By Dennis 'dSource' Guillermo
If there's one thing that can, and should be noted about former WBO super bantamweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. is that the kid keeps improving with each fight.
As it is, the 27-year-old son of Puerto Rican boxing legend Wilfredo Vazquez has made a name for himself in the boxing world. But a win over one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in Nonito Donaire, Jr. might very well be the fight that takes him out of his father's shadow.
Vazquez, however, is a aware of the dangers he is facing against the talented Donaire. And to help him prepare for his Feb. 4 showdown with the "Filipino Flash", Vazquez is enlisting a strength and conditioning coach and is putting and emphasis on defense in camp.
"We added a conditioning coach and we also focused on defense. I feel relax and focused," Vazquez told Aby Dauz in an exclusive interview published on dSourceBoxing.com.
Vazquez is also confident with his power and believes that he will be able to take Donaire's punches being the naturally bigger guy. He has campaigned as a super bantamweight and up throughout his career.
"I think and understand that it can be his speed; however, I also have speed; so I’m confident in that sense. This is my natural weight and I also hit hard (have power). It's not the same to see a 122 pounder on weigh in day and to see a 135 pounder on fight night. In that sense (weight wise) it favors me. I know I’ll resist the power that Donaire will bring that night because I’m stepping in the ring well prepared, and I'm going to win," added Vazquez.
Donaire, to his credit, isn't taking Vazquez lightly at all.
“He’s the type of kid that gets better every time he gets into that ring. He never had amateur experience but he became a world champion because he gets better and he learns. Each year that he fights, he just gets better. So you’re looking at the best Vazquez that will be facing me coming into this fight,” Donaire was quoted by colleague Chris Robinson recently in Las Vegas while training.
Dennis 'dSource' Guillermo is a prolific boxing writer. Follow him onTwitter, and for an archive of his work click here. You e-mail him at DennisGuillermo2@yahoo.com
