It’s a Classic Matchup--on Paper

This one has to be good.

Doesn’t it?

When Fernando Vargas and Felix Trinidad bang gloves at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center on Dec. 2 for supremacy in the 154-pound weight category, the results should be spectacular. Neither fighter has a weight problem, neither needs an attitude adjustment, neither holds or clinches, neither backs up, neither gives in and both are unbeaten.

Vargas, the International Boxing Federation champion, has never been knocked down. Trinidad, the World Boxing Assn. titleholder, has suffered from a tendency to get knocked down early, but he also has shown amazing recuperative powers.

Some are predicting a repeat of the legendary 1985 Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns three-round war that set the standard for nonstop excitement.

Let’s not get carried away. We’ll settle for 12 rounds or fewer of furious action with no fight-ending cuts, low blows, late hits, controversial head butts, premature stoppage, bitten ears, incompetent judges, ultimately ending with a clear winner and perhaps a close enough and good enough battle to justify a rematch.

Time and again, boxing fans get their hopes up that a match is going to be even half as good as the hype, and, time and again, they are disappointed.

It seems the bigger the fight, the louder the hype, the worse the payoff.

A Johnny Tapia-Paulie Ayala match, or an Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera fight draws little attention from the general public, but the result is a memorable match.

A Mike Tyson-Andrew Golota fight draws worldwide attention and then worldwide ridicule when the fight turns out to be a joke.

As always seems to be the case, boxing desperately needs a good fight.

In Trinidad-Vargas, it will get one. That much you can bet on.

NO LONGER READY FOR PRIME TIME

Ike Quartey has turned down an offer to fight World Boxing Council welterweight champion Shane Mosley on Feb. 24 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Quartey’s excuse? Not enough time to prepare.

Big surprise.

Quartey was a world-class fighter, his deadly jab seemingly pointing him toward the top of the boxing world when he entered a ring in Foxwoods, Conn., in October 1997 as the WBA welterweight champion to face Jose Luis Lopez.

Oscar De La Hoya once called Lopez the fighter with the most potential to beat him, back in the days when nobody seemed capable of handing De La Hoya his first loss.

But Lopez couldn’t seem to defeat his own demons. There were whispers of excessive drinking and problems keeping weight off.

On the night of Oct. 17, 1997, however, Lopez got his act together long enough to fight to a draw with Quartey, who had entered the ring 34-0 with 29 knockouts.

Seemingly stunned by the first blot on his perfect record, Quartey vowed to regain his career momentum by beating De La Hoya.

They met in February 1999 at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center. Quartey appeared to have victory within the reach of his powerful left hand when he knocked De La Hoya down in the sixth round. De La Hoya arose unsteadily, glassy-eyed, there for the taking.

Instead, Quartey backed off, playing it cautiously.

That allowed De La Hoya to come back for what remains his finest moment as a professional. In the final round of a close fight, De La Hoya knocked Quartey down and dominated to pull out a split decision.

It was a decision Quartey couldn’t accept.

“It was very difficult for him,” said Godwin Asifo, one of Quartey’s advisors. “Because he knows he won, he was depressed for a while. He was not mentally there. It was almost like he was in a stupor.”

Quartey went home to his native Ghana and didn’t fight again for 15 months, wasting valuable time he could ill afford to lose at age 30.

Finally, Quartey resumed his career. But only, he insisted, to fight another world-class fighter. No tomato cans for him. No tuneups.

In April of this year, Quartey stepped back into the ring as a 154-pounder against Vargas. Although Vargas was unbeaten, Quartey felt pretty confident against a kid with only 18 professional fights.

But again, Quartey tasted defeat. Again, it came on a decision.

Again, he disappeared.

Yet despite all his setbacks, Quartey had placed in front of him this week one last chance to achieve the greatness he believed would surely be his, one last chance to beat a world-class opponent.

Instead, he has turned his back on Mosley.

And on any remaining delusions of fulfilling his self-proclaimed destiny.

SO NOW WHAT?

Mosley’s remaining options for Feb. 24 include Shannon Taylor, Oba Carr and Vernon Forrest.

No longer under consideration is Arturo Gatti because of criticism that Gatti would be overmatched.

“Shane has done such a great job of building himself up,” said Cedric Kushner, Mosley’s promoter, “that there is no reason to do something negative. Let’s do something positive in terms of an opponent.”

Gatti might look like a victim to Mosley, but he looks like a credible opponent to handlers for De La Hoya, who continue to talk about a possible De La Hoya-Gatti fight early next year.

QUICK JABS

A deal is all but finalized for Floyd Mayweather to defend his WBC super-featherweight title against Diego Corrales on Jan. 20. . . . The Lennox Lewis-David Tua heavyweight title fight earlier this month drew 420,000 pay-per-view buys. . . . David Reid, returning to the ring for the first time since suffering his first loss in March to Trinidad, will fight at 160 pounds for the first time when he takes on Kirino Garcia today at the Regent Las Vegas. While Reid (14-1, seven knockouts) is in the uncomfortable position of trying to make a comeback, he can take heart from looking across the ring. Garcia (28-20-1, 22 knockouts) lost his first 18 fights, but has since won 28 of 30 with one draw.

VARGAS vs. TRINIDAD

What: 154-pound title match.

Who: Fernando Vargas vs. Felix Trinidad.

When: Dec. 2.

Where: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas.

Records: Trinidad, the World Boxing Assn. champion from Puerto Rico, is 38-0 with 31 knockouts. Vargas, the International Boxing Federation champion from Oxnard, is 20-0 with 18 knockouts.

TV: Pay per view.