RENO - Devin Vargas stayed true to form and came out slugging Friday - and that was a good thing.
Vargas' third-round stoppage over Vicente Miranda gave a snake-bitten Team USA the margin it needed, as it defeated Puerto Rico in the dual boxing meet, 6-4, at the Eldorado Hotel Casino Showroom.
"I tried boxing and I got off my game plan in the second round," said the 201-pound Vargas, of Toledo, Ohio, who got stunned with a Miranda left hook in the second round just after hurting his opponent with a body punch. "It's good to have assured us of the win. I kind of like it. The fans look to me to get the job done. It's all for the USA."
Diego Hurtado opened the show with a hard-fought 28-21 victory over Puerto Rico's McWilliam Arroyo in a light flyweight matchup, but Team USA suddenly found itself down 3-1. Flyweight Joseph Serrano beat Aaron Alafa, of Visalia, Calif., when the referee stopped the contest with Alafa behind by 20 points (34-13) in the third round, and bantamweight Juan M. Lopez defeated Eric Hunter by walkover, when Hunter lost his mouthpiece.
Carlos Velazquez, who will be on Puerto Rico's Olympic team, took a 30-23 victory over Ray Lampkin III, of Portland, Ore., in a featherweight match, giving Puerto Rico its biggest lead.
With USA Olympian Vanes Martirosyan, of Glendale, Calif., reduced to a spectator after his welterweight opponent Emanuelle Gonzalez pulled out sick, Team USA couldn't afford to have much more go wrong.
Lightweight Vicente Escobedo, of Woodland, Calif., started his team's rally, taking a 23-10 victory over Alexander de Jesus. It was the only bout in which both boxers were on their respective team's Olympic contingent.
Escobedo said he was troubled by de Jesus' southpaw style, but had solid second and third rounds.
"That was a tough one," Escobedo said. "In the first round I realized he was letting me come in and trying to counter. I blocked most of his shots - he got me with a couple of shots, but I wasn't hurt. I told myself, 'I gotta win this for the team and get some points up there.'"
It was a good start, and after light welterweight Charles Hatley, of Dallas, pummeled Kenny Galarza into a third-round retirement, middleweight Andre Dirrell, of Flint, Mich., and light heavyweight Andre Ward, of Oakland, put Team USA up, 5-3. Dirrell forced the referee to stop the contest in the third round as he was up 23-3 over Miguel Almonte, and then Ward took a 22-2 decision over Santos Marquez.
Vargas' victory cemented it for Team USA, and super heavyweight Victor Brisbal's victory over Mike Wilson, of Central Point, Ore., proved too little too late. Brisbal was up 26-6 after two rounds, bloodying Wilson's nose with power shots and jabs.
Hurtado, of Sparks, showed he was to be a tough nut to crack, after taking several good hooks in the first round against Arroyo.
"I was looking to land my right over his left jab," said the 17-year-old Hurtado, who came back bombing in the second and third rounds. "I did a little better in the second and fought from the third round on and did what it took to win."
Hurtado, the Olympic team's runner-up will travel to Colorado Springs to train for a couple of weeks before heading to South Korea for the World Championships on May 26.
"It was my first international fight," Hurtado said. "I was tough, but I have a lot to learn over the next four years for the 2008 Olympics."
Vargas shook off Miranda's shots between the second and third round, and when his opponent tried to tie him up in a clinch, Vargas landed three right hands to Miranda's head, sending him to the canvas at 41 seconds of the round. The punches prompted Miranda's corner to complain that the shots were illegal shots behind the head, something the rugged Vargas denied.
"They were legal punches," said Vargas, who also indicated he had to shed 11 pounds in four hours before the weigh-in Thursday. "I hit him in front of the ear each time."
And, after being booed and having water thrown at him in Tijuana recently, Vargas said it was good to be back in the United States and in Reno, when he won the National Golden Gloves in May 2001.
"I love the crowd," Vargas said. "They love seeing a fight. That's really why I got hit (in the second round). I was trying to play for them."
At least this time it was cheers that rained down on him.
