bouts have now been completed with fascinating results.
42:18Let's go back upstairs to James Brown to get set for our main event.
42:22All right, Jim.
42:23Thank you very much.
42:24And, of course, the most important thing right now is that our thoughts and prayers are with Jimmy Garcia,
42:28and we certainly pray for a speedy recovery and a return to good health on his part.
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