By Sanjeev Shetty BBC Sport Online in Las Vegas

The fight will be re-run in full on Sunday Grandstand (BBC2, Sun 15 Sept, 1715 BST)

In the end it was a pretty good night for Oscar de la Hoya.

He silenced the young upstart Fernando Vargas, he received the approval of his adoring fans and made considerable money.

De la Hoya wins grudge match

When the smoke clears and De la Hoya returns to the tranquil surroundings of his new home in Puerto Rico, will he be convinced the old magic is still there?

There were numerous occasions during the 10-and-a-half rounds of action that indicated De la Hoya is on the slide and retirement could suddenly be an option.

Rarely has De la Hoya absorbed as much punishment as he did here against an admittedly accurate and motivated opponent.

In the end this evenly-poised fight was determined by an apparent lack of stamina on the part of Vargas - the 24-year-old seemed to tire from the seventh round onwards.

There was no love lost between the two fighters

The punches that finished him were no harder than the ones he had walked through during the first half of the fight, but during the closing stages he suddenly seemed to discombobulate.

When the chance came to finish his man, De la Hoya was as ruthless as you could hope a prize fighter to be.

But his performance will hardly send a shudder through the mind of his next scheduled opponent, Sugar Shane Mosley.

Mosley beat De la Hoya in June 2000 and he seems just as confident of repeating that feat sometime in the Spring of next year.

If the fight highlighted the weaknesses of both men - Vargas, not even 25, must seriously consider his future after two brutal defeats in two years - the occasion was as good as it gets in boxing.

Vargas and De la Hoya divide opinions of boxing fans and countries.

Uncompromising

It is a question of choosing the matinee idol appeal of De la Hoya or empathising with the raw passion, emotion and integrity that Vargas brings to the ring.

Natives of Los Angeles and Mexico - both men are Californian-born but of Mexican heritage - poured into Las Vegas and made themselves heard throughout the night.

They produced a wonderful atmosphere and fortunately hostilities were generally kept at a vocal level.

Neither side can complain about what they saw - the action was uncompromising, rough but with a degree of skill.

It is just that in this instance the winner leaves the ring with as many questions hanging over his head as the loser.