Vargas Meets Harris at the Crossroads in Primm

PRIMM, NEVADA — Rising light welterweight prospect Jessie Vargas aims to add the name of former world champion Vivian Harris to his resume before a hometown crowd at the Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino. Their intriguing ten-round clash is the featured main event of tonight’s Telefutura Solo Boxeo telecast. Fighters weighed in Thursday evening at the casino’s Star of the Desert Arena, where tonight’s action takes place.

Vargas (14-0, 7 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada has built his reputation mostly against the usual list of suspects, but has the opportunity to raise a few eyebrows if he can impressively defeat Harris, who only a few years ago was a serious contender. Vargas had hoped to get in the ring with a former champion in his last bout, but Jose Armando Santa Cruz was ruled out and replaced by journeyman Cristian Favela on short notice. Vargas ended up notching an eight-round unanimous decision victory in that fight last October.

Harris (29-5-1, 19 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of Georgetown, Guyana looked to have the potential as a force at 140-pounds when he knocked off veteran WBA Light Welterweight titleholder Diosbelys Hurtado in the second-round back in October of 2002. Harris made three defenses before his steady decline began with an upset knockout defeat to unheralded Carlos Maussa in June of 2005, just as his name was being mentioned for a possible showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Harris’ last outing, a devastating third-round knockout to Victor Ortiz last September, has led some to question whether or not he should continue fighting. A loss to Vargas tonight would definitely relegate him to the opponent category, but a win would go a long way in making him a more viable entity once more.

Thursday’s main event weigh-in provided more entertainment value than was advertised. Vargas came in a pound under the contracted 144-pound catchweight for tonight’s ten-round bout, but on his initial try Harris scaled 146.5-pounds. Vargas’ team, led by former world champion Cornelius Boza Edwards, insisted that Harris lose one-and-a-half pounds (in Nevada there is a one pound leeway for non-title bouts). An hour later Harris returned and took to the scale in the nude, but was still over at 145.2-pounds. Boza Edwards still insisted that Harris lose the .2-pounds. After a third and fourth try, Harris came in at 145-pounds, thus avoiding paying out a percentage of his purse in fines.

Light middleweight prospect Eddie Gomez (3-0, 3 KOs) of the Bronx, New York will take on Roberto Lopez (4-1-2, 1 KO) of Kissimmee, Florida in the six-round co-feature. Gomez, a former New York Golden Gloves Champion, will be making his U.S. debut as a professional after scoring three exciting stoppages on Puerto Rican soil this past winter. Lopez was undefeated prior to his last outing, a six-round decision defeat to now 10-0 Jake Giuriceo last September. Gomez and Lopez both weighed in at 150.5-pounds.

Bastie Samir (10-0, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Accra, Ghana will take on Lester Gonzalez (11-3-1, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Havana, Cuba in a six-round middleweight bout. Samir, who is trained by the respected Kenny Adams, has literally blown through his competition. Only one fighter, tough guy Loren Myers, has taken him past the third round. Gonzalez, currently on a three-fight skid against solid competition, has failed to last the distance just once in his career, but that came in his most recent fight. Samir came in at 161.5-pounds, while Gonzalez made the contracted 163 right on the nose.

In the featured women’s attraction of the evening, the powerfully-built Tatini Anderson (3-1, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas will meet Lissette Medel (2-1) of Maywood, California in a four-round light welterweight bout. Anderson, who was affectionately refereed to as Little Tyson at the weigh-in, scored three straight knockout victories before dropping a decision to Kuulei Kupihea almost exactly one year ago. Medel, who did not appear to be intimidated by Anderson’s muscular build, has not fought in over four years. Anderson weighed in at 139-pounds, while Medal came in at 138.

Former ESPN The Magazine cover boy Quadtrine Hill (4-1, 1 KO) of Hollywood, California looks to keep his winning streak going against Alexander Flores (3-0, 2 KOs) of Rowland Heights, California in a four-round pairing of heavyweights. Hill has posted three straight decision wins since admittedly running out of gas and getting stopped last September by Yohan Banks on pay-per-view. Flores, who turned pro in March of 2010, weighed in at 225.5-pounds. Hill, who has been training at the Wild Card Boxing Club since relocating from Florida, weighed in at 219.5-pounds, which is the lowest of his career.

Paul Green (1-1) of Compton, California takes on Kai Zama (5-2, 3 KOs) of Costa Mesa, California by way of Tokyo, Japan in a four-round light welterweight bout. Zama, who scaled 139, will be making his U.S. debut, as he has fought entirely in Japan until now. Zama’s last outing was a four-round decision defeat to Mitsumasa Takahashi last August. Green, who weighed in at 136.5-pounds, fought just last month, dropping a four-round decision to Juan Reyes in Tustin, California.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Roy Englebrecht Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Vargas 143
Harris 145*

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Gomez 150.5
Lopez 150.5

Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Samir 161.5
Gonzalez 163

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Hill 219.5
Flores 225.5

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Anderson 139
Medel 138

Light Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Green 136.5
Zama 139

*Harris made weight on his fourth attempt, originally scaling 146.5

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.