Rau’shee Warren makes a statement with a second round destruction over Damien Vazquez
An opportunity at redemption has turned into a possible breakthrough fight for bantamweight Damien Vazquez (15-3-1, 8 KOs) as he squares off against former WBA “super’ world 118-pound champ Rau’shee Warren (19-3, 5 KOs) at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California in a scheduled ten-round contest. There’s a lot on the line for both men.
This is a fight Warren cannot afford to overlook. The 34-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio has been a mainstay at bantamweight and ranks first at 118 pounds (WBA). He is on the cusp of what could be his last world title shot.
Vazquez is on the comeback trail. In his last outing, he was stopped in nine rounds by current WBC/WBA ‘regular’ world 122-pound champion Brandon Figueroa. Originally, Vazquez was to fight a rematch against former WBA ‘super’ World bantamweight champion Juan Carlos Payano. Payano won by eight-round decision in March of 2019. However, when team Vazquez was offered the chance to fight Warren instead at 118, they jumped at the opportunity. A win puts him right back in the thickets of the 118/122-pound landscape.
A DIFFERENT RAU’SHEE WARREN
Warren is normally a guy who likes to box at a distance. Here though, he opened the fight in the center of the ring and threw with mean intent. Midway through the opening round, Vazquez was dropped on the seat of his pants by way of a Warren right hook. Seconds later, that same punch by Warren produced the second knockdown in the round.
The southpaw from Cincinnati fought like someone who had something to prove. He had the faster hands and feet, and he used that speed to setup and ultimately finish his opponent off in the second. With forty-three seconds to go in the round, a beautiful right jab-left cross put down Vazquez for a third and final time of the bout.
Understanding what was on the line, Warren produced arguably the most impressive performance of his career. After the fight, he said he would love to face the winner of the showdown between WBO world bantamweight champ John Riel Casimero and Guillermo Rigondeaux.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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