By Robert Morales (photo by Tom Casino/Showtime)
BoxingScene.com has learned from undisclosed sources that Israel Vazquez will soon return to the ring and continue a career that has been on hold for 15 months because of three surgeries to repair a detached retina in his right eye.
Vazquez is expected to make that announcement Thursday during an international conference call.
Vazquez, 31, last fought March 1, 2008, against Rafael Marquez in Carson, Calif. It was their third fight in the span of a year and Vazquez's second victory in succession in what many have called the greatest trilogy in history.
Marquez won their first fight in March 2007 in Carson when Vazquez did not answer the bell for the eighth round because of severe cartilage damage in his nose. But Vazquez stopped Marquez in the sixth round in August 2007 in Hidalgo, Texas, before winning a split decision over Marquez in the third fight.
All three fights were with a super bantamweight title on the line.
Vazquez, of Los Angeles via Mexico City, is 43-4 with 31 knockouts. There is no word yet on when Vazquez's next fight will be, or against whom. Those possibilities are expected to be discussed Thursday.
Pacquiao Afraid: Don't Think So
This innuendo about Manny Pacquiao being afraid of African American fighters has been making its way around for the past two weeks, yet it was news to Freddie Roach.
"That is the first time I have heard about it," Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, said Wednesday morning via telephone from his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.
Roach was told this came from trainer John David Jackson, who is African American.
"John David Jackson. That is the most absurd statement I have ever heard in my life," Roach said. "Fighters aren't afraid of anybody. Managers make the decisions, not fighters. He must have a guy he wants to make some money with, that's all."
Indeed, Jackson trains Nate Campbell, an African American and former lightweight champion who recently lost his title on the scales.
Roach went on to note that most of the top fighters in the divisions in which Pacquiao has been fighting have been Mexican. But he also pointed out a few other things.
For one: "We knocked out (Lehlohonolo) Ledwaba. He's African. How much more African can you get? He's a real African, not like John David Jackson, who is an American African."
Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, was reached by telephone on Wednesday in Florida. He is there watching Miguel Cotto train for his June 13 welterweight title defense against Joshua Clottey. Arum was incensed that Jackson would suggest for one second that Pacquiao is afraid to take on African American fighters.
"Yeah, he is afraid to fight African Americans because he fought a bigger Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, which generated tremendous amounts of money," Arum said. "When people start this race s**t, it is unbelievable. You could say the same thing aout Mayweather, right? I don't see him fighting ("Sugar" Shane) Mosley. He fought (Oscar) De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in his last two fights, so it's clear he is afraid of black fighters, right?
"Of course, he isn't. It's nonsense and to start this bulls**t.... People use this ethnic stuff in such an evil way that it makes me disgusted. Every time something happens that is not to a person's liking, instead of saying this should happen or that should happen, they go to the race card. Any race card."
Arum used a political analogy to hammer home his point.
"Did (John) McCain say he didn't get elected president because he was white?" Arum said. "I guess he could have. It is stupid. Anybody who would give any credence to what Jackson said is a moron."
Arum also pointed to President Barack Obama's nomination this week of Sonia Sotomayor to become the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. Arum suggested some critics are bound to say she was nominated because she is Hispanic.
"She was chosen because she is a great judge," Arum said.
Furthermore, Roach said, not only has Pacquiao been fighting the best in the world, he has his eyes on Mayweather and Mosley, both of whom are African American.
There have been reports that Pacquiao was not interested in Mosley. But when Roach was asked if he had advised Pacquiao to wait until the result of the Juan Manuel Marquez-Mayweather fight July 18 before making a decision as to whom he would fight next, Roach brought Mosley's name into the mix.
"We're not so much waiting," Roach said, "but the best fighters that are out there for us are Floyd Mayweather, (Miguel) Cotto and Mosley. Those are the mega-fight guys."
Pacquiao has fought once at welterweight. He just knocked out Hatton at junior welterweight. Mayweather, Cotto and Mosley are welterweights.
"I can't think of anyone at 140 (junior welterweight) that would draw like those guys," Roach said. "And Manny wants to fight the biggest fights out there. Once we find out who wins those fights between Cotto and his guy and Marquez and Mayweather, I think we will be able to make a better decision at that point."
Roach took a shot at Mayweather when sizing up Pacquiao's next possible opponent.
"The easiest fight out of those three, in my opinion, is Mayweather," Roach said. "The other two guys are way stronger, way more physical. Look at Mayweather; he struggled against De La Hoya and his fight with Hatton was competitive.
"And Manny killed both of those guys. I don't care what the excuses are. A fact is a fact. He (Mayweather) won a split decision against De La Hoya. We didn't lose a round to either."
Actually, De La Hoya was given one round by one of the judges before he did not answer the bell for the ninth round of his fight against Pacquaio in December. And to say Hatton was competitive against Mayweather might be a bit of a stretch, though it did take Mayweather 10 rounds to stop Hatton, eight rounds longer than it took Pacquiao.
Roach was asked if he is of the mind that Mosley would be the most difficult nut to crack of the three.
"What he did with Margarito was great," Roach said of Mosley's ninth-round stoppage of Margarito in January in Los Angeles. "But remember, after Manny beat Oscar he told me he wanted to fight Margarito next because he knew he was beatable.
"Manny bet on Mosley (against Margarito); he won a lot of money that night. Mosley is fast, he is aggressive, he is strong and it looks like he would be the toughest fight out there. But then you have to take into consideration that Cotto beat him. Both are bigger than Mayweaether, size-wise. Mayweather can make 140 easy. He is just lazy."
As for Arum, he said he believes Pacquiao's next opponent could be either Cotto or Mosley. Presumably, Pacquiao will next fight in October.
"I think Mayweather would not really be available this year and I think Mosley or Miguel would be good candidates provided they got down to the catch-weight (of 144 pounds)," Arum said.
Why, Arum was asked, will Mayweather not be available this year?
"Because he's Mayweather," Arum said. "And, obviously, we're not going to wait until after the Marquez fight. There have been no discussions whatsoever with the Mayweather people at this particular point and as far as I know nobody is pushing the Mayweather fight."
Arum said the final decision will rest with Pacquiao and Roach.
And what if Clottey beats Cotto? Clottey, also promoted by Arum, is of African descent.
"Pacquiao won't fight Clottey, Arum said. "He is afraid of black fighters."
Arum, Pavlik All Good
Arum promotes middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. He downplayed a recent report that Pavlik and his father/co-manager Mike Pavlik are upset that the champ's scheduled June 27 title defense against Sergio Mora was postponed a couple of weeks ago because of a staph infection in one of Pavlik's hands.
The Pavliks contend that the hand was healed and the fight could have gone on as intended. But Arum said that he did not get news Pavlik had received medical clearance until after he had postponed it.
"We are making every effort to reschedule the fight," Arum said. "Everything is cool."
Arum said he is working on doing that fight in September. He said any bad feelings the Pavliks may have had toward him obvioulsy no longer exist.
We have explained everything to the Pavliks and entered into a new multi-year contract with Kelly, so everyone is on track," Arum said.
Arum said Pavlik agreed to that new contract on Friday.
Cotto Also on Track
Arum said the well-publicized physical fracas between Cotto and his uncle/former trainer Evangelista Cotto seemingly has not bothered Cotto a bit during his preparation for Clottey.
"That is the one thing I was concerned about and I came down here to see for myself and he is in tremendous spirits," Arum said. "It's a very workmanlike camp. it couldn't be better. He has just a few people with him."
Arum said Cotto is now being trained by Joe Santiago, who had been an assistant.
Robert Morales covers boxing for the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, and BoxingScene.com
