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It’s unusual to say a fighter as young as Fernando Vargas is making a comeback. He’s only twenty-five. But consider that Vargas had such extraordinary success at a very young age. He was in fact, the youngest junior middleweight champion in boxing history.

On December 12, 1998, a battered Yory Boy Campas went back to his corner after the seventh round. His right eye swollen shut, his mouth gushing blood, Campas told his trainer he’d had enough. His "ferocious" opponent, Fernando Vargas, had inflicted all the punishment Campas could stand. Vargas was the new IBF champ, at 21 years and 5 days old

Achievement came to Vargas with lightning speed. His first 17 fights ended by knockout, tying the record set by Roy Jones, Jr. for the most consecutive knockout wins to begin a champion’s career. His first 14 bouts ended in six rounds or less, ten of them in two rounds or less. Vargas came at his opponents like a piledriver, with a menacing snarl and a warrior spirit as big as his native state of California. After beating Campas for the title, he convincingly disposed of some of the best junior middleweights around: Raul Marquez, Winky Wright, and Ike Quartey.

Vargas had built enough confidence to take on the mega-talented superstar Felix Trinidad, who was then the WBA Jr. Middleweight Champion. What was unleashed in the ring on December 2, 2000, was a knock-down, drag-out Fight of the Year-caliber brawl. Vargas laid out Trinidad in the fourth round. Trinidad knocked Vargas down five times. Despite Trinidad’s fury, Vargas showed incredible heart. He walked through Trinidad’s best power shots, and kept coming after "Tito", until three knockdowns in the 12th round closed the deal. Vargas had lost the fight, but elevated his reputation as a true warrior.

Undaunted, Vargas captured his second title in 2001, pasting Jose Flores in seven rounds to grab the WBA junior middleweight belt. Sticking with his desire to fight the best, Vargas went out of his way to call out "The Golden Boy", Oscar De La Hoya. Vargas, never shy verbally, goaded De La Hoya into a grudge match, claiming he had no respect for Oscar. The stage was set for a junior middleweight unification showdown at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Vargas seemed to have a power advantage. He hit De La Hoya harder than he’d ever been hit before. He bullied Oscar, leaning De La Hoya against the ropes, connecting with brutal right hands. But De La Hoya used guile and hand-speed to turn the tide against the less-experienced fighter. After a left hook knockdown, and a blinding flurry of punches by Oscar in Round Eleven, the fight was stopped and Vargas had absorbed his second career loss.

Despite those setbacks, there is absolutely no quit in "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas. He’s back with a vengeance, hellbent on becoming a three-time champion. To support his effort, he’s brought in ring guru Buddy McGirt as his trainer. McGirt has recently transformed another heavy-hitter, Arturo "Thunder" Gatti, into a more complete fighter. McGirt has helped launch Gatti into a robust second phase of his career. Like Vargas, Gatti started fast, knocking out everyone he faced in short devastating bouts. In some ways, he was a victim of his own explosive success.

McGirt sees the parallel between Gatti and Vargas: "(Vargas) has got great work ethic…he’s just so used to overpowering guys and he has the ability to be slick, but he doesn’t use it. I guess that comes from when you start scoring knockouts, one-punch knockouts, you have a tendency to get away from what you do best. So, it’s just a case of reminding him."

McGirt will be reminding Vargas before an HBO Boxing After Dark® card on July 26, when Vargas plans to dismantle his opponent, Fitz Vanderpool. With his intensity and heart, and Buddy McGirt in his corner, the second coming of Fernando Vargas may be even more ferocious than the first.