Edward Vazquez

Two North Texans Pick up Straps at the Mecca.

Shuretta Metcalf made history Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, becoming the first Women's world champion from Dallas when Metcalf picked up the  IBF World Bantamweight title unanimously. She worked behind a stiff jab to keep Miyo Yoshida, originally from Japan, who now trains and flights out of Glesaon's Gym in New York at bay and unable to get on the inside and outwork Metcalf. In what was a competitive 10-round affair. Metcalf remained in control, removed any doubt from their previous fight, and picked up a unanimous decision by scores of 99-91, 97-93, and a much too close 96-94. Metcalf outpointed Yoshido last year in a much closer affair. Yashido went onto weather IBF strap by outpointing Ebani Bridges in San Francisco in December 2023. 

Also on the card was Fort Worth native Edward "Kid" Vazquez, who was in complete control of his scheduled 10-round contest with Kenneth Taylor, originally of Kansas City, Missouri, and now fights out of  Tyler, Texas. Vazquez controlled the fight and fought extremely efficiently off his front foot, forcing Taylor backward and displaying some power that Vazquez has not been noted for in the past. A second-round jab from the Fort Worthian staggered Taylor.. Vazquez was able to cut off the ring and keep Taylor against the ropes. The continuous pressure paid off, and Taylor and his corner had decided they had seen enough and kept their man on the stool, securing the stoppage victory for Vazquez, who moved his record to 17-2 (4). The victorious fighter seemed upset with the decision of Taylor and his team not to continue and waved his glove at him in disgust and appeared to tell him to come out and fight. Vazquez, 29, is a world title contender at 130-pounds and will look to add that world title in 2025 after falling just short in 2023 when he was robbed of a decision against Joe Cordina.

Vazquez to Face Cordina, end Fort Worth's 20+year World Title Drought

Fort Worth, Texas, is a city of nearly a million people and has a rich boxing history. Despite this Funkytown has not had a world boxing champion in over 20 years. The last time the 817 was home to a world champ was the legendary Paulie Ayala, who was forced to vacate his WBA World Bantamweight title when he moved up and fought Clarence "Bones" Adams, a fight that Ayala won by split decision. That world title drought could very well come to an end tomorrow night in Monte Carlo. In the first major card in Monte Carlo since the pandemic, Fort Worth native Edward "Kid" Vazquez will walk into the ring a 7-1 underdog against reigning IBF Super Featherweight champ Joe Cordina.

Vazquez has won four fights in a row since his hotly disputed loss to Raymond Ford in 2022, a fight that took home the"Robbery of the Year" award. The travesty of a decision, even Ford's promoter Eddie Hearn acknowledged that Ford lost, didn't keep Vazquez down. He came back just five months later and outclassed Jose Argel. He then got a big opportunity on a Showtime Card at the Punch Bowl in Carson, California. Vaquez scored an upset of touted Ukrainian Featherweight Viktor Slavinskyi. That set up a fight again on Showtime against Misael Lopez. Once again, Vazquez walked in as the underdog and again, scored a decision victory. The bout was the co-main event on a SHOBOX card and was promoted by Hall of Fame promoter Lou Dibella. The performance apparently impressed the legendary promoter, who quickly announced that he was signing Vazquez. Dibella threw a homecoming event for his new acquisition, and Vazquez put on a show in a non-stop all-action fight. He again scored a decision victory over Brayan De Gracia. That win moved the Texan's record to 15-1 (3) and set up this opportunity, a world title shot with Joe Cordina 16-0 (9).

Cordina, who is also promoted by Hearn, was rumored to be in fight discussions with fellow 130-pound world champ O'Sahquie Foster of Orange, Texas. Hearn had met and discussed a fight with Foster's manager. However, it is Vazquez who got the opportunity, and should he pull the upset, which Foster thinks Vazquez can. It could potentially set up an all-texas civil war unification fight between Vazquez and Foster. Foster did his part and scored a dramatic come from behind 12th round TKO of Eduardo Hernandez last week in Mexico. Now Vazquez has to go into Monte Carlo and pull one more upset to set up a unification scrap every Texas fight fan wants.

Edward Vazquez Shines at Riders Stadium

On a 105-degree day at Riders Field in Frisco, Texas, the heat seemed not to bother any of the combatants as all five fights went the scheduled distance, and hometown favorite Edward "Kid" Vazquez of Fort Worth delivered for his adoring hometown fans and delivered for his new promoter, the Hall of Famer Lou Dibella. Vazquez took a non-stop, all-action 10-round decision over Bryan De Gracia of Panama in the main event.

After a very competitive and bak and forth first six rounds of the fight, Vazquez started chopping his man down in the seventh. His relentless bodywork was paying dividends, and De Gracia was beginning to slow. A perfectly placed right hand set up by a stiff jab set the tone early in the seventh. Another precise uppercut snapped De Gracia's head back later in the round as Vazquez could not miss on the inside and showed a new level of elusiveness, slipping and dodging the heavy artillery of his opponent. "The Kid" ended the seventh in style ducking and dodging shots with his hands dropped, reminiscent of Pernell Whitaker, and the hometown crowd erupted with cheers for their man. The momentum of the fight had clearly shifted, while perhaps even on the cards, the momentum was now fully on the side of the Fort Worthian. A short chopping right hand stopped De Gracia in his tracks early in the eighth, and then a giant left hook moments later staggered Vazquez's opponent. The right uppercut and left hook o the inside were automatic and on point for Vazquez. With the fight clearly titled in his favor the last two rounds were perhaps "The Kid's" best. Vazquez said his opponent was in his ear talking to him, telling him, "He was going to outwork him" However, that was not the case as nobody outworks the Texan, and Vazques dug deep and landed with a beautiful straight right hand that took some more steam out of the Panamanian. Chants of "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie" began to pour in as Vazquez refused to take a step back and continued chopping down De Gracia's right hook left hand against staggered the fatiguing De Gracia with just over a minute left in the 9th. Vazquez closed the show beautifully in the 10th. Clearly emptying his tank in the final round, Vazquez started the final stanza off with a beautifully placed left hook followed by a right hand. Another three-piece combination landed nicely for the Texan as the Panamanian was fatiguing and began holding after the combination landed. Vazquez closed the show in style. Clearly the fresher man he was beating De Gracia to the punch, and when the fatigued fighter did fire off, Vazquez would counter with precision. The Fort Worth native delivered in his first fight with his new promoter, the Hall of Famer Lou Dibella, and took the clear-cut but hard-earned decision by scores of 96-94x2 and 98-92. The win moves Vazquez’s record to 15-1 (3).

Vazquez's FHG stablemate Joel "The Owl" Martinez, of Fort Worth, was also in action when he battled Austin native "Gusto" Sean Brewer. After a bit of a feeling out process in the opening round, where both fighters who are tall and rangy for the weight class tried to find the range, and was mainly a battle of the jabs. Brewer landed the best shot of the round, a quick straight right that landed clean on the chin of Martinez. Martinez got going in the second with an early straight left from the Martinez, a southpaw set the tone, a short flurry put Brewer back in the ropes, and Martinez had found his rhythm. "The owl" ripped a right hook to the body. The Fort Worthian scored with another crisp straight left hand. The Austinite looked like he was unable to close the distance as Martinez scored with the straight left hand and would rip with power shots on the inside, closing out a very good second stanza. The third was more of the same, setting up the straight left off the jab and then landing on the inside a double right hook to the head and body scored for Martinez midway through the third.

Brewer needed something big in the last round after Martinez rallied in the middle two rounds of the scheduled four-rounder. After a solid left hand to his body that scored nicely and perhaps served as a wake-up call, Brewer got cooking. Brewer backed his man up and on the inside, ripped off two right hands that landed cleanly. He finally found his range and was landing cleanly with his straight right as Brewer appeared to be the fresher man in the final round, Shouts of "Joel Joel, Joel" rained in for the hometown fighter, but the visiting Brewer was undeterred as the visiting fighter closed out the round landing precise right hands in the pocket. In a fight that Hall of Fame promoter Lou DiBella called "the most obvious draw, I've ever seen." all three judges agreed and handed in identical scorecards of 38-38, making it a unanimous draw. Martinez's record moves to 3-0-1 (2), and Brewer is now 4-0-1 (3). Post-fight, both fighters thought they would have won if the bout was a scheduled six rounds and they had two more rounds to operate, and both combatants expressed interest in a rematch. Hopefully, if the rematch does happen later this year, it will be scheduled for six rounds. Both fighters are, high-level, blue-chip prospects, and four rounds was not enough for either man to make a definitive statement.

The card also featured fan favorite and Dallas native Shurretta "Chiccn" Metcalf who moved to 12-4-1(2), by outpointing the undefeated Melissa Odessa Parker of Houston, who fell to 6-1 (2), a very close and competitive majority decision that went to Mertcalf by scores of 78-74 and 77-75 with the third card an even draw 76-76, was hotly debated, by DiBellas who said he would write a letter to the commission objecting to the decision.

In another highly competitive decision, Dallasite Josh Shipman moved to 5-4 (2) over Orlando Rashad Coulter in a battle of all Dallas-based heavyweights. Coulter dropped to 5-2 (3), and came up on the wrong end of his second straight competitive decision.

Eddie Vazquez Returns to DFW, Headlines Riders Field!

Hall of Fame Promoter and boxing icon Lou DiBella brings home Fort Worth, native, and Featherweight world title contender Edward "Kid" Vazques home. Vazquez, 14-1 (3), will battle Panamanian KO artist Bryan De Gracia, 29-2-1 (25), in Saturday's main event at Riders Field, in Frisco, in what is a most-win fight for each man. The Fort Worthian inked a promotional deal with DiBella Entertainment last month. This will be the first fight of that deal, and another win will likely get the highly-ranked Texan closer to a world title fight. Vazquez had not fought in his home state since November 2021, when he dismantled Ezequiel Alberto Tevez in less than one round. Over the last two years, Vazques has fought on significant cards all over the US, including in the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and the "Punch Bowl" in Carson, California. Vazques is currently riding a three-fight win streak with wins over touted contenders such as Misael Lopez and Viktor Slavinskyi. His lone defeat is a hotly debated loss in Arizona to Raymond Ford, a fight Ford's promoter, Eddie Hearn, acknowledged his fighter lost. Outside of that controversy, Vazquez has a flawless record. His opponent from Panama is also riding a hot streak. De Gracia has won five consecutive contest bouts, all by stoppage since his last defeat. In 2019, The Panamanian lost a thrilling slugfest to Eduardo Ramirez via 9th-round stoppage in Brooklyn's Barclays Center on the undercard of Lara-Castano.

In addition to Vazquez's return, the undercard is loaded with Texas talent. The Co-main event features fan favorite and bantamweight contender "Chiccn" Shurretta Metcalf, 11-4-1 (2), of Dallas. She battles undefeated Spring, Texas, native Melissa Odessa Parker, who captured the IBO Bantamweight title in her last outing by outpointing Mikenna Tansley in the Bayou Event Center in Houston.

Also on this card is a highly intriguing battle of unbeaten blue-chip prospects. Joel "The Owl" Martinez, of Fort Worth and an FHG Gym stablemate of Eddie Vazquez, will put his 3-0 (2) record on the line against the highly touted and upset-minded Sean "Gusto" Brewer, 4-0 (3) of Austin. Brewer now trains with former world champion Clarence "Bones" Adams in Las Vegas. That bout is scheduled for four rounds in the super featherweight division. 

Additionally, rising heavyweight slugger Rashad Coulter, 5-1 (3), of Dallas, looks to bounce back from his first career defeat. In February, Coulter came up on the wrong end of a close decision dropping an entertaining fight with Edgar Ramirez.

In addition to the loaded card, fans who purchase a ticket, are invited to stay and watch the live closed-circuit viewing party as DeSoto native Errol Spence battles Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight crown. 

Tickets can be purchased at the link below: 

Live Boxing at Riders Field w/ Spence/Crawford PPV Fight - MyProVenue™ (tickets.com)

Edward Vazquez to Headline Loaded Card at Riders Field in Frisco

Last month "Kid" Edward Vazquez of Fort Worth made headlines by announcing his signing with hall-of-fame promoter Lou DiBella. Now the 27-year-old Fort Worthian will headline a card less than an hour from his hometown at Riders Field, formerly known as Dr Pepper Stadium in Frisco, the home of the Frisco Rough Riders, the Double-A affiliates of the Texas Rangers. Vazquez, 14-1 (3), will battle Brayan De Gracia, 29-2-1 (25), of Panama, for the IBF Inter-continental featherweight belt. A strap recently held by Shakur Stevenson and Kid Galahad. De Gracia is best known for his previous performance in the US. The Panamanian was stopped by Eduardo Ramirez in nine rounds, in a fun back-and-forth affair on the undercard of the Brain Castano-Erislandy Lara scrap at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Vazquez last fought in February and outpointed Misael Lopez on a SHOWTIME, SHOBOX card that aired live from Topeka, Kansas. A card that was also promoted by DiBella and apparently impressed him enough to ink a deal with the North Texan. Vazquez is currently ranked in the top ten by the IBF. Luis Alberto Lopez is the sanctioning body's current world champion, and the top two spots in that division's rankings are currently vacant.

A loaded undercard also features fellow Fort Worthian and FHG Gym Stablemate Joel "The Owl '' Martinez, 3-0 (2), in a super featherweight affair. Dallas-based world title contender Shurretta Metcalf, 11-4-1 (2), will battle Melissa Oddessa Parker, 6-0 (2), of the fighting city of Spring, Texas, in an 8-round affair. Also on the card is hard-hitting Dallas middleweight prospect Miguel Angel Hernandez, 7-0 (6) will be in action in a six-round fight. Hernandez last fought on the Brandon Figueroa-Mark Magsayo card in California back in March and scored a six-round decision over Dario Guerrero-Meneses.

Fort Worth's Edward Vazquez Finds Himself in Top 10!

It's been an exciting few weeks for Fort Worth native Edward "Kid" Vazquez. He first signed a multiple-fight deal with Hall of Fame promoter Lou Dibella and now "The Kid" finds himself in the top 10 featherweight rankings by the IBF. It's the first time in the top 10 for Vazquez, meaning he can now be considered for a world title shot at any time. To be considered for a title fight by the IBF, you must be ranked somewhere in their top 15 and at number 10, Vazquez is comfortably in that wheelhouse. The IBF featherweight title is currently held by Luis Alberto Lopez, who captured the title in late 2022 by outpointing Josh Warrington. The number one challenger according to the sanctioning body, is Japanese KO artist Reiya Abe, the #2 spot is vacant.

Vazquez currently sports a record of 14-1 (3) and is coming off of a highly impressive points victory over Misael Lopez in February. Ahead of Vazquez in the rankings is #5 ranked featherweight Raymond Ford, who Vazquez, was robbed of a victory over last year. Ford was gifted a split decision victory in the "2022 Robbery of the Year." It is the lone blemish on the resume of Vazquez.

The Fort Worthian has had no easy path to the top that included being sidelined by a former promoter, having four fights in a row canceled during the height of the covid pandemic, and being the victim of one of the worst decisions in recent boxing history. Despite all of that, all of those distractions, Vazquez has stayed focused and gotten himself here, along with coach Ray Barrera owner of FHG Gym in Forth Worth, are now on the verge of getting a world title shot.

Fort Worth Native Eddie Vazquez inks deal with Hall of Fame Promoter

Fort Worth native Edward "Kid" Vazquez is coming off perhaps the best win of his career. A 10-round decision victory over Misael Lopez. The fight was promoted by Hall of Fame promoter Lou DiBella and aired live on Showtime. Lopez was the house fighter and has been promoted by Dibella since 2020. Vazquez's performance was so impressive the legendary promoter decided to sign Vazquez. The news became official on Thursday.

Vazquez sports an impressive record of 14-1 (3) and has won three consecutive bouts since the lone blemish on his record. In addition to outpointing Lopez, Vazquez outpointed Viktor Slavinskyi at the "Punch Bowl" in Carson, California, on the undercard of Sebastian Fundora vs Carlos Ocampo. The lone defeat on Vazquez's resume is a points loss to Raymond Ford in early 2022. A decision so bad Ford's promoter Eddie Hearn acknowledged his fighter loss and the scorecards were "quite poor." Vazquez trains at FHG gym with coach Ray Barerra in his home city of Fort Worth.

Fort Worth's Edward Vazquez Wins on Showtime, Moves Closer to World Title Fight

Fort Worth Native Edward "Kid" Vazquez took a major step forward in his goal to become the next world champ from Fort Worth. The 27-year-old scored a split decision victory over Misael Lopez Friday night in Topeka, Kansas, that aired live on Showtime. In a close and competitive 10-round affair. Vazquez got the momentum going late in the first round. When he scored with a right uppercut that buzzed Lopez. The momentum really started building on the "Kids" side in round two. Vazquez was able to cut off the ring and began having success with the left hook. One, in particular, scored above the ear of Lopez and put him on the canvas just past the midway mark of the stanza. The Fort Worthian had his man in trouble again in the fourth when a big right hand this time staggered him.

Vazquez was able to keep his man on the backfoot throughout the middle rounds while Lopez was trying to establish his jab and keep the Texan at bay. Vazquez was able to slip onto the inside and score with his hook and occasionally mixed in an uppercut in what was developing into a tight contest, The fight turned one more time late in the eighth, with the fight likely tightening on the cards, Vazquez he landed a left hand that backed Lopez into the ropes with about 30 seconds to go in it. It seemed to make steam out of Lopez, who spent the ninth round working off the jab and apparently fading. Vazquez stayed on the gas and closed out the ninth and 10th rounds and kept Lopez uncomfortable with the left hook. A big one landed for Vazquez less than a minute into the 10th and final round. Sealing the did for the North Texan given him a split decision victory by scores of 95-94 and 96-93, with the third judge favoring Lopez by a score of 95-94. Vazquez moves his record to 14-1 (3).

Vazquez is known for his incredible work ethic."Kid" said before the fight "I won't take any time off after this fight. I plan on running a half marathon when I get back to Texas on Saturday." It's that type of work ethic that has put Vazquez in the top 10 126-pounders in the world and has taken him from relative obscurity to knocking on the door of a world title shot in a relatively quick span.

Vazquez Picks Up Decision Victory; Inches Closer to World Title Shot.

Fort Worth's Edward "Kid" Vazquez continues to make the most of every opportunity given to him. Vazquez picked up an impressive split-decision victory, at the world-famous "Punch Bowl". The Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, outlasted Viktor Slavinskyi, of Ukraine to move his record to 13-1 (3). Picking up his second consecutive victory, since the egregious, bogus decision, he dropped to Raymond Ford, in Phoenix, Arizona, back in February on the undercard of Carlos Cuadras-Bam Rodriguez.

Vazquez delivered a highly impressive performance showing off precision punching, smooth defense and head movement, and solid power on the undercard of Fundora-Ocampo. A card that was televised by Showtime. Getting off to a quick start, the Texan built up an early lead on the cards. The Texan worked behind a stiff jab and was able to work his way onto the inside and take a close but competitive opening stanza. After a competitive first round, the Fort Worthian got cooking in the second. Two right hands dazed the Ukrainian. A short left hook landed on an off-balanced Slavinskiyi and should have been ruled a knockdown but was ruled a slip. Slavinskiyi kept up his high work rate and tried to fight his way back into the fight. However, Vazquez had an answer for everything, and that answer was typically a picture-perfect left hook that was landing with precision over the low lead hand of Slavinskiyi.

The Ukrainian kept up the high work rate and was able to sneak in a few clean shots. However, Vazquez was able to duck and dodge the Ukrainian's artillery and land perfectly timed counter shots with precision. By the sixth round, Vazquez was beginning to wear his opponent down. A thudding left Slavinskyi badly hurt early in the round. Vazquez kept coming forward and again hurt his man. This time with a right hand. With the fight clearly lost on the cards, Slavinskiy picked up the pace and valiantly tried in the last two to get something going but it was clearly not enough, as "Kid" rolled to a points victory by scores of 78-75 and 79-73 with the third judge again doing something absolutely egregious and scoring the bout 77-75 for Slavinskiyi whose record dropped to 13-2-1 (6).

Edward "Kid" Vazquez Returns on Fundora-Ocampo Undercard

Edward "Kid" Vazquez of Fort Worth returns to the ring on October 8th to take on Viktor Slavinskyi 13-1-1 (6). Slavinskyi originally hails from Ukraine and is now fighting out of Los Angeles, California. Vazquez sports a 12-1 (3) record and last fought in July and outpointed Jose Argel in the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Vazquez dominated the fight, winning every round on every card, on his way to picking up the unanimous decision victory. Before that, the Fort Worthian fought Raymond Ford at the Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. A fight with everyone on press row, everyone in the arena, and even Ford's promoter Eddie Hearn had Vazquez winning. Two of the three judges did the unthinkable and handed in wide scorecards favoring Ford!! In a fight, everyone in attendance had either 98-92 or 97-93 in favor of Vazquez. The bogus verdict looks like the robbery of the year for 2022 but didn't keep the Texan down for long "Once the call was made and they said that I lost, I was mad, for about an hour or so, and that was it. Other than that, I put it behind me." Vazquez said.

He will now battle Slavinskiy in an eight-round affair at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, which is colloquially known as the Punch Bowl. The scrap will be a part of the Sebastian Fundora VS Carlos Ocampo undercard. Ocampo has previously fought for a world title. He was stopped in one round by Errol Spence of Desoto in June of 2018. Slavinski last fought in February and was narrowly and perhaps controversially outpointed by Claudio Marrero. Prior to the Marrero fight, he narrowly outpointed Leduan Barthelemy and has a win over Vazquez's stablemate Clay "3RD Degree" Burns, also of Fort Worth. The card will air on Showtime.

Edward Vazquez Retuns to Ring on July 9 in Philadelphia

Edward "Kid" Vazquez of Fort Worth, fresh off of what should be a career-defining victory, will return to the ring in about four weeks in the great fighting city of Philadelphia. On July 9th, the weekend following Independence Day, Vazquez will headline a card at the world-famous 2300 Arena in the city of brotherly love. Vazquez last fought in February against fellow unbeaten featherweight prospect Raymond Ford at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Vazquez dominated the action and was able to slip on the inside and out work, out hustle, and outland his overmatched opponent and dominated most of the 10-round affair. Two of the three judges did the unthinkable and scored the fight for Ford. Ford's promoter Eddie Hearn didn't think he won either and said in the post-fight press conference, " I have to be honest with his fighter"  At press row, there wasn't a single member of the press that scored the fight for Ford. The decision is the leader in the clubhouse for "Robbery of the Year" 

However, Vazquez will shake off the egregious decision and look to get back in the official win column in Philadelphia. While the Fort Worthian did press hard for a rematch with Ford. Ford and his team opted to take on another unbeaten Texas Prospect instead in "El Castigo" Rick Medina of San Antonio. Vazquez will go in another direction and continue his journey to a world title. Given his performance against Ford, which everyone thinks he didn't only win but dominated from start to finish, in addition, to his other notable wins over Irving Gonzalez, and Adan Ochoa, another solid performance should have Vazquez who has an 11-1 (3) record in the world title conversation at126-pounds. No opponent has been confirmed for Vazquez at the time of publication. 

Edward Vazquez Return on July 9th in Philadelphia

Edward "Kid" Vazquez of Fort Worth, fresh off of what should be a career-defining victory, will return to the ring in about four weeks in the great fighting city of Philadelphia. On July 9th, the weekend following Independence Day, Vazquez will headline a card at the world-famous 2300 Arena in the city of brotherly love. Vazquez last fought in February against fellow unbeaten featherweight prospect Raymond Ford at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Vazquez dominated the action and was able to slip on the inside and out work, out hustle, and outland his overmatched opponent and dominated most of the 10-round affair. Two of the three judges did the unthinkable and scored the fight for Ford. Ford's promoter Eddie Hearn didn't think he won either and said in the post-fight press conference, " I have to be honest with his fighter"  At press row, there wasn't a single member of the press that scored the fight for Ford. The decision is the leader in the clubhouse for "Robbery of the Year" 

However, Vazquez will shake off the egregious decision and look to get back in the official win column in Philadelphia. While the Fort Worthian did press hard for a rematch with Ford. Ford and his team opted to take on another unbeaten Texas Prospect instead in "El Castigo" Rick Medina of San Antonio. Vazquez will go in another direction and continue his journey to a world title. Given his performance against Ford, which everyone thinks he didn't only win but dominated from start to finish, in addition, to his other notable wins over Irving Gonzalez, and Adan Ochoa, another solid performance should have Vazquez who has an 11-1 (3) record in the world title conversation at126-pounds. No opponent has been confirmed for Vazquez at the time of publication. 

Bam Rodriguez Becomes Boxing's Youngest World Champ

Seven days ago Bam Rodriguez was supposed to take what amounted to a stay busy fight against Fernando Diaz.  A kind of a welcome to the Matchroom family fight. Instead, he jumped up two weight classes and took on a legend of the ring and future Hall of Famer in Carlos Cuadras on less than one week's notice for the WBC Super Flyweight title. Rodriguez did the unthinkable and dominated the former champ, dropped him in round number three, controlled the rest of the fight, rolled to the unanimous decision victory, and captured the Super Flyweight title.  He became boxing's youngest world champion at just 22-years-old. He also joins older brother Joshua Franco as a world champion.

At the prefight presser Rodriguez said  “When I got the call, I had no hesitation,”. He added “This is my moment. San Antonio will have a new champion and a star will be born” High expectations, but Bam certainly did not disappoint. Landing on 258 of 688 total punches (38%). After a fairly close first-round Bam seized control of the fight in the second and dropped the former champion in the third round. He remained in control of the fight from that point on. Using his incredible angles and combination punching he was clearly wearing Cuardas down. Rodriguez pumped his fist several times while working to his corner, knowing his lifelong dream of being a world champion was becoming a reality. He hurt Cuadras with a body shot in the fourth. He staggered his man in the fifth with an uppercut followed by a left hand.  The San Antonian remained in control the remainder of the bout. Cuadras did put some good moments together and Rodriguez said "I am sore" and his face showed some swelling from the non-stop work from a rugged former champ, but his moments were far too few and short-lived. The 22-year-old San Antonian closed the show like a veteran. Firing off a four-punch combination that again Rocked Cuadras and after the two traded heavy artillery Rodriguez finished the final round with two-picture perfect land hands. The scorecards were academic as all three judges scored for Rodriguez, by scores of 117-110x2 and a much too close 115-112.

The undercard featured Edward Vazquez of Fort Worth, Texas, who was absolutely robbed out of a win. Vazquez out-landed and outworked fellow unbeaten featherweight Raymond Ford, over 10 competitive but mostly one-sided rounds. After the scorecards were read off 96-94 for Vazquez and 98-92 and 97-93 in favor of Ford, the crowd erupted in boo's and DAZN commentator responded to the decision by saying "Embarrassing" no other words were needed. Ford's promoter Eddie Hearn also acknowledged that Vazquez was impressive and deserved the decsion. 

Four additional Texans took the ring just a few hours away in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brownsville native Omar Juarez scored a split decision victory over Milano native "Cowboy" Ryan Karl in a highly entertaining, fan-friendly brawl. Juarez moved his record to 13-1 (5) putting most of the early rounds in the bank using his speed and precise counter-punching to build up a lead on the scorecards. Karl battled back in the second half of the fight and appeared to slow and a cut above Karl's eye caused him to fight with a sense of urgency and he was able to draw the prospect from Brownsville into a slugfest. The 10th and final round was an all-time keeper. The round started with Juarez landing back-to-back right hands that Karl took and answered back with a thudding three-piece combination. The fast-paced round ended with the two warriors exchanging toe to toe for the final 15 seconds.

The card also featured Corpus Christ native John Rincon coming back from a nearly two-year layoff. He scored an impressive unanimous decision victory over  Ramon Duarte Marquez in a four-round affair. Rincon moves to 6-0 (2) in his promising young career.

The main event didn't go so well for The Lone Star State as former 140-pound world titleholder Mario Barrios of San Antonio, lost a spirited battle to former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman. Barrios fell behind on the cards early but rallied a little bit in the second half of the fight, but it was too little too late as he dropped the decision unanimously to Thurman by scores of 118-110x2 and 117-111.

Two San Antonionians Headline; Six Texans in Action

The first major weekend of boxing of the new year is absolutely loaded and stacked with fighters from the Lone Star State. The two major cards this weekend are headed up by two fighters from San Antonio. Former WBA 140-Pound World champ, Mario Barrios, returns to the ring for the first time since his fight of the year type fight with Tank Davis in June of last year. Barrios suffered his first career loss to Davis, a three-division world champion, via 11th round TKO. Barrios moves up to welterweight for the first time and instead of fighting a soft touch, he opted for the biggest challenge of his professional career. He battles former unified welterweight champ, Keith Thurman in the main event of a card at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. About 300 miles away at the Footprint center in Phoenix, Arizona. Barrios's long-time friend and fellow Alamo City native Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez literally and figuratively take the biggest fight of his career. The 22-year-old phenom jumps up not one, but two weight classes to battle future hall of famer Carlos Cuadras for the WBC Super Flyweight strap and looks to capture the first world title of his promising career. A career that is expected to produce multiple world titles in multiple weight classes.

While Barrios and Bam headline the cards, the undercards are stacked with Texans. On the undercard of Thurman-Barrios, Brownsville native and highly touted jr welterweight prospect "El Relampago" Omar Juarez will battle long time contender "Cowboy" Ryan Karl, who hails from a town called Milano, a small town about 60-70 miles northeast of Austin, in an all Texas throwdown. Karl, 19-3 (12)  had previously fought for a world title when he lost to Barrios in San Antonio on the undercard of Davis-Santa Cruz. Juarez, the blue-chip prospect, is on the fast track to fighting for a world title at 140 pounds and sports a 12-1 (5) record, he suffered his first career defeat back in June when he dropped a split decision to All Rivera in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He bounced back nicely and scored a dominant one-sided decision over 40-fight veteran Jairo Lopez. The fight will air on Fox in the build-up to the Thurman-Barrios PPV. Also on the card is Corpus Christi native John Rincon. He puts his 5-0 (2) record on the line against 4-0 (4) Ramon Duarte Marquez in a battle of unbeaten prospects. After a quick start to his career that saw Rincon fight on several major cards, he has been out of the ring for nearly two years for a litany of reasons.

On the Arizona card headlined by Cuadras and Bam Rodriguez, Fort Worth native, undefeated Edward "Kid" Vazquez will battle highly touted and undefeated New Jersey-based prospect Raymond "Savage" Ford in what promises to be a TV-friendly fight between two unbeaten featherweight prospects. Vazquez has delivered action-packed fights in the past when he got up off the canvas to dominate Adan Ochoa in a bout that was televised on ESPN and then he delivered a non-stop fight of the year type slugfest and outlasted Irvin Gonzalez on the undercard of the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr PPV in November of 2020. Vazquez sports a perfect 12-0 (3) record and could be looking at a world title fight by the end of the calendar year should he beat Ford Saturday night at the Footprint Center

Two Texans take a Huge Step Up on DAZN Card

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez of San Antonio got the phone call that could change his life. On Sunday Rodriguez was the newest member of the Matchroom Boxing and was preparing to fight a solid opponent in Fernando Diaz for a regional belt. No small task. That's when the San Antonian got the phone call that could change his life. He was informed that Srisaket Sor Rungivisai who twice beat the legendary Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, was out of a world title fight with Carlos Cuadras, due to an illness and he was in. He would get his world title shot, one that even at just 22-years-old is long overdue for. It's just not a title shot it's a shot at a legend of the ring. One of the best and most exciting little men to have ever done it. It's also against a fighter two weight classes bigger than him. That's how confident Bam is and how confident his famed trainer Robert Garcia is and the rest of his team is in him. There was no hesitation to throw Bam in on short notice against a former world champ and legend of the ring that's two weight classes bigger than him on six-days notice. There is a mystique around the name Bam Rodriguez people don't just expect him to be a world champion they expect him to win multiple world titles in multiple divisions. He's one of a handful of fighters that represent the future of the sport. In simple terms "Bam is special". He gets to show the world just how special he is this Saturday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Should he win, should he jump up not one but two weight classes and beat a potential future hall of fame,  at just  22-years-old, Rodriguez would find himself in pound-for-pound discussions.

Also, on the card is Fort Worth's own Edward "Kid" Vazquez who, just like Bam, undefeated, but has taken a far different path. Vazquez found himself in a contract dispute that kept him out of the ring for prolonged periods. He finally got himself out of the contract. Signed with a new management company and got ready to fight. Then Vazquez ran into another issue, he had about half a dozen flights canceled due to the pandemic. One fight after another was postponed or canceled. "Kid" kept doing the only thing he knows to do. He kept fighting and he finally got his shot to shine. He got a fight on ESPN in the Top Rank bubble in Las Vegas. After a clean and impressive first round, the Fort Worthian found himself on the canvas and despite having just eight pro bouts got himself up, dusted himself off then controlled the final four rounds to take a decision over Adan Ochoa. He came back just two months later came back and on the undercard of Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr, Vazquez scored a thrilling decision victory in a fight of the year, non-stop, action-packed, eight-round war with Irvin Gonzalez to capture the WBC USNBC featherweight title. He has scored a few more victories in stay busy fights and again gets to play the role of underdog and spoiler. Raymond Ford had a spectacular amateur career and was one of Matchroom's most touted US prospects and after a brilliant start, he suffered a draw with Aaron Perez. He bounced back nicely and scored some quality wins but is now matched incredibly tough with Vazquez. The two unbeaten prospects have more than an "0”' in their L columns the winner will jump to the head of the line and could be in a position to fight for a world title later in 2022.

Two Texans Featured on February DAZN Card in Phoenix

Eddie Hearn's Matchroom boxing will visit The Footprint center in Phoenix, Arizona, and will feature two highly touted Texans on the card that is headlined by the rematch of Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs Carlos Cuadras on February 5th. Undefeated featherweight upstart Edward "Kid" Vazquez, 11-0 (3) looks to start 2022 how 2021 ended.  Vazquez, of Fort Worth, emerged on the scene in 2020 after having multiple fights that delayed his return to the ring in 2020. Vazquez finally broke through against Adan Ochoa in September of 2020 facing real adversity, being dropped in the second round, the Fort Worthian got up and dominated the final four rounds and took a decision victory. He followed that up less than three months later in a fight of the year slugfest on the PPV blockbuster that featured Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. Vazquez stood in with Irvin Gonzalez and traded shots at close range on his way to take a split decision victory capture vacant World Boxing Council United States (USNBC) Featherweight title in closing out a spectacular 2020. In 2021 Vazquez fought twice more and scored two impressive stoppage victories including a first-round TKO of Ezequiel Alberto Tevez in Irving back in November. He will take on Camden NJ native Raymond ford who sports a 10-0-1 record who is a highly-touted prospect with a sparkling amateur resume. He emerged on the scene looking brilliantly before facing the Fort Worth Wolf Tony Lopez, a stablemate of Vazquez at FHG, in December of 2020. Ford survived a scare and scored a seventh-round TKO. He then suffered the first blemish on his record settling for a draw with Aaron Perez. Ford has however bounced, scoring TKO's of Reece Bellotti and Felix Caraballo. 

The card also features  San Antonio's own Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, 14-0 (10). The undefeated 108 pounder is perhaps the best pound-for-pound prospect in the world. The now 21-year-old is long overdue for a title shot. The opportunity has eluded him due to covid and other reasons. He was our Prospect of the Year in 2020 and fought just once in 2021 but made it spectacular. Destroying Jose Alejandro Burgos over four one-sided rounds and scoring a sensational KO. There is no opponent confirmed for Rodriguez yet. Bam is the younger brother of WBA Super Flyweight world champ Joshua Franco.

Edward Vazquez Caps off a Breakout night for FHG & Fort Worth Boxing

It was an incredible night for the young up-and-coming fighters of Fort Worth, Texas. Four promising fighters, of all who train out of Ray Barrera's FHG gym handed in spectacular performances. The foursome went 4-0 with all but one coming by way of stoppage and one of which was an unimaginable come back. 

The night dominated by the Fort Worthians, that was dubbed "Homecoming" and took place in nearby Irving, Texas at the Southern Junction nightclub was capped off by a 93-second knockout victory by Edward "Kid Vazquez. The undefeated and highly touted featherweight who owns the WBC (USNBC) belt moved his record to 11-0 (3) and scored his second consecutive stoppage victory and the third in his last five fights. 

Vazquez came out strong working behind the jab with slick head movement. Just moments into the fight he saw his opening and scored with a left hook to the body of his opponent Ezequiel Alberto Tevez that dropped him to the count of about 8.5. Tevez bravely made it to his feet but the writing was on the wall as an aggressive Vazquez stayed poised and kept coming forward. Moments later he landed a right hand right on the button that again dropped Tevez and this time brought in the referee to wave off the bout just 93 seconds after the opening bell.

The co-main event saw "The Wolf" Return home. "The Fort Worth Wolf " Tony Lopez has had boxing take him around the world. Having fought in Las Vegas,  in the Staples Center in Los Angeles The Punch Bowl in Carson California, the Alamodome as well as many other venues, finally returned him. He made his homecoming a triumphant one. Staying patient the veteran Lopez threw a barrage of body shots that hurt his opponent, Diuhl Olguin, in the early stages. Lopez, a southpaw, worked behind his jab and with a major hand speed advantage flurried throughout the fight. He was able to work his opponent into the ropes and unleash four and five punch combinations against his rugged but overmatched opponent. With a loud cheering section behind him, Lopez taunted his opponent waving him in to come and exchange. In control throughout the scheduled six-rounds, Lopez stepped on the gas in the final round in an attempt to unload everything under the kitchen sink. Staggering Olguin several times but his tougher-than-nails opponent stood the test and heard the final bell. The verdict was academic as the "Fort Worth Wolf" picked up the win taking a UD by scores of 59-55, 60-55, and a much too close 58-56.

The two other FHG-based Fort Worthians on the card were Ben "Hill" Gurment, who scored the most unthinkable of knockouts. After getting knocked down in the opening stages of the first round from a stiff right hand from his then-unbeaten opponent Alan Rosas of Mexico. Gurment was stunned and rolled his ankle on the knockdown. He rose to his feet just before the ref reached the count of eight and fought on without his feet behind him an off-balanced Gurment was sent down yet again. Twice down in the first round, the Texan would likely need a knockout to win the fight. Behind the instructions of his trainer, Coach Barrera, "to stay locked in" Gurment stayed composed and fired his jab from the southpaw stance and began out boxing his opponent. Seemingly winning the second round and being the superior boxer Gurment seized control of the fight in the third, but winning rounds was not going to be enough. Gurment had to go for the stoppage, and after an apparent knockdown was rolled a slip, Gurment landed a thudding left hand to the body of his hurt opponent that severely slowed him down. Seizing the moment Gurment unloaded a barrage of power shots a left hand landed cleanly that buckled Rosas and a relentless Gurment did not let off the gas and unloaded on his wounded opponent bringing in the referee to wave off the bout at the end of the third round giving Gurment the TKO victory and moving his record to 5-0-2 (3).

Also on the card was Joel Martinez, a 6-foot tall hard-hitting southpaw Featherweight, who has a successful amateur career of over 150 fights. Saw him secure a second-round knockout in a fight that was allowed to go on way too long. Martinez, who is expected to be moved along quite quickly, was matched with a 2-0 (2) fighter for his pro-debut by the name of Bryan Macias. Macias was completely overmatched and hit the canvas a total of five times in less than two full rounds, A straight southpaw left from Martinez down the pipe dropped his man 1:20 into the fight. Macias was dropped again a second time right at the end of the first round from a right hook, left-hand combination that should have ended the fight right then and there. However, Macias was allowed to continue and was dropped twice more with the left hands in the first minute of the second stanza and then moments later with a sweeping left collapsed him like a building imploding on itself is 1:50 into round two secured the victory for Martinez in his pro debut to move his record to 1-0 (1).