Team Vargas with trainer and cutman
The names of Rodrigo Mosquera and Tony Rivera have been familiar ones in boxing circles for decades. The veteran trainers from L.A. have worked with countless champions, Olympians and contenders, as well as hungry young amateurs coming up in the ranks.
I caught up with the energetic duo this past weekend in Reno, Nevada. Their promising star-in-the-making Francisco Vargas (now 2-0) was on the Reno Extreme Fights V card promoted by Let’s Get It On Promotions and Top Rank, airing on Fox Sports Net. The weigh-in and Saturday bout took place at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino where a special Friday Night Gala was also held to kick-off the Johnson-Jeffries Centennial celebration.
Vargas was an amateur standout, a Pan Am Games medalist, and a 2008 Beijing Olympics representing Mexico. He told me he was honored to be part of the Olympic boxing team and really enjoyed competing in the games. Hailing from Tijuana, the boxer now lives with his coach and trains out of the famed Eddie Heredia Boxing Gym in East L.A. This Reno matchup was just his second foray into professional boxing with trainer Mosquera. While speaking with Vargas on the eve of his fight, the junior lightweight told me he was hoping for a knockout against his opponent, 23-year-old Juan Sandoval (1-4) from San Bernardino.
And Team Vargas, wearing their matching white warm-up suits, was in good spirits after the weigh-in when we met again at the Friday dinner. The guys chatted with several boxing luminaries attending the gala, including Al Bernstein and Barry Tompkins. In these exclusive pics of Team Vargas, check out the coach, cutman and fighter taking part in all the pre-fight festivities.
Coach Mosquera says his young charge is off to a great start in the pros. His first bout was against Daniel Calzade in Texas. Getting another victory in his second fight, Vargas put in a good four rounds against the game and tough Sandoval. Their bout was the opening battle in the Grand Theatre and it was an exciting start to the evening. The two lightweights gave the crowd a busy, competitive fight which got the fans roaring their approval.
Vargas, 25, showcased his left hook and peak conditioning, as his determined foe seemed to gas out in the final round. With scores of 40-35 and 40-36 twice, the former Olympian got his second win and some good experience in the ring. Team Vargas plans to keep busy the rest of the year.
And Vargas’ Head Coach Mosquera has only one speed–full speed ahead at full force! He speaks rapidly and his energy never wavered during the whole fight weekend. While visiting with the team, Rodrigo, a veteran in the fight game, still maintains a complete dedication to the sweet science and says his passion is working with the community and keeping kids off the streets. He has also worked with 2008 U.S. Olympian and 6-0 unbeaten pro Shawn Estrada, Walter Sarnoi, and his own two pro sons, Rodrigo and Anthony, both undefeated as professionals. His third son, Milano, was an amateur boxer.
The trainer, who’s banked 22 years on the job, also raves about Victor Pasillas, a very promising 123-pounder who just turned 18 and already spars at Wild Card. “He’s a beast, he’s a monster!” Mosquera says. “We call him ‘Vicious’ Victor. We’re aiming for the Olympics with this kid.” The team will be traveling up to Colorado Springs this weekend for the prestigious USA Boxing National Championships. Then upon his return, he’ll be hosting his own amateur show on July 18 at Eddie Heredia’s. “I take the kids from the grassroots level all the way to the pro ranks,” Mosquera comments. “I train both males and females, from age 12 up. I’ve got Harvey Collazo, Eric Baron, Pedro Duran, Garrity McOsker (an Irish-Italian kid), and open fighter Ricardo Rodriguez. That’s just a few of them.”
Continued the trainer: “In the pros, I work with Allen Martinez and Eric Gudoy, who just got a knockout at the Club Nokia fight.”
Trainer and cutman Rivera tells me he really likes working with Team Vargas and Mosquera, whom he started working with during the Allen Martinez fight in March of this year. With three decades of experience behind him, Rivera knows talent when he sees it. He’s worked with everyone from Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, Pipino Cuevas, Marco Antonio Barrera, and so many more. “The list is endless,” as he says, but one that stands out is “Hands of Stone” Duran. “That’s my idol–to work with him was a thrill!” Rivera states. Current fighters he’s worked with in the last month are Gary Russell and Shawn Estrada.
“I’m a hired hand; I go where they call me,” Tony says with a laugh,”…and a lot of people call me–a lot! The busy cutman has traveled everywhere in the world to be in corners. “The only place missing is New Zealand and Russia,” Rivera says with a chuckle. Traveling to Reno is one more city and one more victory he can add to his resume. And the cutman looks forward to working with Francisco Vargas and Rodrigo Mosquera again soon.
“It was a good four rounds; Our fighter’s exciting to watch,” Rivera told me right after the Reno scrap. Assessing his pupil’s strengths, he says, “His durability, his quick learning, and his combinations, which are the key.”
Catching up with Mosquera back in L.A. a couple of days after the fight, the trainer echoes the cutman’s opinion of their boxer. “The crowd was on its feet during Francisco’s fight!” relives the coach. “I heard it in the corner. I was like ‘Whoa!’ when I heard them cheering during the fight. It was a good win for us.”
So what’s next for Team Vargas?
“We’ll be fighting in a month, and then there’s September 6th,” Mosquera answers excitedly. “We’ll be going to Mexico City on the undercard of the Barrera-Soto fight.” The Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Humberto Solis fight is scheduled for September 11. Mosquera and Vargas first met at the Olympic Training Center in Mexico City years ago when Francisco was still an amateur, so it will be a fitting return for both of them.
And the Vargas camp will continue to build on the Mexican Olympian’s perfect record as a pro.
“He’s already got ALL the tools,” sums up Rivera. “Now we’ve got to just polish those tools!”
Photos by Michele Chong