Be on the lookout, America.

	De La Hoya hopes to have target practice on Vargas, like he did on Arturo Gatti.

It might be time for Fernando Vargas to pick up his golf clubs again.

Don't forget that when Vargas decided to "grip it and rip it" three summers ago, he used a 6-iron to whack a divot out of a man's scalp in an incident that involved a stripper.

Now that's clubbin'!

Vargas was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and pleaded no contest to a lesser charge.

As for settling down and actually becoming a duffer rather than just a club-wielding ruffian, Vargas isn't convinced yet.

"I will never play golf," Vargas recently told the Los Angeles Times. "I can't see myself in plaid pants."

What about an orange jumpsuit?

Either way, Vargas should reconsider the game of golf. He might want to wipe the blood off his sticks and learn how to vent his aggression on the golf course because that's what he'll have to look forward to for a long time.

He'll be virtually retired once Oscar De La Hoya takes his hacks.

	Pound for pound list
	Tim Graham's top 15: 1. Bernard Hopkins 2. Roy Jones 3. Marco Antonio Barrera 4. Vernon Forrest 5. Kostya Tszyu 6. Lennox Lewis 7. Floyd Mayweather 8. Erik Morales 9. Felix Trinidad 10. Shane Mosley 11. Tim Austin 12. Oscar De La Hoya 13. Fernando Vargas 14. Paulie Ayala 15. Ricardo Lopez

One of the most heated rivalries in the history of boxing -- on par with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier -- will come to a boil when De La Hoya and Vargas finally meet in the ring. The fight has been labeled "Bad Blood," and it will spill Saturday night in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.

The boxing world has anticipated a De La Hoya-Vargas showdown for years. They're two of the best fighters of the past decade. They were both Olympians. They both hail from Southern California. They each have their own loyal fan base within the Mexican-American community. Each holds a portion of the junior middleweight title.

And they hate each other with a passion rarely seen outside of soap operas. De La Hoya is the "Golden Boy," with his Hollywood good looks and his Grammy-nominated singing career. Vargas relishes a street punk persona.

It's hard to say what actually triggered the feud. Not even the principals seem to know what started it all. Vargas claims an incident when De La Hoya, who had just won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics, snubbed him. Vargas has always declined to mention specifics, while De La Hoya has insisted it's all in Vargas' head.

But the hostility intensified through a war of words. Vargas contends he's more Mexican that De La Hoya. De La Hoya says Vargas "is always talking about me. I think he's in love with me."

"I actually hate the guy," De La Hoya said. "I have never used the word 'hate' when talking about any other opponents, but I hate him."

But to approach this fight as a mere grudge match would be doing it a disservice. The consequences are too great.

It will be a career-defining evening for both fighters. Win, and the legend grows along with the bank account. Lose, and the golf course awaits.

It's a do-or-die fight, and at least Vargas is taking that description literally.

"I would rather die in the ring than lose to him," Vargas said. "It's not about giving it a good try. For me, it's win or die trying. I'm going to do everything I can to make this the last fight of his career."

Both fighters have slipped in stature over the past few years. De La Hoya is 34-2 with 27 KOs, but his losses have occurred in his past five fights. Another defeat Saturday night would make him a .500 boxer since late 1999.

Why would De La Hoya continue after a loss, when he already has made more than $125 million in the ring and has a lucrative singing and acting career on the horizon? A victory would allow him to move forward and accomplish the final two goals on his checklist: exacting revenge on Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley.

Vargas is 22-1 with 20 KOs, but he has developed the reputation of having a feeble chin since Trinidad knocked him down five times in 2000. The shopworn Wilfredo Rivera dropped Vargas again in 2001 (Vargas bounced back to record a sixth-round TKO victory), and rumors have circulated that his sparring partners have been scoring knockdowns, too.

A triumph over De La Hoya revitalizes Vargas' flagging career.

Both fighters have been inactive for several months. Contract squabbles delayed the fight from taking place, and then De La Hoya's slow-healing wrist injury postponed the fight from its originally scheduled May date. He hasn't fought since taking Javier Castillejo's WBC belt 15 months ago. Vargas hasn't fought since stopping Shibata Flores for the WBA title 12 months ago.

A bareknuckle fight came close to erupting at a Los Angeles news conference in January. The two engaged in a staredown and exchanged verbal salvos before Vargas lost his cool and shoved De La Hoya. A skirmish broke out between the camps, and a publicist wound up with a broken leg.

Vargas is a hothead, and that's one of the reasons he can't win Saturday night. He won't be able to keep his emotions in check. After all, this is an elite boxer who once allowed Ross Thompson -- of all people -- to get in his head, sparking another prefight press conference brawl in 2000. Vargas, so enraged at his challenger, spit on Thompson after knocking him down in the ring.

But the overriding factor will be De La Hoya's overall skill and ring generalship. The plodding-yet-powerful Vargas cannot outbox his former idol. Vargas, who turned pro at 147 pounds, is naturally stronger, but De La Hoya is slicker and sharper. Vargas won't be able to land combinations if De La Hoya fights intelligently.

De La Hoya, who at 29 is five years older than Vargas, also has a decided experience advantage. De La Hoya has been involved in so many megabouts he has lost count. He has beaten an honor roll of boxers -- names like Rafael Ruelas, Genaro Hernandez, Julio Cesar Chavez (twice), Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho, Ike Quartey and Oba Carr.

Vargas, meanwhile, can claim only a handful of major victories. He also beat Quartey in addition to Winky Wright, Raul Marquez and Yori Boy Campas. Whoopee.

It's De La Hoya's fight to lose.

That, however, is enough to leave the door slightly ajar for Vargas. De La Hoya gave away the biggest victory of his career when he decided to coast the last three rounds against Trinidad. De La Hoya easily was the better boxer that night, and behind the belief he had banked enough rounds, he ended the fight on cruise control. Trinidad won.

And there is one other way for Vargas to win Saturday, but that also depends on De La Hoya making a mistake.

If De La Hoya gets baited into trading bombs with Vargas, the odds tilt slightly in Vargas' favor. De La Hoya, who started his pro career at 130 pounds, has lost some power as he has graduated weight classes.

Vargas is a power puncher with a suspect chin. If De La Hoya chooses to slug it out with Vargas, one of them -- if not both -- will hit the floor.

If that happens, then "Bad Blood" boils down to whomever is hungrier.

Vargas may have to call upon the fire in his belly to muster a victory. He has shown he can rebound from knockdowns, and we know how much he wants to beat De La Hoya.

But does De La Hoya have the same resolve as he did three years ago, when he picked himself off the canvas to beat Ike Quartey? Has the Golden Boy's desire been tempered by his country club lifestyle?

Two words for you, Fernando: Plaid pants.

Tim Graham covers boxing for The Buffalo News and The Ring Magazine.