It will be nice to have Israel Vazquez back in the ring.
After 19 months on the sideline since the end of his epic junior featherweight championship trilogy with Rafael Marquez, and multiple eye surgeries to repair a torn retina in his right eye, Vazquez is ready to return to action Saturday night.
"Boxing fans have waited a long time to see Israel Vazquez back in action, and we're excited to have him headlining here in front of his hometown fans in Los Angeles," said Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya. "Israel is without question one of the best fighters in the world, and he's looking forward to proving himself once again in the coming months, beginning with this fight."
It's hard to predict what Vazquez, who turns 32 on Christmas Day, will have left after so many grueling fights, the serious eye injury and the long layoff. Whatever he has left, Saturday's fight should provide some sort of gauge, even though he's not facing a formidable opponent.
Having vacated the 122-pound world title, Vazquez (43-4, 31 KOs) is moving up to the 126-pound featherweight division and can't wait to get into the ring for the 10-rounder against Colombia's Angel Priolo (30-7, 20 KOs) -- loser of six bouts in a row fighting between flyweight and bantamweight -- at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
"I'm coming back because I love the sport," said Vazquez, who won the second and third fights with Marquez. "I feel really good physically and mentally. The best way I can prove to the media and my fans that I've recovered from my injury is to go out and win, and that's what I intend to do. I'm in great shape. I've trained really hard and I'm confident that I will beat Priolo. I've practiced a lot more defense and movement using angles, and I'm ready."
Rudy Perez, Vazquez's trainer, said they emphasized defense during their time together in the gym preparing for the fight.
"He's really hungry and confident for this fight, and that makes his whole team confident in him," Perez said. "I've been with him for [six] weeks and we are ready to fight. We have been working on his defense and you will see the new Vazquez."
The fight will be televised on the HBO Plus service throughout Mexico, Latin America and South America as part of Golden Boy's monthly series. However, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told me he has been trying to find a domestic outlet for the card. Schaefer said HBO Plus, which owns the rights, tried to work out a deal with ESPN Deportes, but when it didn't work out he acquired the rights.
"We have reached out to several interested parties and will see what we can structure," Schaefer said, admitting that time was running short.
He said one of the possibilities was coverage on Fox Sports en Español, which would certainly be better than nothing.
If Vazquez wins and looks OK, Schaefer said the possibility of a fourth Vazquez-Marquez fight -- which has been discussed on and off since the conclusion of the third fight -- would be revisited.
Dan Rafael
