*Vargas scores sixth-round TKO of Rivera in return*
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EL PASO, Texas (Ticker) -- Fernando Vargas returned with a
vengeance. 

Shaking off an early knockdown, Vargas battered and bloodied
Wilfredo Rivera before scoring a sixth-round technical knockout
in their junior middleweight fight Saturday night. 

In the early co-feature, Juan Lazcano used precision and power
to record an 11th-round technical knockout of aging John John
Molina, giving Mexico a pair of victories over Puerto Rico on
Cinco de Mayo. 

Vargas (22-1, 19 KOs) was fighting for the first time in over
six months.  On December 3, he lost his spotless record and the
IBF junior middleweight championship as he was pounded by Felix
Trinidad, who scored a 12th-round TKO. 

"I see that as an obstacle that I will overcome," Vargas said.
"There's always room for improvement.  I'm only 22 years old;
I'll get better with age." 

Some questioned Vargas' decision to take on an opponent as game
and experienced as Rivera, who has battled some of boxing's best
small fighters.  Vargas had made five title defenses before his
loss to Trinidad. 

Vargas appeared to have made a mistake when Rivera floored him
in the second round with a right to the head.  He bounced up
quickly and took charge thereafter. 

"I got caught cold, but you gotta bring me out on a stretcher
for me to go out," Vargas said. 

In the third round, Vargas used a series of strong right hands
to raise swelling over Rivera's left eye.  He drew blood in the
fourth and used a late flurry in the fifth. 

The sixth began with Vargas decking Rivera with a left hook.
Rivera scrambled to his feet but motioned to his corner that he
could not see due to the blood streaming into his left eye.
Vargas continued to pound Rivera, whose corner threw in the
towel, stopping the bout 39 seconds into the round. 

It was another tough setback for Rivera (32-5-1), who has beaten
Carlos Palomino and Livingstone Bramble and has lost to Oscar de
la Hoya, Shane Mosley and twice to Pernell Whitaker. 

Lazcano (27-2-1, 20 KOs) steadily pounded Molina over the last
eight rounds, using straight rights and left hooks.  Molina was
staggered by a big left hand late in the 10th and barely made it
to the bell. 

The fight continued, but not for long.  Lazcano connected with a
left, a right-left combination and two more lefts as Molina's
corner threw in the towel 1:06 into the round. 

With the advantage in height and reach, Lazcano gave away two of
the first three rounds as he felt out his foe.  He began to land
clean shots in the fourth round and never stopped his attack,
even after an accidental head-butt from Molina opened a vertical
cut on the bridge of his nose. 

Molina, 36, came in with six straight wins since a setback to
IBF junior lightweight champion Roberto Garcia on January 16,
1999.  He fell to 52-7. 

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