After a mediocre performance at a catchweight against soft-hitting volume puncher Raymond Joval in March, Fernando Vargas returns to 154 to take on Javier Castillejo at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

In Castillejo, Vargas, 25-2 (22), is fighting his first quality opponent since being knocked out by Oscar De La Hoya in 2002. After being suspended for steroid use and sidelined with back problems, Vargas' cautious, pedestrian win over Joval is forgivable. But if Vargas truly wants to get himself into a position where he can command huge paydays, he can not afford to decision Castillejo. He has to knock him out, and he has to look sensational doing it.

Castillejo, 58-5 (40), is a sound boxer who fights mainly in his native Spain and is best remembered for his unanimous decision loss to De La Hoya in the Golden Boy's debut at junior middleweight. Though Castillejo was clearly outclassed in that fight, he held his own until he was knocked down in the 12th and final round. Castillejo could present Vargas with problems if his chin holds up under Vargas' assault - that is assuming he can temper his new defensive moves learned from trainer Danny Smith with the fiery style that won the hearts of so many of his Mexican fans. The corrupt WBC stripped Castillejo of his meaningless belt for taking the Vargas fight over the alphabet mandatory, and for that Castillejo deserves credit.

This is a very important fight for Vargas. A loss means he's done. This is the second chance for the new allegedly re-tooled and re-focused Vargas, and if he can't beat an older, top-ten ranked fighter, he will be in danger of becoming an opponent that others may try to make a name off of. A win over Vargas would look good on the resumes of Roman Karmazin, Kassim Ouma or Travis Simms. And if Vargas finds himself opposite Winky Wright again, you can bet he won't repeat that controversial decision win over Wright in 1999. Wright is in his prime and one of the hottest boxers in the game right now, having beat Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad in his last three fights.

So where does Vargas go after Castillejo, assuming he beats him? That all depends on HOW he beats him. And the irony is that although Vargas has spent much time learning how to chill out and restrain himself by incorporating defensive skills into his repetoire, it might be the fire of "El Feroz" that will save him in the end.

Prediction: Vargas by split decision