I always thought Harry Simon was over-rated. He was wild, threw looping punches, and wasn't very organized in there. Vargas on the other hand, pre-Trinidad, was a very disciplined fighter with defensive skills that I think were largely overlooked in favor of his explosive offense. But Simon was very durable and could punch hard. So Vargas could not have counted on scoring one of his signature early round knock-outs, that's for sure. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Wright who lost to Simon was a very different fighter than the one who would go on to face Vargas. But in both cases, Wright lost the fight, even though I think he'd become a more effective fighter by the time he faced Vargas. Who wins? Too bad this fight never got made? Heck, too bad Vargas never fought Reid. Too bad Simon killed someone with his car. Skilled or not, he was fun to watch.
at the point in Vargas' career before he fought Trinidad, the thought of anyone out-working him, given his match with Wright, would seem ludicrous. but if anyone could, it would've been Simon. the guy did throw a ton of punches even if he didn't possess the best technique or boxing skills. i don't know though. pre-Tito, Vargas was so confident and so passionate in the ring, it's hard to imagine his not getting to Simon's body in a big way. definitely would've been a good fight.
Very good matchup, but I think Vargas woulda taken it. A prime Nando woulda been able to keep up with Simon's pace, and Nando had by far the bigger firepower, as well as better technical skills. Vargas by 7-5, or 8-4 decision.
I think they both got lucky with the judges in their bouts with Ronald Wright. Vargas did seem more versatle as far as being able to box or punch. Where the fight would have been held might make a difference but I favor Vargas as well.
I've noticed fighters always rate the guys they beat (judging apart) higher than the guys who beat them.
definitley lots of examples of this I always think of Archie Moore in the classic book "In This Corner..." where he mentions Lloyd Marshall (whom he beat several times) ad infinitum as a great fighter but never makes one mention of his own father (Ezzard Charles) who kicked his ass every time out
