Israel Vazquez, right, helping younger brother Damian inside of the Magnifico Boxing Gym in Huntington Park, Calif. (Photo: Cindy Gonzales)
By Chris Robinson
This Saturday night in Cancun, Mexico, Golden Boy Promotions will stage a show headlined by a junior lightweight title clash between WBC champion Takashi Miura and streaking contender Sergio “Yeyo” Thompson.
On the undercard, 16-year old Damian “Sugar” Vasquez will be making his professional debut when he squares off with Miguel Meneses.
A little of a year ago, Vasquez began creating some buzz around the Las Vegas gym scene after some brisk sparring sessions with some seasoned pros.
Vasquez was then training under the tutelage of Floyd Mayweather Sr., who heaped great praise upon him, but he now finds himself working with his older brother Israel, a former junior featherweight champion known best to fight fans for his memorable wars with Rafael Marquez.
Working out of his personal facility, the Magnifico Boxing Gym in Huntington Park, Calif., Israel was able to see first-hand the kind of attributes that his brother brings to the table.
“The way I see things, it’s very, very rare that a 16-year old has the potential to do the things he’s doing now,” Israel stated. “Dominating sparring partners at the age of 25, 26. That’s what makes him a very special young man and special fighter. I know that he’s going to be able to make his debut in devastating fashion.”
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