Sammy Vasquez vs. Luis Collazo set for Feb. 2

Dec

In an intriguing crossroads bout, welterweights Sammy Vasquez and Luis Collazo square off on Feb. 2, Premier Boxing Champions recently announced.

The 10-round bout will take place at the Horseshoe Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. Collazo-Vasquez will headline a three-bout telecast on FS1, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.

Vasquez (21-1, 15 knockouts), who resides in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania suburb of Monessen, was scheduled to face Collazo on July 16, but Collazo withdrew from the fight, citing a calf injury.

Felix Diaz was brought in as a replacement and ended up winning a close 10-round unanimous decision over Vasquez.

The bout between Vasquez and Collazo will pit two southpaws who cannot afford a loss, considering how deep the 147-pound division is.

“I’m eager to get back in the ring and give the fans a great fight,” said Vasquez, who served two tours of duty in the Middle East with the National Guard. “Fighting a tough veteran like Luis Collazo, who has a lot of heart and experience, is the type of fight I’m looking for.

“The fans are going to seed a good fight between two guys who are hungry to get a victory.”

Collazo (36-7, 19 KOs), who held a belt at 147 pounds 10-and-a-half years ago, has not fought since July of 2015, when he remained on his stool after the seventh round in his WBA title bout against Keith Thurman.

Collazo, who is originally from Brooklyn, New York, has lost two of his last three bouts.

“I’m totally stoked about this fight against Sammy Vasquez,” said Collazo. “He is a talented fighter and I’m excited to test his abilities and the will that he has to win.”

Also on the broadcast, welterweight Yordenis Ugas (17-3, 8 KOs) will face Levan Ghvamichava in a 10-round bout.

Ugas’ latest two fights have seen him defeat unbeaten prospects Jamal James, on Aug. 12, and Bryant Perrella on Sept. 27.

Ghvamichava (17-2-1, 13 KOs), who hails from Poti, Georgia, and now resides in the Oakland area, stopped Breidis Prescott on July 12.

Opening the “PBC on FS1” broadcast will be a 10 round junior welterweight bout between Ryan Karl (13-0, 9 KOs) and Eddie Ramirez (15-0, 10 KOs).

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper, BoxingScene.com and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.

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