It'd be close, with Nando possibly getting a stoppage on the ropes. Contrary to popular belief, Benitez/Duran was no white-wash, which makes it not so good a example of Benitez's ability to easily beat Vargas. Vargas, in his prime, at 154, before Trinidad ruined him with illegally wrapped gloves, was better than a good fighter. And if his trajectory had not been recast by the illegal hand-wraps that Trinidad brought with him into the ring, it's my opinion he could've and probably would've reached greateness status. Trinidad took it from him.
Vargas would never in a thousand years stop Benitez. I could see a close and disputed decision going Vargas' way, though.
I say that with the biggest of doubts - the possibility Vargas would've stopped Benitez. But let's remember that once upon a time Vargas was the king of referee stopagges due to his fierce and unrelenting tendency to bombard and overwhelm his opponents with combinations against the ropes. Still, considering Benitez went 15 with Hearns, it's tough to question his resolve, but styles make fights.
Benitez/Duran was a 10-5, 11-4 type of fight... Benitez was in clear command from beginnign to end... saying otherwise is revisionist history I could see Vargas having a moment or two here and there, win a couple of rounds, but at the end of the day he's too slow, he can't pull the trigger fast enough to constantly touch Benitez and he lacks the reflexes to avoid getting hit with flush counters... I think Benitez stops Vargas late
Vargas beats the version of Benitez that Hilton knocked out but not the version that beat Duran. Like cdogg posted i don't think he has the reflexes to land hard and often enough. Nando would have his moments though, it wouldn't be a 12-0 shutout.
I think he wins fairly convincingly but I'm not conviced about the stoppage part. Pre Trinidad Vargas was pretty durable.
What is vargas's "pre Trinidad durability" based on exactly? All the huge punchers he was hit by? Oh yeah, there weren't any... It's a ridiculous myth. On one hand you have double L indicting Trinidad and on the other there's guys like you overrating him... Yet both of you are doing it based off of a totally unfounded assertion; namely, that Vargas was somehow on his way to greatness and was durable but that Trinidad somehow beat that out of him... The reality is that vargas was always going to lose to the guys he lost to
I also thought he looked every bit as formidable against De La Hoya as he had against Trinidad, for what its worth.
Benitez wasn't one of those big punchers, though. Nothing really concussive about his power, more just speed, accuracy and placement but not particularly heavy handed. He didnt' hit harder than Trinidad, and Tito needed 12 to do it. So based on that I think a young Fernando would last the distance in a 12 rounder.
Watch benitez knock the living shit out of Maurice Hope he definitely hit hard enough to hurt Vargas, especially considering that he'd likely catch him with some blind shots while Vargas was in mid-punch
