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WBO super bantamweight (122 pounds) king, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, joined All Star Boxing on Tuesday to award five seniors from the Osceola Country School District in Kissimmee, Fla., one scholarship each worth $1,000.
The students, Rachel Smith, Maria Arroyo, Albert Prevost, Javier Grisales and Roberta Valladares, were required to have at least a minimum 2.5 grade point average and submit a 750-word essay on the history of the sport of boxing.
The scholarship program is part of the celebration of the the upcoming, Oct. 16 world title defense for the 26-year-old Vazquez (19-0-1, 16 knockouts), who will face 27-year-old Ivan Hernandez (27-4-1, 17 KOs) of Ensenada, Baja California, Mex., at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla.
Nicknamed "WV 2, Vazquez is the son of the former world champion by the same name. Vazquez Jr. has won four straight fights by knockout, and is riding a 10-fight winning streak that includes eight stoppages.
Vazquez Jr. has fought his last two bouts at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and is making his Florida debut.
"We have the Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. pay per view, where he's going to be defending his title in Florida. It will be his first title defense in Florida and its Puerto Rican community," said Vazquez's manager, Tony Gonzalez, who is looking to popularize Vazquez Jr. similar to Puerto Rican countryman and WBO featherweight (126 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs).
"Wilfredo is trying to cross over like JuanMa did, and just like all of the great Puerto Rican fighters of the past have done," said Gonzalez. "He's fighting a strong, Mexican kid in Ivan Hernandez. But Wilfredo is a good kid, and there's a lot of history to his name."
Vazquez is coming off of a May, 29, 10th-round knockout of previously undefeated Zsolt "Mr. Left hook" Bedak (15-1, five KOs), of Hamburg, Germany.
In February, Vazquez earned the WBO crown by scoring a fourth-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Marvin Sonsona (14-1-1, 12 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, who was being called "The Next Manny Pacquiao."
Hernandez has scored two consecutive knockouts since being stopped in the third round in October by Toshiaki Nishioka in failed bid to earn the WBC super bantamweight crown.
Hernandez, who is coming off of May's fifth-round knockout of Lizandro de Los Santos, earned the WBO super flyweight (115 pounds) title with a Sept., 2004 eighth-round knockout of Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson.