Ed Diler of DiBella EntertainmentThere are times when a fighter’s losses show their limits, and it’s just a matter of when they will realize it.
And then there are times when a fighter’s losses show their potential, and it’s just a matter of whether that will become reality.
For Edward Vazquez, for starters, he thinks neither of the two defeats on his 17-2 (4 KOs) record belong there. The first came via split decision to Raymond Ford in early 2022, a result boxing websites called “unpopular” and “controversial,” and even Ford’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, believed that Vazquez deserved the nod. Ford went on to win a featherweight world title last year and lost it in his first defense.
Vazquez, meanwhile, strung together several victories before landing his own title shot, only to get the short end of a majority decision against Joe Cordina in a close fight in late 2023.
“A lot of people thought I won the fight,” Vazquez told BoxingScene in a recent interview. “I thought I won the fight. I think that was my first real test at 130. And I thought I did fairly well for myself. And I think, you know, like everyone, including Eddie Hearn, they were making a pretty big deal about Joe Cordina being, you know, this knockout artist, one of the best 130lb fighters in the world. And I thought I had a pretty good performance for myself.”
And he thinks there are more good performances to come.
Vazquez has added two wins since and is currently rated 10th by the IBF at 130lbs and ninth by the WBA at 126lbs. The 29-year-old native of Fort Worth, Texas, hasn’t competed at featherweight since coming in more than two pounds overweight for a July 2023 decision over Brayan De Gracia. Vazquez says he only had four weeks’ notice and that his body hit a wall, but he feels terrible for not making the contractual weight limit.
Vazquez is confident he can make featherweight given the proper amount of time to train, but his eyes are on a rematch with a familiar face who recently joined the ranks at junior lightweight.
“I would like to have a rematch with Raymond Ford, who just now came up to 130,” Vazquez said. “I really want that fight with Raymond Ford. He said he wants to fight with me because no matter what he accomplishes or does in his career, he’ll always hear about how he really lost to me, you know? So I think that's kind of like a stain on his career that he wants to kind of try to erase. And so that's kind of where I’ve set my sight on.”
Ford has a date on April 12 in Atlantic City on the undercard of the Jaron “Boots” Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis welterweight unification bout. No dance partner has been announced yet. Vazquez wants the gig. The winner would be closer to another title fight. The IBF has Ford as its seventh-ranked junior lightweight, three spots above Vazquez.
The world title is newly vacant. Anthony Cacace – the man who beat Cordina – is heading up to 135. The news came in after Vazquez spoke with BoxingScene, though it was something he expected to happen. The IBF has ordered the first- and third-rated contenders, Eduardo Nunez and Masanori Rikiishi, to fight for the title.
Vazquez is hoping a rematch with Ford would elevate them into a prime position higher up in the rankings. “I’m a world title challenger. [Ford is] a former world champion. We have history together. We’re both American fighters. It makes all the sense in the world,” he said.
It’s been nearly three years since the first Ford fight. Vazquez feels he has improved, especially once he committed to boxing being his full-time job. He can dedicate more time, more physical energy to training, more mental energy to retaining what he’s learning in the gym.
“Now I'm able to just fully focus on boxing,” Vazquez said. “And during those down times, I'm able to watch film, even just talk to my coach or think about what he’s telling me and maybe even go into the garage and hit the bag and work on some of the techniques that we're working on. If you're trying to get to the top at some point, you definitely got to tap into that and be a full-time fighter.”
Vazquez is also now under the tutelage of a new set of trainers, though they are familiar faces. He’s working with Tony Cabello and Vincent Reyes, the same duo that started with him about two decades ago, when “Kid” Vazquez was truly a kid. He initially switched coaches about seven years ago, training with Raymond Barrera and then Ismael Salas. Cabello reached out after Vazquez’s unanimous decision over the 13-1 Daniel Bailey in May, inviting him to their gym just to stay loose and get some work in before returning to Las Vegas and Salas.
Things clicked with Cabello.
“Whenever he's saying things, it just rang a bell in my head, it's like a light turned on,” Vazquez said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is what I was missing.”
All of that — being able to dedicate more of himself to the sport, being back Cabello — plus his experience have combined so that a Ford-Vazquez sequel might go differently.
“Now I have the experience and the knowledge to be able to not make it so close,” Vazquez said. “Even though I thought I won, a lot of people thought I won [against Ford], I always think that there's things that I can do better. And now, being comfortable going those late rounds and having the experience I have now, I think that's definitely going to pay big dividends.
“I've learned to be smarter, you know, like I've always considered myself to be like the hardest worker in boxing. You know, none of these guys will ever outwork me – not even come close. Every time I come into these fights, I just know that I'm in better shape from these guys. But now I understand that being in shape is not enough. Being in tip-top shape, being able to outlast these guys, things like that, is not enough. There has to be some brains behind it, you know? I’ve learned so much. Having different techniques or just different game plans and different ways to think about a 10- or 12-round fight and how to break it down, things like that.”
Ford’s title win came last March, when he came from behind to stop Otabek Kholmatov in the final seconds of an excellent 12-round war. Ford then lost to Nick Ball in June via split decision and arrived at 130lbs in November, winning a wide decision over Orlando Gonzalez.
“Ray Ford took a lot of damage in that fight that he shouldn't have, but Kholmatov is a damn good fighter,” Vazquez said. “I think Ray Ford is better, is way more skilled than Nick Ball. I think going down to 126 probably did hurt him a little bit. He wasn’t able to just be his best self. I think at 130, maybe Ray Ford would be able to beat Nick Ball. Orlando Gonzalez is not really much of a threat, and I thought Ray Ford would be able to get him out of there.
“I don't think there's a whole lot about Ray Ford that's changed. He does have a little bit more grit, but he's still just a good boxer. I could be wrong: I don't think he has a very good IQ. I think naturally, he's a good fighter. He has good attributes. He's a hell of an athlete. He can move around. He can box. He’s fast. He’s quick on his feet, things like that. But I feel like there’s times, he just doesn't really know when to use his good attributes. He doesn't know when to use his footwork or when to sit down in the pocket. His IQ is not fully there. I don't know, maybe he’s developing and getting better at that. But as of right now, I don’t see a whole lot changing. I think Ray Ford is just Ray Ford.”
If Ford goes in a different direction for April 12, then Vazquez hopes his team — his management at DKO Boxing and promoter Lou DiBella — can land him another notable name.
“We can just keep pushing for one of those top five guys or one of the top 10 guys and continue to try to move up the rankings,” Vazquez said. “And continue to try to make one of the fights down at 126 happen. I would love to fight Nick Ball. Nick Ball is the WBA world champion. He beat Raymond Ford. I think, arguably, I beat Raymond Ford also. And so I think that would be a good fight. We’re both kind of built the same, He's kind of a smaller, stouter guy. I am also. We both like to come forward and fight, and I'm definitely not scared to go overseas. I don't see Nick Ball coming over to America anytime soon, but I have my passport ready and I'm ready to go overseas whenever I get that phone call.
“So those are the kind of things that I push toward my management. Instead of just getting these stay-busy fights, like, let's keep pushing. I don't need you guys to invest any more money into me. Just put me in there with the dogs and see who comes out on top.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
