GL: We're two days away from your big fight with Fernando Vargas on Showtime PPV. Can you give us some final thoughts on the bout? "This is the most important fight of my career. I know winning this fight will lead to bigger and better things. I know winning this fight will mean I have either Miguel Cotto or Floyd Mayweather Jr ahead of me."

GL: Do you feel you need to win this fight impressively to get the fights you're looking to make?

Ricardo Mayorga: "I don't want to win impressively. What I want to do is, I want to put this man in the hospital. That's what I want to do and I won't feel satisfied until I do it."

GL: In all of your other major fights you were clearly the bigger trash talker. Vargas has been doing his best to keep up with you and has done more than his fair share of talking. How does it feel to be fighting somebody who talks it back? Does it motivate you more?

RM: "The difference here is, a good percentage of the time I'm able to back up what I do. He can't. He's been doing a lot of talking, but let's see if he can back his up. Coming off the way he just lost to Mosley, what's going to be the excuse when I'm done with him? There will be no excuse."

GL: Can you realistically make 147 pounds?

RM: "Remember when I went up to 154 I went up for the challenge. It wasn't because I was having weight problems. When I was at 147, I was able to come in at 143, 144. I would always go up to the scale with a pizza or chicken in my mouth, so making the weight is not a problem."

GL: Does fighting Vargas at 162 give him the strength advantage?

RM: "He's going to need all of the advantage in the world because I'm not giving him anything. I'm not celebrating Thanksgiving until Friday and he's going to be my turkey."

GL: How have you improved since the De La Hoya fight?

RM: "I'm a hundred million percent better and you'll see it on Friday."

GL: Any prediction?

RM: "Four rounds or less."

GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

RM: "I'm going to earn the fans trust and faith again after I knock Vargas out."

M

Send questions and comments to: gleon@boxingtalk.com