12.08 - Mick Jagger may have said it best, "You can't always get what you want."
That certainly is apropos for the situation facing the three jr. middleweight world champions “ WINKY WRIGHT (IBF), OSCAR DE LA HOYA (WBC) and FERNANDO VARGAS (WBA) “ who will be defending their titles on consecutive weekends. Wright will defend his title against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger, Bronco McKart in their third rumble, Saturday, September 7, on HBO, while De La Hoya and Vargas collide, Saturday, September 14, on HBO Pay-Per-View.
It appears that destiny has stepped in to allow the most exciting champions to meet and unify the jr. middleweight titles for the first time. The question is, "will they dare risk it all to achieve greatness?"
"Bring a lunch and get in line, he's next," said Fernando Vargas during a recent conference call, when asked if he would attempt to complete the trifecta and take on Wright in a unification bout.
Wright lost a controversial majority decision to Vargas in 1999 when they fought for Vargas' IBF jr. middleweight title. In that fight, Wright continually backed up Vargas throughout the fight, landing the sharper punches. In the ninth round, Wright knocked Vargas' mouthpiece out with a vicious left.
"Fernando is a man of his word and I respect that," said Wright. "He has publicly stated on several occasions that he would give me a rematch next if he beats Oscar. Now, with all the belts on the line, it makes that rematch even more historic. Historic because no one has held all three jr. middleweight titles as undisputed champion. In fact, none of us has ever been an undisputed champion. The man who doesn't stand up to the challenge can kiss greatness goodbye."
