Vargas hints of knockout against Quartey

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Fernando vargas hinted Tuesday he will knock out Ike Quartey in their IBF Junior Middleweight fight Saturday in Las Vegas.

" I guarantee you the belt is not going anywhere," Vargas said, "It's coming back here. I don't think it will go to a decision."

Vargas, 22, will be making the fourth defense of the title he won Dec. 12, 1998, when he stopped Yory Boy Campas in the eighth round.

Quartey (34-1-1 with 29 knockouts) will be fighting for the fourth time since losing a split decision to Oscar de la Hoya on Feb. 13, 1999. That fight, which he believes he won, was for the WBC Welterweight title.

Quartey, who has dyed his hair blond, stopped training for 2-3 months after the loss, but he rejected a suggestion that he will be rusty Saturday.

" I stayed off for 16 months and I beat Oscar, so 14 months is nothing, "said Quartey, who is from Ghana. "I'm in the top shape of my life, physically and mentally."

Vargas (18-0), of Oxnard, calif, failed to post a knockout for the first time in his professional career in his most recent fight, a majority decision over Ronald Wright on December 4.

"I didn't feel good inside my last fight," he said. "I didn't look good. A lot of it was mental." as a remedy, Vargas asked promoter Gary Shaw to hire a strength and conditioning coach for him. Shaw offered the job to John Philbin, who works in a similar capacity for the Washington Redskins.

Philbin changed Vargas' training schedule to include boxing in the morning, followed by a break, then running and weight lifting in the afternoon at a training camp in Big Bear lake, Calif.

The training and a new diet have reduced Vargas' body fat from 10.5 percent to 5.5 percent, Philbin said.

"I'm in the best shape of my life," Vargas said.

Quartey, 30, suggested Vargas' lack of experience will prove detrimental

"He's too young to go to war," he said.

"We'll see," vargas replied, "The young warrior is the strongest warrior. We'll see if he can fend off this warrior.

The fight at mandalay bay Casino and Resort will be televised by HBO.