SHOWTIME will premiere “Vargas vs. Mayorga: Countdown To The Brawl”—profiling two of boxing’s most colorful and explosive personalities—on Monday night, Nov. 12, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The 30-minute documentary program will air at various times on the premium network until Nov. 23, when “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas and Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga will meet in the ring to settle a personal score for machismo and pride. (See next page for complete schedule)
The highly anticipated bout is scheduled for 12 rounds at a catch weight of 162 pounds and will air live on Nov. 23 on SHOWTIME pay-per-view (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.
“Countdown To The Brawl” takes viewers inside the training camps and into the homes of both men to reveal their motivation, strategies of intimidation and the root of their volatile and now infamous first fight—at the announcement press conference in Los Angeles on July 11.
In addition, in depth interviews with Vargas, Mayorga and members of their training camps uncover a never-before-seen duality in each. These former world champions always have been known for toughness, bravado and street mentality, but that is only half of their personality; half of their motivation. Countdown To The Brawl shows the people behind the boxers, and the tremendous impact they have had on these competitors—both in their formative years and still today.
Vargas reflects on his childhood, growing up without his father and why it is important for him to be a good father to his children. “I am lucky I found boxing,” said Vargas. “I was going nowhere quickly. I wanted so much to belong to something. If I was asked to join a gang, I probably would have.”
Mayorga, on the other hand, is looking to re-claim his ring status and shed his disappointment after a personally devastating knockout loss to Oscar De La Hoya. “I need to fight somebody and beat him,” said Mayorga. “I am going to hit Vargas as hard as I can, because I just want to let this out, to get this out of my system.”
