His Wife Diagnosed With Cancer, Longshot Rafael Vazquez Wins WBA Title in KO Upset
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent-Ringside
*Photo Credit: Robert Brizel
New York, NY (September 21, 2013)–Every sports fan loves to hear an incredible story about an athlete who overcomes incredible odds and the most difficult of circumstances to win. After winning his first eight professional bouts, Puerto Rican super featherweight prospect Rafael ‘Dynamite’ Vazquez of Brooklyn hit upon hard times. First, Vazquez lost a split decision upset to 3-6-2 Jhonany Collado. Then, his daughter was diagnosed with autism. And-after one year out of the ring-on the day before his comeback bout at Resorts New World Casino Aqueduct Raceway,-Rafael Vazquez found out his wife had been diagnosed with cancer.
At 8-1 with six knockouts, Vazquez was a longshot at best in the main event against world ranked southpaw Leon Moore of Guyana in a ten round bout for the vacant World Boxing Association Fedelatin and New York State Super Bantamweight titles at Resorts New World Casino Aqueduct Raceway on Saturday, September 21, 2013. Moore, 30-2 with 24 knockouts, had not lost a professional bout in six years, and had former world cruiserweight champion Wayne Braithwaite in his corner.
After a cautious even first round, Vazquez was a bit busier than the still cautious Moore in round two. From that point on, Moore, who had height and reach advantage, settled down and began putting rounds in the bank. Moore discovered by putting his front right foot on the outside of Collado’s left, he could come across with the left hand and frequently tag Vazquez in the head to score and do damage. He used this technique effectively to win rounds three four, five, six, seven and eight, and dropped Vazquez for a flash knockdown with the straight left in round four for a 10-8 round.
Vazquez took the shots well, and repeatedly tried to counter to the head. Once and awhile a good punch by Vazquez got through, but it was never followed up with any punch of consequence. The sixth round was noteworthy for its many heated exchanges as the bout turned into a toe-to-toe inside war. By the end of round six, Vazquez appeared to be taking too many shots, was fading and seemed close to going.
In the seventh round, Vazquez was taking shots on the ropes from Moore and it looked like Moore was close to closing the show when the impossible happened-the ring ropes collapsed and one of the corner turnbuckles imploded. In a bizarre scene, three technicians drilled and taped in the corner turnbuckle in question while an inspector at least one fight fan held the ropes in position. The two fighters sat in their respective corners wrapped in towels. After over half an hour, the ropes and corner padding repaired, the bout appeared ready to resume.
Suddenly, one of the ring ropes snapped loose again, and down everything came. The three technicians returned, and worked for another ten to fifteen minutes unraveling the corner hooks, resetting the loose ropes, and drilling and taping everything back together again.
The seventh round was finally completed, some 45 minutes later, and already the bout time wise had surpassed the old-fashioned 15 round bout. Vazquez appeared to win the resumed seventh round as the slightly busier fighter, but it was hard to tell how the judges would score a split up seventh round, with the two parts of the round some 45 minutes apart. Somebody had to win the two belts at stake.
In round eight, Moore continued to tag the clueless Vazquez with straight lefts. Vazquez was still unable to alter his game plan, stop headhunting or allowing Moore to get his front foot on the outside, though Vazquez was still trying to counter and was ‘in the house’. Meanwhile, midway during the eighth round, the unpredictable ropes began to sag again, so the three repairmen were busy drilling and taping the corner from the ring apron a third time during the round as the bizarre turn of events continued. Trying to prevent the ropes from collapsing a third time and perhaps creating a strange no-contest, the workmen struggled to repair the ropes and were ultimately successful, as the strange ring circus continued to evolve.
In round nine, Vazquez, hungry and desperate, abandoned his headhunting counter shot game plan and went for broke, letting his hands go. As Vazquez rallied, he soon pinned Moore on the ropes and began landing flurries of body shots on a suddenly tiring Moore, which brought the crowd to its feet. As the two fighters shifted to ring center, in the heated exchange which followed as the two fighters battled it out toe-to-toe on the inside, Vazquez landed a right uppercut followed by a desperation left hook bomb which caught Moore flush on the chin and twisted Moore’s head in a ugly direction, sending the unconscious Moore down to the canvas knocked out cold in a shocking upset.
The local pro-Vazquez crowd, which had long given up hope, rose to its feet with a cheering standing ovation for Vazquez over five minutes when the bout ended, with Moore remaining flat on the canvas receiving medical attention for at least ten minutes. The fight crowd went bonkers nuts at the wild ending, and as the chaotic scene in the ring unfolded, event co-promoter Kevin O’Sullivan of New Legend Boxing had only one word to describe his main event ten round bout. “Crazy!” noted Sullivan. The time of the knockout got lost as ring announcer David Diamante’s microphone announcement was drowned out in the mad scene which followed. Former world champions Junior Jones, Juan LaPorte, Paulie Malignaggi, Luis Collazo and Leona Brown, heavyweight contender Monte Barrett, boxers Ashley Theophane, Will Rosensky and Juan Baby Tito Dominguez, and HBO’s Harold Lederman, were among those at ringside.
Courageous, hungry and desperate, and with his wife’s medical condition likely on his mind, Vazquez-a longshot underdog-focused his concentration on his objective-overturned the apple cart and knocked out Moore, bring down the casino house. In the process, Vazquez took the bookies-and the BoxRec super bantamweight ranking of Moore-to the cleaners. There is nothing so dangerous as a hungry wounded lion. Sitting in his corner with wild sad eyes during the ring repair, Vazquez saw his entire life flash before his eyes, and returned to the action when the ring was repaired willing to put his life on the line for the sake of his family. The odds went out the window, as Vazquez explained in the post fight interview “I fought for my family. I did what I had to do. God is beautiful.”
Result: Rafael Vazquez KO 9 Leon Moore, Super Bantamweights
Vazquez wins Vazquez New York State Super Bantamweight championship
Vazquez Wins Vacant WBA Fedelatin Super Bantamweight Championship
Referee: Shada Murdaugh
Moore was ahead 78-73, 78-73 and 78-74 at the time of the knockout.
Resorts New World Casino Aqueduct Raceway Boxing Undercard
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11-0-2 Galarza Wins Vacant New York State Junior Middleweight Title
Amanda Serrano TKO 2 Kerri Hill, Female Junior Welterweights (2 minute rounds)
Bryant Cruz Win 6 Jesus Bayron, Junior Lightweights
Ytalo Perea (a John Tate lookalike) Win 4 Evan Nedd, heavyweights
Angel Garcia Win 4 Nuwan Jayakody, Junior Lightweights
Jonathan Rodriguez TKO2 Eric George, Cruiserweights
Villi Bello (Debut) Win 4 Anthony Birmingham, Junior Middleweights
Allan Phelan TKO 2 Benjamin Burgos, Lightweights
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