By Manny V. - Israel Vazquez sat down for a one on one interview with Liverpuncher.com  He spoke to us about his upcoming fight with Rafael Marquez.  Some topics he touched on were the state of the featherweights including fighters like Juan Manuel Lopez, plus what he felt was the difference in beating Marquez the last time.  In part 2 of the interview, he tells us who he wants next, his thoughts on Pacquiao vs Mayweather, and the blood testing issue...stay tuned!  Read on for the interview transcript...

 

Liverpuncher:  Here we are with the champion Israel Vazquez in Hollywood California.  How is training going Israel?

Vazquez:  Its going really good.  Everything is going according to plan and we are going to end up in great condition by the day of the fight.

Liverpuncher:  That’s great.  So this is going to be your second fight at the featherweight division.  How do you feel about the weight?

Vazquez:  I feel really good.  There is no problem with the weight, I feel strong.  Before this we fought at 122 pounds and now with 4 more pounds we are going to arrive very strong since this is our second fight at this weight. 

Liverpuncher:  So this fight will not be for your WBC title, how do you feel having to vacate the belt?

Vazquez:  It was a bit hard, but we had to do it.  I had to leave it primarily to look for new horizons.  So in this case I’m going to look for a new title at the featherweight division.

Liverpuncher:  So in this division there are lots of very good fighters like Juan Manuel Lopez, Yoriorkis Gamboa, Daniel Ponce De Leon.  Tell us a little about these guys.  For example what do you think of Juan Manuel Lopez?

Vazquez:  Well logically these are all very good fighters that are doing well now.  They are young and just like all of us are looking to get to the next step, the “big leagues” as they say.  Nonetheless I think he is still lacking a bit.  He has been in there with tough guys, but nobody who would really take him to the next level. 

Liverpuncher:  That is most likely true, and perhaps they don’t have the experience you have.

Vazquez: Yes a little bit.  They all had long amateur careers.  Because of that when they get to the professional ranks and face guys with the same professional experience, they are much better.  That is simply because they were successful amateurs. 

Liverpuncher:  And regarding your next rival, Rafael Marquez.  Tell us a little about him.  He does have professional experience with a good punch.  What do you think of him?

Vazquez:  I’ve fought Rafael 3 times now.  He has lots of experience, a good punch, good technique, but even those types of fighters are beatable.  I have demonstrated now with two big wins against him that this time I will be able to close the book with 3 wins for me and 1 for him.  I’ll win more convincingly this time than before and that is the reason I’m preparing so well for the fight because I know he is a great fighter. 

Liverpuncher:  Like you said you won the last fight, so what is it that you learned since the first fight? 

Vazquez:  Well in the first fight I felt we fought smart.  We tried to close the distance because he has long arms.  We wanted to be on top of him the whole time.  By the last fight we changed it up a bit and tried to do the similar game plan as in the second fight but we knew he would be prepared.  But what I think was the difference was to close the fight strong in the final moments.  It as a close fight with me going down once, and him having a point deduction.  So I think it was the last round that gave me the victory.
 

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