Vanderpool sprained ankle in big fight loss

LOS ANGELES: The ringside physician during Saturday’s junior middleweight boxing world title eliminator says Trinidad-born Fitz Vanderpool suffered a sprained ankle during the bout. Dr Paul Wallace, says Vanderpool “suffered a high ankle sprain” at some point during the fight before he was stopped by the impressive Fernando Vargas. Vanderpool twisted his left ankle when he slipped and fell to the canvas during one of several falls. No official knockdowns occurred although Vanderpool hit the canvas four times on what were ruled slips by referee Marty Denken. The final two tumbles came in the sixth round as Vargas battered Vanderpool before the fight was stopped at two minutes 36 seconds of the round.

Vanderpool was helped from the ring after the fight and his ankle was wrapped before he attended the postfight conference. “I think it was going to be interesting the way things were going. I slipped and hurt my ankle, though. Them’s the breaks. No pun intended,” Vanderpool told reporters. The 35-year-old Vanderpool, who grew up in Canada after migrating from Trinidad and Tobago as a child, slips to a ring record of 24 wins, with 13 knockouts against five losses and four draws. Vargas, 25, raised his record to 23-2 with 21 knockouts.