Wilfredo Vazquez

At 63 years old, Wilfredo Vazquez has this physical status:

Wilfredo Vázquez Olivera (born August 2, 1960) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 2002.

He competed in three weight classes, including the WBA bantamweight title from 1987 to 1988, as well as the WBA and lineal featherweight titles from 1996 to 1998.

Wilfredo Vázquez Jr., his son, is also a former boxer and world champion.

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Early life and amateur career

Vázquez was born in Ró Piedras, one of San Juan's most populated districts, but he was raised in Bayamón. He began learning about boxing when he was 18 years old, unlike most Puerto Rican boxers. Vázquez began training in November 1978, two weeks after his father, Juan Vázquez, was killed in a two-week funeral. His decision was influenced in large part by his father's desire to have a son that was proficient in boxing. Juan Vázquez was a descendant of Wilfredo Gómez and died shortly after buying tickets for his fight against Carlos Zarate. This affected Vázquez, who wanted to imitate Gómez and win a professional world championship, who gained a sense of pride from his victories. He began training at a Ruiz Soler gym, where he encountered several boxers who he regarded as "world class" material, but all of them failed to find success after following other paths. Vázquez won 17 times as an amateur, losing three games. He didn't apply for a spot in Puerto Rico's national boxing service because it would be difficult to gain a position at his age, considering he was planning to make money as a professional. Wilfredo, Jr., Noel, and Israel were among Vázquez' three sons, with whom he has three sons.

Professional career

Vázquez debuted as a professional on January 29, 1981, under Manny Siaca's guidance. He lost by unanimous decision in a four-round match to William Ramos. He won his first match after this fight, defeating Felix Cortez by knockout in two rounds. This was followed by a second knockout against Roberto Mercedes, who debuted against Vázquez. In a six-round match against Eusebio Espinal on April 30, 1981, he earned his first draw of his career. Reinaldo Roque, who he defeated by defeat in Miami, Florida, was victorious in Vázquez's first match outside of Puerto Rico. He won the first decision of his career by defeating Herminio Adorno in points over her next match. Vizquez was supposed to be part of Don King's Carnival of Champions, where Gómez and Wilfred Bentez competed, but a injury during preparation forced him to cancel the competition. He defeated Pedro Alindato by knocking out in the last fight of the year. Vázquez defeated Orlando Perez by points on March 3, 1982. During this year, he will fight eight times, none of whom will be in New York City or Las Vegas. Vázquez defeated Ion Trian, Jose Luis Martinez, Sonny Long, and Rudy Perez twice in these battles. He fought five times in 1983, winning every contest by knockout. Euginio Paulino, Andres Torres, Robert Mullins, Ramón Cruz, and Pedro Rodriguez were among his opponents during this time frame. Vázquez won the vacant Puerto Rican bantamweight title on March 17, 1984, defeating Juan "Chiqui" Torres by knocking out in the fourth round. Vázquez's first no contest of his career came against Julio Guerrero in his next match. He closed the year off by defeating Javier Barajas and Norgie Castro. In 1985, Vázquez had a slow year, but only competing twice. Jeff Whaley and Osvaldo Acevedo were his only two contests, both of whom he defeated by technical knockout.

Vázquez was given his first opportunity to compete in the World Boxing Council's bantamweight championship on February 8, 1986. Vázquez was knocked down in the second round before scoring one in the fourth round. Lora was given a unanimous decision after twelve rounds. José "Pambelito" Cervantes, who had competed for the WBC's super bantamweight championship five years ago, was his next fight. Victory overcame in the third round of the competition. He ended the year by defeating Antonio Avelar by a eighth round knockout. In the first round, Vázquez defeated Juan Carazo by a technical foulout on March 14, 1987. He defeated Lee Cargle in five rounds less than a month ago.

Vizquez earned his second titular opportunity on October 4, 1987, when he faced Chan-yong Park in South Korea. He won the battle by knocking out in the tenth round of the World Boxing Association to become the champion of the World Boxing Association. In a card organized in Osaka, Vázquez's first defense was against Takuya Muguruma. The contest was ruled a draw, but two of the judges scored it 116-114 and 117-112 in favour of Vázquez, while the third considered it a 115-115 tie. He defended against Kaokor Galaxy in Thailand later on, but he was denied by split decision. Galaxy won 112-115 and 113-115 in favor of Galaxy, and 114-113 in favor of Vázquez. He returned to action against Ral Pérez three months later but lost by unanimous decision in ten rounds. Vázquez resigned as a result of this defeat, winning a regional championship fight against Fernie Morales thanks to Felix "Tutico" Zabala. The competition was for the Inter-Continental bantamweight championship of the International Boxing Federation, and in twelve rounds, Vázquez secured a points victory. This was followed by a loss in the preparatory war against Patrick Kamy, which was part of a card game in Spain. Vázquez defeated Israel Contreras, who was defeated by a knockout on June 19, 1990, claiming what was seen as an unexpected triumph. He beat Joe Orewa to win the International Boxing Council's super bantamweight championship on September 10, 1990, after recovering from this defeat. With a technical knockout victory over Atenor Solar, Vázquez closed the year. He defeated Paxton Openo by knocking out in seven rounds on April 8, 1991.

Vázquez won the WBA's super bantamweight championship after his victory. The match was a rematch against Ral Pérez, and it took place on March 27, 1992. Vázquez defeated Pérez by a technical knockout in the third round after a second knockdown. Vázquez began a string of good defenses after defeating Juan Batista Bisono in a preparation match. Freddy Cruz, Italy, was the first of these to be ruled by a majority. Thierry Jacob, Luis Enrique Mendoza, Thierry Jacob, a controversial points victory over Juan Polo Perez in France, Hiroaki Yokota and Yichi Kasai in Japan, and Jae-Won Choi and Orlando Canizales in the United States were followed by victories over Thierry Jacob, Thierry Mendoza, Thierry Jacob, a tumultuous points win over Juan Polo Perez in France, Hiroaki Kasai Vázquez began competing in championship matches outside of Puerto Rico, and he was nicknamed El Viajero, Spanish for "the traveler." Home Box Office named him as the best in the division for his struggle against Canizales. He appeared in his first defense in Bayamón on May 13, 1995, losing by points over Antonio Cermea. Vázquez won by a convincing margin over Pablo "Mulato" Valenzuela in his first match since this loss. After this fight, he returned to action in Ponce, defeating Carlos Rocha by knocking out in the first round. Jose Luis Velazquez, his last fight of the year, was against him in the WBA's vacant featherweight championship, which he defeated by physical contingency.

Vázquez defeated Eloy Rojas in Las Vegas on May 18, 1996, the lineal & WBA featherweight championships. Rojas captured the titles and entered the tournament with a record of 33-1, making him a favorite to keep the titles. With scores of 98-92, 92-100, and 94-96, Rojas had a lead in all of the judges' scorecards until the eleventh round. His corner told Vázquez that he was losing, surprising him because the game was close to being tied in terms of being tied. He pressed the offensive, scoring two knockdowns that caused the referee to call the match a technical knockout, knowing this fact. Vázquez's first defense of the titles against Bernardo Mendoza was made on December 7, 1996. He dominated the first four rounds by boxing, limiting his offense, although Mendoza had a timid offense. Vázquez discovered an opening in Mendoza's defense and put together a combination that resulted in a knockdown. Mendoza was able to stay until the end of the protection count, but his corner was forced after a second blowdown. Vázquez defended Roque Cassiani on August 23, 1997. Cassini shifted his head from side to side during the battle, resulting in multiple headbutts. Due to this, Vázquez launched the attack but took a more cautious approach. Cassini threw a punch in the tenth round, resulting in a knockdown. With scores 118-110, 116-112 and 116-110, Vázquez was eventually proclaimed the champion by unanimous decision. For the third time, he defeated Genaro Ros to remain for the third time on November 8, 1997. The WBA withdrew Vázquez's championship in March 1998, citing that he skipped out on the company's rules by not signing a deal against Antonio Cermejo's first competitor within the stipulated time. He openly expressed disappointment over the situation, citing that a deal was offered but not signed due to managerial differences with Don King.

This was followed by a competition against Naseem Hamed, the World Boxing Organization's champion. The confrontation took place in Manchester on April 18, 1998. Hamed controlled the offense by his speed, scoring four knockdowns. Following a second straight knockdown, the referee called the game to a halt in the seventh round. Vázquez's best round was the fifth, where he shocked Hamed by landing 26 punches against 4. Victory oversaw that the Hamed lineal championship would be canceled. When he got $600,000 as compensation, this was the most profitable fight of his career. The family was causing tense conditions inside, and they were being notified via phone of the findings. Vázquez started battling sporadically from this point onwards.

He returned from inactivity in 2000, defeating Antonio Antonio Salas and Russell Mosley before losing to Juan Lazcano in a tournament for the vacant NABF lightweight championship. He announced his resignation on December 13, 200, but he returned to action on February 22, 2002, defeating José Alfonso Rodro. Vázquez ended his career in that year after defeating Julio César Cardone and Eddie Saenz twice, as well as his last fight in Bayamón.

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