Israel Vázquez


Israel Vázquez Castañeda is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2010. He is a three-time super bantamweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 2004 to 2005; and the WBC, Ring magazine and lineal titles twice from 2005 to 2008. Vázquez is best known for his series of four fights against fellow Mexican Rafael Márquez.

Professional career

In 1995, Vázquez made his professional debut in the bantamweight division at the age of 17. He stopped his first nine opponents before suffering a knock out loss himself. Fighting mainly in the US and at junior featherweight, he beat 11 opponents, most notably Óscar Larios, before losing a split decision to Marcos Licona.
Vázquez scored 12 consecutive victories, and in 2002, he met Larios in a rematch for the interim WBC Super Bantamweight Title. This time, he was outboxed and stopped in the 12th round.
Vázquez rebounded with a stoppage of ex-world title holder Jorge Eliecer Julio and won the vacant IBF Junior Featherweight title against southpaw Jose Luis Valbuena in 2004.
In the first defence of his IBF title he knocked out undefeated Armenian Artyom Simonyan in the 5th round. In 2005, Vázquez opted to fight WBC champion Óscar Larios for a third time with the WBC belt on the line instead of defending his IBF belt. He won the rubber match by technical knockout in the third round — after the fight was stopped due to a large cut over Larios's left eye, thus becoming The Ring and Lineal Junior Featherweight champion and ending Lario's streak of nine consecutive title fight victories.
On June 10, 2006, Vázquez defeated former champion Ivan Hernández. Vázquez defeated the WBO Bantamweight champion Jhonny González on September 16, 2006 in a bout where Vázquez was knocked down twice before coming back to win the match by 10th round TKO.

Vázquez vs. Márquez

In his next bout, on March 3, 2007, Vázquez lost his title to the number one ranked Bantamweight Rafael Márquez. Although Vazquez scored a knockdown in the third round, he retired on his stool at the end of round seven because of breathing problems arising from a broken nose. In a rematch on August 4, 2007, Vásquez regained his title. Despite suffering cuts over both eyes, he scored a knockout against Márquez in the sixth round in a fight that was named Ring Magazine's fight of the year for 2007. The third round of this fight was also named Ring Magazine round of the year.
He fought Marquez for the third time on March 1, 2008, rising from a fourth round knockdown to prevail by split decision in another great fight. Márquez was docked one point for low blows in round ten and received an eight count in the final seconds of round twelve. The fight was named 2008's Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine and the fourth round was named Ring Magazine round of the year. The Vázquez vs Márquez trilogy has been widely heralded as one of the best boxing trilogies in recent years.
On December 18, 2008, Vázquez was stripped of his WBC Super Bantamweight Championship after not defending the title for a certain period of time due to a detached retina he had suffered during his third fight with Márquez. Japanese fighter Toshiaki Nishioka's WBC Interim title was promoted to actual championship status after his victory over Genaro Garcia. After undergoing three surgeries, Vázquez was medically cleared to resume training on May 15, 2009.
Vázquez fought Marquez for a fourth time on May 22, 2010. The bout took place in the Featherweight division and was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, United States. The match was appropriately titled "Once and Four All" and carried live by Showtime. Marquez scored a third round TKO victory over Vázquez to even their series at two wins each.
Afterwards, Marquez stated: "The fifth one could be a possibility if the fans vote for it. That is what I live for. Israel Vázquez is a great fighter." However, it was felt by some observers that the much faded Vázquez should retire. Frank Espinoza, Vázquez's longtime handler, stated that his "career is over". The fourth installment of the Vázquez-Marquez rivalry was the last fight of Vázquez' career.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
49Loss44–5 Rafael MárquezKO3, 1:33May 22, 2010 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.For vacant WBC Silver featherweight title
48Win44–4 Angel Antonio PrioloKO9, 2:10Oct 10, 2009 Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
47Win43–4 Rafael MárquezSD12Mar 1, 2008 Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S.Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal super bantamweight titles
46Win42–4 Rafael MárquezTKO6, 1:16Aug 4, 2007 Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas, U.S.Won WBC, The Ring, and lineal super bantamweight titles
45Loss41–4 Rafael MárquezRTD7, 3:00Mar 3, 2007 Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S.Lost WBC, The Ring, and lineal super bantamweight titles
44Win41–3 Jhonny GonzálezTKO10, 2:09Sep 16, 2006 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal super bantamweight titles
43Win40–3 Ivan HernándezRTD4, 3:00Jun 10, 2006 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal super bantamweight titles
42Win39–3 Óscar LariosTKO3, 2:52Dec 3, 2005 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won WBC, vacant The Ring and lineal super bantamweight titles
41Win38–3 Armando GuerreroUD12May 31, 2005 Ho-Chunk Sports and Expo Center, Lynwood, Illinois, U.S.Retained IBF super bantamweight title
40Win37–3 Artyom SimonyanTKO5, 0:59Dec 28, 2004 Sycuan Casino, El Cajon, California, U.S.Retained IBF super bantamweight title
39Win36–3 José Luis ValbuenaTKO12, 0:34Mar 25, 2004 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Won vacant IBF super bantamweight title
38Win35–3 Trinidad MendozaTKO7, 2:45Sep 19, 2003 Centennial Garden, Bakersfield, California, U.S.
37Win34–3 Jorge Eliécer JulioTKO10, 1:15May 22, 2003 SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
36Win33–3 Justo AlmazanUD8Sep 26, 2002 Holiday Inn Express, National City, California, U.S.
35Loss32–3 Óscar LariosTKO12, 1:57May 17, 2002 Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S.For vacant WBC interim super bantamweight title
34Win32–2 Osvaldo GuerreroUD10Feb 22, 2002 Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California, U.S.
33Win31–2 Felipe RamirezKO5, 0:48Oct 25, 2001 Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
32Win30–2 Ever BelenoKO2, 1:49May 19, 2001 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.Retained NABF super bantamweight title
31Win29–2 Don Don ConcepcionTKO3, 1:31Jan 7, 2001 Texas Station, North Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Won vacant NABF super bantamweight title
30Win28–2 Eddie SaenzKO2, 2:12Oct 27, 2000 Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California, U.S.
29Win27–2 Javier VarguezKO3, 1:54Aug 17, 2000 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
28Win26–2 Amador VasquezTKO2, 1:54Jul 29, 2000 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
27Win25–2 Eddie SaenzKO3 May 6, 2000 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.Won IBA Continental super bantamweight title
26Win24–2 Héctor VelázquezSD10Feb 4, 2000 Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.
25Win23–2 Edel RuizUD8Jan 7, 2000 Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S.
24Win22–2 Adarryl Johnson6Oct 3, 1999 Lady Luck Rhythm & Blues, Lula, Mississippi, U.S.
23Win21–2 Nelson Ramon MedinaKO7, 1:26Aug 9, 1999 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
22Loss20–2 Marcos Licona12Mar 27, 1999 Tropicana Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.For vacant WBO–NABO super bantamweight title
21Win20–1 Agustin LorenzoTKO8 Nov 30, 1998 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
20Win19–1 Frank LizarragaUD6Oct 22, 1998 Scottish Rite Center, San Diego, California, U.S.
19Win18–1 Juan Manuel ChavezUD10Aug 10, 1998 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
18Win17–1 Oscar Javier GarciaTKO4Jun 8, 1998 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
17Win16–1 Antonio Ramirez6Mar 15, 1998 Sycuan Casino, El Cajon, California, U.S.
16Win15–1 Saul Briseno8Feb 21, 1998 Mexico City, Mexico
15Win14–1 Enrique AngelesTKO9Aug 30, 1997 Mexico City, Mexico
14Win13–1 Marcello NavaTKO4Jun 14, 1997 Mexico City, Mexico
13Win12–1 Óscar LariosKO1 Apr 12, 1997 Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico
12Win11–1 Erik LopezTKO3Mar 29, 1997 Mexico City, Mexico
11Win10–1 Abraham BarrientosTKO5Nov 30, 1996 Mexico City, Mexico
10Loss9–1 Ulises FloresTKO1Oct 5, 1996 Mexico City, Mexico
9Win9–0 Saul BrisenoTKO3Sep 7, 1996 Mexico City, Mexico
8Win8–0 Enrique MartinezTKO1May 3, 1996 Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico
7Win7–0 Joel NolascoKO2Apr 19, 1996Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico
6Win6–0 Cecilio Marino JimenezKO7Mar 8, 1996 Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico
5Win5–0Alejandro PantaleonKO3Feb 16, 1996 Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico
4Win4–0 Raul Gonzales4Sep 6, 1995 Mexico City, MexicoGonzales disqualified for an intentional headbutt
3Win3–0 Jesus RomeroTKO1Jun 21, 1995 Mexico City, Mexico
2Win2–0Sergio Lopez1Apr 19, 1995 Mexico City, Mexico
1Win1–0 Eduardo Rosas1 Mar 29, 1995 Mexico City, MexicoProfessional debut