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Sammy Vasquez Jr. faces Luis Collazo July 16 in Wilder-Arreola co-feature

Fighters Network
21
Jun

Sammy-Vasquez-feature

Sammy (The Sergeant) Vasquez Jr., an undefeated welterweight, will follow in the footsteps of many former prospects before him when he challenges Luis Collazo on July 16 in the co-feature to Deontay Wilder’s heavyweight title defense against Chris Arreola on Fox.

The matchup was announced on Tuesday and will feature a former titleholder in Collazo who has faced so many ex-world champions it’s almost hard to keep track. The 35-year-old Collazo (36-7, 19 knockouts) was last seen hurting Keith Thurman with a body shot before he succumbed to a cut and quit after the seventh round last July. The Brooklyn southpaw has also fought Amir Khan (lost), Victor Ortiz (won), Andre Berto (lost), Shane Mosley (lost), Ricky Hatton (lost) and Jose Rivera (won), though some of the decision losses could have easily gone the other way.

“I’m totally stoked about this fight against Sammy Vasquez,” said Collazo, who nearly retired after the loss to Thurman. “He is a talented fighter and I’m excited to test his abilities and the will that he has to keep that zero. This will be a good one.”



Pennsylvania’s Vasquez (21-0, 15 KOs) sounded eager to add Collazo’s name to his expanding resume. Vasquez previously served two tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the national guard and admits he used boxing to help him adjust to society after he returned home from the battlefield.

Televised coverage of the July 16 fight from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama starts at 8 p.m. ET with two more hours of fights on FS1 and Fox Deportes following at 10 p.m. ET with details to be announced.

“This is a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to showcasing my talent and skills,” Vasquez said. “Luis Collazo is one of the toughest guys I’ve fought so far and he’s definitely going to test me. My job is to go in there, handle my business and beat him worse than anyone else has. I think our styles will combine for a great battle and I’m excited to give the people another great fight.”

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