Former three-time world super bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez died at the age of 46. In early November, it was announced that Vasquez was facing the biggest fight of his life, a battle with stage 4 sarcoma, a malignant cancerous tumor. There were fundraisers, but this is the final fight that the Mexican fighter could not win. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman posted the following message on Twitter:
Thank you Israel for the great memories you gave us through your actions inside the ring, but more importantly outside of it. You are immortal now, rest in peace, everything will be fine. pic.twitter.com/Aa91vKT6cP
— Mauricio Solomon (@wbcmoro) December 3, 2024
Vazquez’s health concerns have plagued him since his retirement from the ring. In 2016, Vázquez had his right eye removed, referring to his ring career, which aggravated the problem after the supervision of a doctor and himself.
Vazquez, nicknamed “Magnifico,” hung up the gloves in 2010 after a third-round loss to archrival Rafael Marquez. While this fourth installment was a sad spectacle, their previous fight sequence is recognized as one of the greatest trilogies of all time. The punishment of the final quartet of fights took a lot out of both men.
Born in Mexico City, Vazquez turned professional in 1995 and later settled in California. He endured two epic bouts with Oscar Larios, defeating the first by last-round stoppage before getting revenge in his third round rematch. The arrest of Johnny Gonzalez in 2006 was also a highlight. Israel was defeated with a record of 44-5 (32 KOs).
Everyone at Boxing News would like to extend their deepest sympathies to Vasquez’s family and friends.
