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SHOWTIME SPORTS MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 22, 2007

In one of the most highly anticipated grudge battles of the year, two-time world champion Fernando Vargas faces three-time world champion Ricardo Mayorga at a catch weight of 162 pounds on Saturday, Sept. 8, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on SHOWTIME PPV.
Kermit Cintron will defend his IBF welterweight title against Jesse Feliciano, and Roman Karmazin faces Luca Messi for the WBA super welterweight Intercontinental crown in other 12-round bouts.

FERNANDO VARGAS: Training is going great. I'm with my vice president of Vargas Entertainment Productions. And we're watching my training. We talk about business. We basically make the time fly. You know what I mean. Because there's not enough time. So we talk about my company and this fight. And continuing to move forward. I'm excited about the last fight. I'm at 170, only gotta lose eight pounds. I did 10 rounds yesterday. We'll do 12 next week and bring it down. I'm working hard, and I'm looking forward to stepping into the ring with Garcia. And he made me. So I'm excited about it. I'm looking forward to this.

Q. So what town are you in for training?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Santa Rita, California.

Q. My understanding, this is your final fight, regardless; is that correct?
FERNANDO VARGAS: That is correct.

Q. Tell me, I know Mayorga goes through his antics seems like with every big named fighter. This being a final fight it means an awful lot to you, I'm sure his antics have only upped the ante. What's motivating you more, this being your final fight or him?
FERNANDO VARGAS: That is my final fight. But he's going to definitely add wood to the fire and going to make it more pleasing. I got over on him one already. I already have one on him. So I'm going to finish the rest come September 8th, because at the press conference he tried to backhand me with no prevail. And that's when I landed -- first hand did not land. The second one landed very well. And then he tried to pull my coat, my tuxedo on my suitcoat over my head and tried to pull a old school one, old school kid one in a street fight, kind of blind me. And then I ripped him with two left upper cuts. So, regardless, he ate it up. He had to eat up that embarrassment. Because I got him that night. You know what I mean? And now mentally he knows he didn't want to look at me in New York. He didn't want to look at me. And there was some plexiglass between us. Just look at the cameras, please. I'm like, see, I got him. Now I'm working hard and I never side-step in my training. I never slack on my training. I always work hard. And you're going to see a great performance from me, and I know it will be a knockout. I'm going to knock him out. He can't take this heat. He can't take it.

Q. Your career has been spent with Main Event. And Main Event is obviously a big part of what has been a great career. Can you tell me about your experience with Main Event and the fact that you guys, this is it as far as your boxing career?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Right now I'd rather not talk about Main Event. I think it's been a mutual relationship. They made a lot of money. I've made a lot of money myself. But that's all I'm going to say right now. This is our last fight. And I'm going to make sure that everything is there, is correct and we dot the Is and cross the Ts and everything.

Q. Fernando, Frank touched on it a minute ago it being your farewell fight in boxing. Looking back, you won two titles. You had a lot of big fights, like you said, made a lot of money. Can you reflect a little bit on your career and talk about do you feel like you accomplished all that you could? Did you do more than you had expected? Can you sum it up because it's been such an exciting career that so many fans have played close attention to over the years?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I think I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to become world champion. And I'm thanking God he blessed me to be the youngest ever in the history of professional boxing. Gave me a shot. I only had 14 fights.

Q. Middleweight champion?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Middleweight champion in boxing history. Beating Campas for the record, back then 76-63 with 62 knockouts. He was a champion. And I went out there and took the title away from him in Jersey in Atlantic City. And I became two times -- I want to fight Flores. And then I know I would have been three times, that I won. I'm three-time, everybody says it. My family says it. And I am three-time world champion because I beat Javier Castillejo. He was the WBC champ, 154 pounds. And he got stripped because of politics and Don King and boxing. Now, that's what Mayorga was saying was that he was, now I get the chance to fight him and take it. There's not going to be no title there. But the titles don't make the fighter. We make the titles. I'm going to make sure that he's going to come to LA and he's going to get hurt come September 8th, and I'm going to still be involved in boxing. We'll be one of the promoters and we'll continue.

Q. What's the name of the company?
FERNANDO VARGAS: VEP.

Q. What does it stand for?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Vargas Entertainment Promotions.

Q. You mentioned the Yori Boy Campas victory. Putting aside the fact that obviously you think you're going to beat Mayorga, what do you think of as the biggest victory in your career? I'm thinking maybe it's Campas. Maybe it's Winky Wright. What do you view as your most important, biggest victory?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I have a number of them. Campas, Ike Quartey, Marquez, Winky Wright. My worst night eating three hard boiled egg whites. And I know people they go why do you eat hard boiled eggs and Nyquil. That's what I eat to make weight.

Q. Which fight?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Winky Wright fight.

Q. Pick one. If you could only take one videotape or DVD of your top fights, which one would you hide away and pull out every now and then?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Man, that's going to be a toss up between Campas and Quartey. On the Marques fight, the way I felt when -- I never felt like that before inside the ring. Like I peaked that day in that ring. I felt so good. Could have fought 15, 20 rounds, I felt so good.

Q. Other side of the coin. Some tough losses, Trinidad, Oscar or Mosley, anything that hurt you emotionally or was most disappointing?
FERNANDO VARGAS: All of them. I'm a born winner. And anybody that's a competitor like I am hates to lose. I hate to lose at checkers. That's why I don't play.

Q. Why did you decide to make this the farewell fight? You've had a lot of hard fights. You're a young guy. Do you feel you've taken too much, or you have other things you want to do with your life, or you feel like you've made enough money? Why did you decide this is the farewell fight?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I have a lot more other things to do in my life. The fight is for pride. I'm built for pride. There's some other things going on, some other fights going on. We will put pride -- I don't need money. I'm very thankful to my manager for putting me in the right hands of showing my where money, what my money does, where my real estate is at, what my stock portfolio is doing. Stuff like that. And then with my promotion company, going to take off doing that. And I signed with ICM, Innovative Creative Management, Chuck Gilarde. Just finished doing a movie with Don Baringer, "Stiletto", killed in a movie, gangster type, suited up gangster type deal. And I got a movie after this fight in Thailand that I'm going to be filming with Oliver Stone.

Q. More or less just time to move on?
FERNANDO VARGAS: More or less time to move on. It will never be enough. It will never be enough. I want to be the one that says, okay, I want to retire. I'm going to retire. Not people say retire now, you should retire. Ali and Holyfield and other fighters, you should retire. I'm going to retire when I want to retire. And I'm going to do it on my own terms. And I'm pleased with everything God blessed me with. And I'm moving on to a different chapter of my life. I'll still be among boxing with VEP, and I promise my fighters I will get them and I will show them how money is made in boxing. That way they can see that people, that way they can see how it's made and how business works and then how they can get stolen from, how people can steal from them. And if they want to go with somebody else, cool. There's enough money to be made in boxing doing it the right way instead of like taking it from fighters and thinking that a cut, you owe them money. That's wrong. You don't do that. People put their life on the line. And numbers don't lie. So sooner or later people at the end of the day, there's a surprise development.

Q. Mayorga has gotten only one knockout after moving up from welterweight. You're the naturally bigger man. How much do you think is going to play into that?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Not just that but I think I'm the better fighter. He's a stupid fighter.

Q. You're a way better technical fighter, too.
FERNANDO VARGAS: You have to be intelligent and smart to win the game. Yeah, I could be stronger, but I'm not going to go in there and go crazy. I'm intelligent. I like Cotto and Winkie Wright. Raul Marquez, fights like that, that's how you fight intelligent. Then you stop them and then you finish them. I'm going to fight intelligent, but I'm going to make him commit. I'm going to make him make a mistake. And then come September 8th I'm going to finish it and ride into the sunset happily. It will be where I feel good and then I could change the things in boxing and I will never come back. I promised my family. First of all, my mother, second of all, my wife, both of them together, my wife is my rib and my mother, I come from my mother and I love my mother. You know what I mean. They're telling me just, please, we don't need to fight no more. We don't need to fight no more. Everything is going to be over my pride won't let me. This will be my last fight for pride. At 162 he's going to see how fat I am.

Q. Aside from the sore right hand, I can't remember the Puerto Rican's name at the moment, the one that dropped you. It was a slow right inside hand. All the other times you've actually been down, they've been from left hooks. Do you think he's going to -- he'll be looking to land that shot; and, if so, are you going to be like particularly looking to block that one shot?
FERNANDO VARGAS: He can look at any shot he wants to. He can look at any shot and bring his A game. Because his A game will never be as good as mine. He's a stupid street fighter, and I'm going to capitalize on the mistakes come September 8th.

Q. Not that I'm making less of it or anything, aside from all the talk of retirement, should you look great, feel great and should that be enough --
FERNANDO VARGAS: I will never, I don't care if it's for 100 million, I don't care if it's with anybody else that didn't want to fight me before and give me a rematch, I will never fight after this fight again.

Q. Want to ask you about the start of your promotion company. You're one of the more recent to do it. Mayweather has done it. Winky has done it. Oscar is out there with Golden Boy Promotions. Do you think the feeling fighters are being taken advantage of the reason that boxers are starting more promotion companies?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I personally feel that fighters are opening their eyes that here people are making a lot of money off of them. And fighters are opening their eyes that they're seeing this ain't a rocket science project. This ain't launching a space shuttle. You get your site. You get your casinos. You get your sponsors. You get your TV. Everything. There's a lot of money that goes into the pot. So a lot of fighters end up with nothing. So to me with the fighters that are going to be sent to VEP, they're going to know how boxing is done. If you want to do it yourself, do it. But you have to have capital at least to start up. But I'm going to make sure that the way we treat all our fighters -- there's so much money to be made the right way instead of doing it the wrong way. People think that you forget. That's wrong.

Q. Do you think loyalty works both ways, though, as far as the promoter and fighter, as far as the promotion that leads to the fighter becoming a big name?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I think that a fighter, him being comfortable and happy with the job that the promoter has done and he wants to continue to have that relationship with them, I think it should be a mutual respect for both of them. Mutual want for both of them. So that's my main -- that's what I think about that.

Q. What do you think is the main reason why you've always had such a huge fan base?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I think my fans know that just like my son (Spanish) I don't know how to back down. I don't know how to (Spanish) even if I'm lost, if I'm dead and beaten, I don't know how to say no. I think Mexicans and fight fans in general respect that from any human being, because there's guys out there that are just dogs. If you're a dog, like you're always going to be like, man, I dig that cat, you know what I mean. Because you just see eye to eye to that person, about how he is, what type of individual he is. He's willing to take it to where other men say they will, but they don't. And I honestly am humbled by the fact that everywhere I go my fans are with me, win, lose or draw. My last fight, you watch how crazy insane it is. You watch the crazy Mexicans, Mexican Americans and white and black fans I have there. It's insane. I'm just humbled by everything. I'm humbled by it.

Q. Fighters talk trash before fights trying to hype the fight, sometimes it's real, sometimes it's not. But Ricardo Mayorga always seems to cross the line. He brings family into it. Like he did with you, like he's done with others. What do you think of that particular type of trash talking?
FERNANDO VARGAS: That's being a jackass. He's a street fighter. He has no fundamentals, no intelligent fundamentals. He just comes out winging shots, anything to get caught. And I'm going to make him apologize to my mother. Watch when I see him. I'm going to make him apologize to my mother. And just thinking about that the other day, when I knock him out, I'm going to make him apologize to my mother in front of the world.

Q. Are you prepared to end your boxing career and what will you miss most about boxing?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I am definitely, absolutely 110% ready to end my boxing career. But not being in the involvement of boxing, I'm going to miss my ring bell. I'm going to miss when they call my name when they're introducing me. When they tell them what I've done in boxing, my titles, so have you. And I'm going to miss that. I'm going to miss that. But I'm going to soak it in real good this last fight. So that's something I'll definitely miss.

Q. When did you realize that it's time for you to end your career?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Like after my last fight with Mosley, I know I take nothing away from Jim Mosley, a great, talented, intelligent fighter. But I mean getting down to 154, I can't do that. That's not me. I went to the Olympics in 147. Then shortly after that moved to 154. I was 18 when I went to the Olympics and 21 when I won the world title. I've been staying that way for 10 years. I can't do that. So this fight I still have to work and I got work to succeed, too. But I ain't 154. My inside people around me have seen what I have to do, can't even believe it. They can't pay them enough money. It's not even about money. It's about me fighting and winning. That's what it's always been about for me. And I just feel that this fight, after I fight with Mosley, I said that's it. But then the guy in my head kept messing with me, come on, I thought I was going to go out like that. He kept on messing with me two months, the titles in the house, going upstairs, downstairs, upstairs, downstairs, because I have them displayed there. I said I can't go out like this. I called Garcia. He laughed. He goes (Spanish) your pride won't let you be. And I go, man, and I told him that is true. So this fight is for pride.

Q. Have you accomplished everything you wanted in boxing? Are you satisfied with the way your career turned out?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in boxing. Three-time middleweight champion of the world. Only one in the history to do so. I made a lot of money, and I still have my faculties and I still have my family. And everything is fine with me and my health is fine. I did everything I wanted to do in boxing.

Q. Is there anything sentimental or nostalgic going through your head right now as you're wrapping up training for your last fight, well, geez, this is the last time I'm going to be two weeks out before a fight or this is going to be the last time I'm sparring or hitting this big bag? Is any of that crossing your head as you prepare for the fight?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Yes. It's tough because I work hard and I'm thinking about I did it many, many times. I got one last -- I'm going to enjoy the suffering a little bit. I'm going to enjoy the suffering a little bit. This is the last time I need to make weight like that. Shrink down my 5-10 body to 162 pounds or whatever it will be before. It will be the last time. When it gets a little hard, I push myself and I find strength in God. (Spanish) so I said to them in Spanish thank you. I thank God for everything he's done for me and my family. And I know he's going to help me in this last fight and I'm going to be successful and be strong and I know it's tough. But I get the strength through you. So that's it.

Q. You're saying this is going to be your last fight. I'm just wondering why you picked Mayorga for this fight. Why not go for a rematch with Trinidad or a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya, something bigger that would be more money?
FERNANDO VARGAS: First of all, it's not about money. Second of all, it's for pride. Mayorga said that I was scared of him in Chicago. I was going to fight [indiscernible] to win the WBC world championship. That's why we picked Mayorga, because I wanted to fight him and he's a stupid fighter and it's a great fight for me to capitalize my boxing career and finish it.

Q. You're saying it's about pride. You also said you wouldn't come back even for a rematch. But say if De La Hoya offered you a rematch, wouldn't that also be about pride?
FERNANDO VARGAS: No, that would be -- what else would that be for? This one is for pride. This is my last one for pride. That wouldn't be for pride.

Q. How do you feel at 162 pounds at your weight? How does your power carry up to that weight?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I feel strong. Been working hard with Robert Ferguson, I've been training since January. Everything has been a work in progress. I haven't just been in camp for two months or six weeks. I've been working since January, Monday through Friday. And 24-Hour Fitness Gym, running, lifting, swimming. Precamp in Ohi. We've just been working. Everything is coming together for the last one.

Q. How is your body adjusting right now? Will you be able to take off those eight pounds easy enough?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I gotta do it. It's crunch time. You gotta crunch it.

Q. Since you've been working since January, why did you pick 162 than 160?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Because I've been, went to Olympics at 147. 147 to 154 is seven pounds. Why should I do 160? I do 162, it's better for me.

Q. First of all, I know you mentioned already that you've obviously accomplished everything you wanted in your career. Do you ever feel like you were rushed a little too soon? Obviously you got your title when you were 21 years old. As far as getting some of the other bigger fights in your career, did you ever feel like those were set up a little too quickly? Would you have liked more time?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Absolutely not. I fight, and every fighter I've fought that has beaten me knows what they went through to do it. Set up with their toughest fight. I take nothing back. It's made me who I am.

Q. You have a couple of boys there. If one of them were interested in fighting --
FERNANDO VARGAS: I definitely don't want to encourage that. But my kids are athletes, star athletes, basketball players, football players. They always want them on the teams. Top scorers. But I'm just glad none of them have been like I want to box. But I have to support them in whatever they do, whatever they want.

Q. Where do you see yourself in ten years' time? What are you going to be doing? More acting work?
FERNANDO VARGAS: More acting. More being in the gym. I just know it's like this. After a fight, I would never be in the gym. Like a boxing gym, like 24-Hour Fitness gyms. I would never be -- I would never do nothing. After this time I get to go eat whatever I want. Whatever I want I'm going to eat. Now if I want to drink a little bit, I drink a little bit. But now I like it now, it's for your health. I know now the fact that my body has been so used to doing something since I've been ten years old, every day I used to do something at the gym after school. Used to work through that. My biological father -- and I got the fat gene. I need to stay in the gym. Monday through Friday eat. Through the weekend, if I want to let loose a little bit, I'll do that. But other than that keep my shape for my health, look good for my wife and for the movies I'm doing. And staying in business.

Q. When you fought Oscar, there certainly was a huge promotion, a lot of contention. A lot of trash talking. Obviously that was one of your big disappointments. How is your relationship with him now and would you consider working with him as a promoter?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I think we have to -- I think we're going to have to work together. This is mutual respect. There's no disrespect on my part. I said there's no disrespect on his part when we see each other. We run into each other. It's not like I will, there will be any confrontation or anything of that manner. We do business together and as professionals and that's where we are. So I look forward to doing that in the future with him, with whoever it might be, in the promoter business.

Q. Kathy, Fernando when the question came up about Main Events seemed a little cool. Maybe that's just my interpretation. I just wondered was this final fight I guess your contract has run out? Was this his idea, your idea or how was the relationship?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I think we should move on from that conversation.
DUVA: We're in complete agreement on that.
FERNANDO VARGAS: Thank you for your respecting my decision on that.

Q. Ending on good terms?
FERNANDO VARGAS: We are.
DUVA: As far as I am concerned. How about you Fernando?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Absolutely. As far as I'm concerned. Maybe we can do something together in the near future.

Q. You were talking earlier about your career, how you were 21 when you won your first title, when you beat Campas. And you also fought a lot of very top level fighters at a very young age compared to other fighters, and you're retiring at a very young age compared to most of the fighters who have been at the top world championship level. Looking back, do you think that you were moved along too quickly into these kind of fights?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I'm the one that picked out the fights. I'm the one that wanted to fight top-notch fighters right away and I said I was going to leave by the time I'm 30. I'm doing that. I'm 29. And I'll be 30 December 7th. So I said I'll never be fighting after 30. And I remember saying that, even as a kid. That's too old to be fighting. And I'm glad that, hey, if you could do it, and there's a lot of fighters that are top-notch fighters that fight at 30 and past 30s. You've got Brent [indiscernible] was 30 something, almost 40. But not me. I'm definitely not going to be -- I don't want to do it. My body won't let me no more. My body is tired of all these ups, down, ups, down. I want to stay healthy for myself, for my wife and for my kids and continue doing that.

Q. You mentioned about your promotional company, Vargas Entertainment Promotions, VEP. I know in the past you had some communication with Peter Ortiz of the UFC. Do you see doing something in both boxing and mixed martial arts?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Definitely I'm going to do martial arts also. Wait for a show to be up soon with VEP.

Q. Anything differently you would want to do as a promoter from what you've seen in general?
FERNANDO VARGAS: I'm going to bring the entertainment aspect of it and you'll have to wait to see that when it unravels.

Q. This is your last fight. We know the type of style Ricardo Mayorga has. He comes in, as you said yourself before, winging, hoping to catch that good shot, knockout shot. That's the way he's been throughout his whole career. But you've had a reputation in the past for being a guy who likes to stand toe to toe, willing to brawl it out. But on the other hand, too, we know you can box well if you want to. Are you happy with the fact that, forget about all the other stuff aside about personal feelings between you and Ricardo, but are you happy with the fact that this being your final fight he has the type of style where you're going to be able to showcase all your abilities to let all your fans go out, you'll be able to outbox him then when the time is right you'll be able to bring back that macho and knock him out in the fashion that's kind of become one of your trademarks?
FERNANDO VARGAS: That's perfect, nail on the head. That's exactly how I'm approaching this fight. I'm going to be intelligent. But when he feels the wrath, he's not going to be able to take it. When I catch him, I'm definitely going to finish him. But right now the only thing I'm thinking about is working hard and being focused and thanking God every night as I go to bed on my knees praying and thinking and all the things he's done for me and my family. I say that with no embarrassment that I pray on my knees before I go to bed. I'm humbled by everything God's blessed me with. This will be my last fight. And you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly how the fight is going to pan out.

Q. You mentioned a little bit before about you retiring and you had said yourself that you know it's time to walk away, it's time to leave. You didn't want to end up like one of them guys, Holyfield sticking around too long. Lewis, when he retired, he was criticized for that. You're on top, why didn't you fight this guy. But do you personally as a fighter and eventually as a promoter, since you're going to go into that, would you like to see more fighters walk away while they still have something left instead of just sitting there getting that good fight in the ring or leave while they have it together so this way after boxing they can continue their life in good health?
FERNANDO VARGAS: Absolutely, my man. Exactly as I said, you hit the nail on the head. I feel fighters should do that. There's other things you can do in boxing, be around and be employed by another promoter. But helping, doing the ground work and what have you. But I just feel I never was going to be one of those fighters that they say you should retire. I'm going to retire on my own terms. I made a lot of money. I'm looking forward to capitalizing this last fight and leaving on my own terms, God willing. I'm looking forward to that.

RICARDO MAYORGA: I'm going to show you, hello to everyone, Ricardo Mayorga with Don King Productions. I'm the one and you're just a fat guy that wants to come down and fight me.
First of all, I want to thank God because my health is good. I want to thank Don King Productions and SHOWTIME for all the interviews and everything they've been doing for the fight. My training has been 100 percent great and I'm ready to knock out Fernando Vargas.

Q. Vargas has been saying 162 is the big weight class for you, Ricardo, that you're a stupid fighter; you don't know how to fight, you just come to the ring and throw punches and he has the advantage to knock you out.
RICARDO MAYORGA: First of all, Vargas, he's out of his mind. He don't even imagine how much power I have. He doesn't even know that I'm the fighter that he ever is going to fight that is going to hit him harder, as hard as I can, I'm going to hit him and he never say something like this. I'm going to knock out that fat guy from Mexico, that is Vargas. I'm in better shape than he is.

Q. How do you feel about the fact that Vargas keeps referring to you as a stupid fighter?
RICARDO MAYORGA: The world is just full of crazy people and stupid people. I'm going to show him who is stupid and who is the one that is going to beat him in the ring.

Q. Fernando says he has the confidence to beat you because of what happened in Los Angeles where he felt he did a number on you. What's your response to that?
RICARDO MAYORGA: I don't know why he said that because he hasn't won nothing from me yet.

Q. I want to know why you feel the need to bring people's families into your trash talking before a fight?
RICARDO MAYORGA: First of all, he was the one that mentioned my family. And then I kept going with that flow. But he was the one that started. He made me go in, and now I'm going to beat him; and as soon as I beat him, no matter what his family, no matter when I fight, if I'm going to fight somebody, I don't really like their families either.

Q. Fernando said after he knocks you out he's going to make you apologize to his mother in front of the world. What is your response to that?
RICARDO MAYORGA: I'm a man, and I guess I'll sustain my words. If he's willing to do the same thing, I'll do it and he can make the bet right now. But he has to go back and say, apologize to my mom, too, because he said it first. If I lose, I say it. If he loses, he says it.

Q. Where are you calling from?
RICARDO MAYORGA: Don King Production offices in Deerfield, Florida.

Q. What's your training consisted of? I know you're noted for chain smoking and having a shot here and there even during training. Do you still do that?
RICARDO MAYORGA: I basically have been doing the same thing because that's my style. I like to drink and smoke. This time a little less. But it don't matter, this time or another one. I'm just going to fight a bum that is going to get knocked out.

Q. You have a tendency to do a little bit more than trash talk. Taking that further, all of your opponents seem to really, you seem to get under their skin more than in most cases. Is this something that you're doing to throw them off their game, or do you just really develop this hatred for them?
RICARDO MAYORGA: This time it's not to just take the guy out of his mind, it's because this guy I really don't like the guy. What I want him to know is after the fight when I knock him out, when I hit him, he's not going to even recognize his mother when he goes home.

Q. You also seem to be the opponent of choice for occasions. Oscar De La Hoya made a comeback, he did it with you first. Same with Trinidad. Now Vargas is retiring and he chose you. Why do you think you're chosen for these kind of special kind of fights, comebacks and retirements? Is there something about you that makes them want to use you?
RICARDO MAYORGA: They chose me because I've -- number one, I've been a three-time world champion. I've been losing to the best, not to anyone. They know I'm a great fighter. Three-time world champion. And him and his family, even if he loses, they're going to remember me forever.

Q. Ricardo, three-time champion, belts notwithstanding, the fact that he loses only to the best, do you feel like you have to win this fight?
RICARDO MAYORGA: I'm going to win the fight no matter what. But after this I want to beat real big people. Because I'm going to beat Vargas easily.

Q. Why is it you decided to fight once again at middleweight, at 162? You mentioned before that you felt your best weight was at welterweight, down to 147. Why risk another fight at such a high weight?
RICARDO MAYORGA: I had my chance fought with Trinidad and all these guys. For pounds, I'm just not going to say no to a fight because I know he's just a fat guy from a barrio in Mexico. He's the same as she is. I took the fight because I know I'm going to beat him. Make sure he brings his mother to the press conference after the fight so in front of his mother he apologizes to my mother that is going to be there, too, because he has to do it in front of them and then I will apologize to his mother, too, because she doesn't deserve to have that. It's just he started this.

Q. Should you win this fight, again, you mentioned you would like to go back down to welterweight, who in particular would you like to go out there?
RICARDO MAYORGA: Anyone that's worked their way to 147, I'm going to come down for Koto, Mosley and anybody want to fight, I'm ready for them. That's my weight class. I'm doing this to knock out this guy and go back to my weight class and beat anyone that is there.

Q. I got a chance to speak to you during the press conference in LA. And based upon you swinging at Vargas, what was your motivation in doing that?
RICARDO MAYORGA: I just throw him a punch. I didn't hit him. I throw it to scare him, just like making something to scare him. Then he just went back and wanted to fight.

Q. Based upon your training, we talked about you've been training. Tell us who you've been training with and if you have added anything special for this fight to box.
RICARDO MAYORGA: I just haven't done nothing basically different from other fights. But I have a picture of him in my room. Every morning I wake up to run, I hit the picture of Vargas. (Indiscernible) they're the same, they're as fat as each other. I hit him every morning in the face just to remind him that I'm going to knock him out.

Q. Always in regards to promotions, are you looking forward to having your own maybe promotion company as well as so many other boxers are doing?
RICARDO MAYORGA: No, I wouldn't like to have any companies or nothing about boxing.

Q. I see that you've lost your big fights you've had over the past couple of years, you lost to De La Hoya, Trinidad. If you lose this fight to Vargas, basically what's going to happen is, where do you think you're going to stand if you lose this fight as far as a contender for any type of title? Is this a must-win situation for you?
RICARDO MAYORGA: I don't really worry about that, because I'm not going to lose. Don King has been really great to me. And he's just putting this fat boy there for me to knock him out and keep going to win money. He's been great with me.

Q. You stated that you want to go down and fight at 154 and 147. Mentioned Koto, Forest, those guys, when you go back down, is there any one champion in particular, not whoever is winning, but is there anyone in particular you would like to fight?
RICARDO MAYORGA: Floyd Mayweather is the one I really want to fight. Cotto, I take him out of the list because Mosley is going to beat him. If not I will beat him after. But he's going to beat him. I'm taking him out of the list.

Q. You mentioned going down to 147, that's the weight class. I didn't hear you mention 154. But I know that one fighter, Vernon mentioned he wants to fight you again. Do you see yourself as fighting him again, or fight him at 154 or even --
RICARDO MAYORGA: Vernon? That one I haven't thought about it. Because, first of all, that's my son. I send my son to win the title. Now that he got it, I just have to show up and knock him out again and get my title back. That's an easy one. Whenever he wants to do it.
I want to say hi to my friends in Nicaragua, let them know I'm back and I'm going to win this fight. To the people that are going to bet on the fight, bet for the knockout, don't bet for the decision, because that's not going to happen. And thank you everybody. Thank you for the interview and we'll see you soon. And say bye to Mayorga, the bad boy.

End of FastScripts

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