Shane Mosley vs. Fernando Vargas Knockout

Shane Mosley knocks out Fernando Vargas in round 4 of their bout, over the weekend. Guess it was hitting the canvas so hard that really did him in?

Shane Mosley back in picture; Fernando Vargas fades out
boston globe

One has a future. The other has a past. That was the story written by the fists of Shane Mosley and the crumpled body of Fernando Vargas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday night.

Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Mosley, 34, who hasn't knocked out anyone other than Vargas in nearly five years, reinserted himself into the welterweight and junior middleweight pictures with one mind-singeing left hand, which laid Vargas low at 2:38 of the sixth round. His reward was to fight another day for big cash. Despite all the hullabaloo about championships and title belts, Mosley won neither Saturday night. But he won something more important -- the right to demand a bigger paycheck next time.

Vargas, meanwhile, perhaps the oldest 28-year-old on the planet -- or at least in Las Vegas -- must grapple with the sad fact that he's been stopped in each of the four biggest fights of his career, each time more easily than the time before.

This rematch ended far more decisively than their meeting Feb. 25. Although Mosley stopped Vargas both times, the first fight ended when referee Joe Cortez stepped in to prevent Vargas from fighting the last two rounds because his left eye was swollen shut. When Cortez waved his hands, Vargas beat the air with his fists and insisted he would have beaten down the tiring Mosley had he been given the chance.