Jessie Vargas Pads Record With Win Over Steve Forbes

In the second PPV bout, Jessie Vargas took on late sub Steve Forbes in a welterweight scrap. The faded vet Forbes was 35-10 entering, while Vargas was 18-0 coming in. This fight would have been better spent by me doing the dishes, emptying the cat litter box and putting in a load of laundry.

Manny Steward said to start that he thought the 35 year-old Forbes, in for Alfonso Gomez,  would do some good work in this match. He did; his jab was snappy. But the 22-year-old Vargas looked a little stronger, and aggressive in round one. He was frequently one and done, but his single shots looked sharp. In the third, Vargas stayed contained, didn't overcommit, just did a little more than Forbes. This fight was a snoozer to this point. Adrien Broner showed up and sat with Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Manny Steward. He said Shane Mosley might well beat Canelo, and when he left, the guys all agreed that Broner is the real deal. Steward said he chatted with Broner yesterday, and the kid told him he wants to be a finisher. Forbes did land a meaningful blow in the sixth, but he has little pop, and he didn't buzz the youth. Steward was asked where he saw Vargas going, and he said he could see him with a crown down the line. Forbes' trainer told him after the eighth that he had to knock Vargas down, to his credit, because Forbes was spending too much time as though in a sparring match. The vet did get busier in that round. Forbes showed good stamina, but one wondered why he wasn't so peppy early as he was later. The final bell tolled and mercifully, we went to the cards. Vargas took a UD10, by scores of 100-90, 97-93, 98-92.

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