Miguel Vazquez is one of the best fighters in the world, but many fans have never heard of him, let alone seen him fight. If they tune into HBO Boxing After Dark on Saturday, October 27, they will get their chance.
Vazquez is set to take on fellow Mexican and formidable challenger Marvin Quintero.
If you like action-packed fights, this is one to watch—even if you've never heard of either fighter.
Vazquez is the reigning IBF lightweight title-holder. His record of 31-3 with 13 KO's is impressive. He doesn't pack a huge wallop, but it isn't because he doesn't throw punches. He applies pressure with his movement, as well as his punch output.
Quintero doesn't have any trouble bringing pressure or power. He's 25-3 with 21 KOs in his career. Both men are 25 years old, and they hope this fight will launch them into bigger and better opportunities.
Who will win this war?
Here's how you can watch it:
When: Saturday, October 27 at 9:45 p.m. ET
Where: Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York
TV: HBO
Live Stream: HBO GO (Pay Service)
The Book on Vazquez
The last time a relatively unknown, but talented non-American made their HBO debut at Turning Stone, he really made a statement. That fighter was Gennadiy Golovkin. In September, Golovkin scored an impressive fifth-round TKO over Grzegorz Proksa.
Vazquez doesn't have the power to win like Golovkin did, but he can still be impressive. He's hoping he can grab the attention of American boxing fans.
He's had more fights in the United States than Golovkin has, but his lack of power hasn't garnered him the respect he deserves in America. As a pure boxer he's the most talented lightweight in the world. At 5'10", he's extremely long for the lightweight division.
He has great reach, and he's technically sound. At times, he can be a slow-starter, but he has seemingly matured and grown out of that tendency a bit. This was the case in his 2009 bout with hard-punching Breidis Prescott.
Here are a few highlights from that fight:
As you saw, Vazquez started slowly, and was even dropped early. He didn't panic, and he slowly outboxed the more experienced Prescott the rest of the way to earn the victory.
Vazquez has won 10 straight fights, including capturing the IBF crown by defeating Ammeth Diaz in January. This will be his third fight of the year, and the 25-year old seems to look better and better every time in and out.
Vazquez has his sights set high.
In this video from Koncrete Jungle, Vazquez talks about beating Quintero, but he also says he would "expose" Adrien Broner if they ever met.
That's a tall order, we'll have to see what happens against Quintero first.
The Book on Quintero
Quintero is purely an offensive fighter. He throws bombs, and he's looking to take his opponent out at all time. While he's doing that, he has a tendency to drop his hands.
It makes him vulnerable to skilled counter-punchers, as well as fighters with proficient jabs. The video below is an example of Quintero at his best. He completely demolishes Enrique Ramirez with a steady barrage of punches.
Ramirez simply doesn't have the speed or firepower to keep Quintero at bay.
This next video is an example of Quintero being out-quicked, and beaten to the punch repeatedly by Tyrone Harris.
It's apparent that Quintero simply doesn't know how to back up or to defend when he's taking shots. All three of Quintero's losses have come by way of KO. With him, it's generally all or nothing.
At 5'7" with a 65" reach, he'll be giving up three inches in height and seven inches in reach to Vazquez.
His style and lack of height make winning this fight a long shot. However, this is boxing and stranger things have happened.
Prediction
Vazquez will dominate this fight with his jab, length and overall sharper in-ring skills. He could score a late-round stoppage, but I'll say he'll win by a clear unanimous decision.
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