By Jake Donovan
He came along shortly after the boom of sons of famous fighting fathers, but familiar bloodlines were all that Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. had in common with his Generation Next peers.
It turned out to be the highest compliment he could receive.
In an industry where who you know often serves a lot better than what you know, Vazquez Jr. decided to go about his business the hard way and actually earn his keep. Sure, his father – former three-division champion Wilfredo Sr - helped open the door, and was able to push his son to become a fixture on the Telemundo boxing circuit.
But once the bell rings, what you know – or as has far too often been the case with fighting offspring, what you don’t know – eventually defines who you are as a fighter. The less you accomplish, the greater the chance your name will only be discussed in an accusatory tone.
Wilfredo Vazquez Jr was given that chance last weekend to show what he’s learned. Nothing but compliments and glowing reviews have followed on the heels of his fourth-round body shot knockout of previously unbeaten Marvin Sonsona.
The title opportunity turned out to be a well-calculated risk, as there were questions galore on both sides of the headlining bout in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
How will Sonsona handle fighting a natural super bantamweight in his first fight at that weight? Did he outgrow the lighter weight classes too soon for his own good?
As for Vazquez Jr, the greatest concern was whether or not a fight against someone of Sonsona’s ilk was too much too soon. There was also the matter of whether or not he was being rushed to a title, albeit a vacant one and not exactly against a top shelf super bantie.
The questions surrounding Vazquez were a refreshing change of pace from the inquiries and comments that normally follow his peers. Exploitation is immediately suspected the moment the son of a former world champion makes his way to our television screen.
There’s presently no greater example than Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.; his handlers never even bothered to disguise the fact that he was along for the ride as a novelty act, often garnering premium pay-per-view undercard slots against whatever Midwestern tomato can was available for that particular evening.
Still, Chavez Jr. managed to get better along the way, to where hope was held out that he would eventually grow into a contender. However, it wasn’t his skill level that would eventually hold him back, but his work ethic.
His sixth-round knockout of Ray Sanchez in late 2007 was the type of test he needed to endure at that point in his career to prove he could survive in the trenches and overcome adversity. It was supposed to be the springboard towards title contention, but instead remains his signature win.
Chavez Jr has since advanced to the junior middleweight and middleweight divisions, not because he’s a growing boy (though still a manchild at 24 years young) but because training like a world-class professional is no longer of any interest to him.
While he’ll remain a fixture on the independent pay-per-view circuit, what’s become abundantly clear is that nothing should ever be expected to come of his career. Some are trying to place greater hope on younger brother Omar, who remains unbeaten through 21 fights, but also largely against no-hopers and has already endured two close scares at that.
For what it’s worth, you can’t blame their handlers for stringing them along against such competition. There’s obviously an audience willing to pay to stay along for the ride. Not to mention that life hasn’t turned out so well for oh so many other fighting sons.
Jorge Paez Jr. was packaged as a child prodigy who would figuratively and literally grow before our very eyes. He has since been reduced to the club circuit, where he continues to struggle.
Neither of Aaron Pryor’s sons has amounted to much. James McGirt Jr and Ronald Hearns managed to make it to the Shobox level, but are presently on the rebuilding tour and most likely won’t ever advance beyond special attraction status.
George “Monk” Foreman is the latest to come along. His present record stand at 5-0 (5KO), but against competition with a combined record of 16-33-2, with 28 of the losses coming by way of knockout.
In reviewing the evidence, you couldn’t help but view with anything other than skepticism when Vazquez Jr’s name appeared on the marquee. Even more so, when you learn of his virtually non-existent amateur background.
But it was clear from the beginning of his pro career, just over three years ago, that the younger Vazquez had every intention of serving as far more than just another novelty act.
His father’s connections led him to Tuto Zabala and All-Star Boxing, the Florida based promotional outfit that has expertly guided his career just as they did for Wilfredo Sr two decades ago. But it all comes back to “who you know” taking you only so far, with “what you know” carrying you the rest of the way.
It was what Vazquez Jr knew – and continues to learn – that has led to his successful run. In addition to developing as an attraction in central Florida and on the Telemundo circuit, the 25-year old saw a gradual increase in competition once he began to grace our television screens.
The run began two summers ago, when the super bantamweight appeared in the televised co-feature against sub .500 fighter Felipe Almonza.
It was a dirty scrap from jump, but one dominated by Vazquez Jr for the most part. This fact wasn’t lost on Almonza, who ran early and eventually found a way out of the fight, twice going after Vazquez Jr after the bell, along with offering kicks and knee strikes, perhaps mistaking the ring for an octagon.
The tactics earned the Colombian a disqualification loss, but also sent a jolt to Vazquez Jr’s handlers, who realized that more fights like this would only stall his career progression. Other promoters would’ve bitched up and buried him on undercards against made-to-order opposition while trying to squeeze out every last drop of blood from the viewing public.
Vazquez Jr was instead asked to go from newcomer to prospect to contender all in one fell swoop. The next 12 months saw fights against comparative-level competition, to gauge how long it would take to line him up for a shot at any given title.
The wait wasn’t very long at all. The announcement of Sonsona deciding he could no longer squeeze into a super flyweight – or bantamweight – frame was viewed as a sign that Vazquez Jr was ready for that next level.
He could’ve choked once the bell rang, and chalked it up to inexperience and something to build on. Or he could’ve backed out of the fight, coming up with some mysterious injury, only to resurface months later in a non-descript fight and continue to move sideways like the rest of his peers.
Instead, he bravely embraced the opportunity to live up to the expectations of those who longed for a new entry to the short list of father-son combinations to win major titles.
With such ambition came a breakthrough performance.
Of course, the next question to be asked is whether or not the younger Vazquez can lead a career similar to his father, considered by some (but not yet quite enough voters) to be a borderline Hall-of-Fame candidate.
But Wilfredo Vazquez Jr has a long way to go from here to there. For the moment, he can take comfort in the fact that he doesn’t have to worry about accusations of living off of his father’s name or fighting in his shadow.
Nor does he have to worry about taking the phrase “Generation Next” as an insult; not when he has become the standard against which the rest of his peers will be measured.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
