Mayorga Beats Vargas in Los Angeles

Ricardo Mayorga, right, throws a punch to the head of Fernando Vargas during the seventh round of their WBC Super Middleweight Championship at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Friday, Nov. 23, 2007. Mayorga won on majority decision. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian) (Kevork Djansezian - AP)

LOS ANGELES -- The venom that spewed between Ricardo Mayorga and Fernando Vargas leading up to their meeting in the ring was far beyond the normal pre-fight verbal sparring.

That made the events of the post-fight news conference surprising.

Mayorga scored a majority 12-round decision over Vargas on Friday night, winning on the strength of knockdowns in the first and 11th rounds.

Then, after issuing a public apology to Vargas for disrespecting his wife and mother in the months leading up to the bout, Mayorga walked over to his opponent on the dais and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Really.

While Vargas said he thought he had won the bout, he had nothing but kind words for Mayorga as well.

And, as he had promised beforehand, Vargas retired from the ring.

"He beat me," Vargas said. "Luckily, I don't live just for boxing, I have other things that I'm doing. This will be my last fight. I thank all my fans for all they've done for me, from the bottom of the my heart. Luckily, I have a phase 2, and 3.

"I felt like I had the fight, to take nothing away from Ricardo Mayorga. Congratulations to him."

Judge Max DeLuca had Mayorga winning 115-111; Glenn Trowbridge had it 114-112 for Mayorga, and David Mendoza scored it 113-113. The Associated Press had it 114-112 for Mayorga.

The former world champions exchanged punches in the middle of the ring through most of the bout, with Vargas growing stronger in the later rounds. But it wasn't enough because of the knockdowns.

"Those were flash knockdowns," Vargas said, not that it mattered.