Ailing Israel Vazquez should hear the Hall’s call

On and off for five years now – depending on the volume of new talent in that year’s class – I’ve put a check by the name of an unforgettable Mexican fighter I had the honor of watching from ringside, Israel Vazquez.

Full disclosure: There’s some sentimental feelings going on here because I was blessed by the fortune of elevating to full-time boxing/UFC writer for the Los Angeles Times late in 2006, meaning the first championship fight I covered in that position was Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez I on March 7, 2007.

That was the start of one of the top three trilogies of this century, behind only Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward and the Manny Pacquiao four-fight series with Rafael’s brother, Juan Manuel Marquez.

The storyline of the first fight was that Rafael was joining Juan Manuel as a two-division champion, doing so because Vazquez suffered a broken nose in the first round and could no longer breathe by the close of the seventh.

The pair staged a rematch in Texas five months later, and Vazquez gained his revenge by a seventh-round TKO.

As the trilogy returned to outdoor Carson, California, in a bout considered the “OG” event that leads Timothy Bradley to correctly nickname the venue the “war grounds,” Vazquez unleashed every fiber of strength remaining in a 12th-round assault that backed a leaning Marquez to the corner and convinced referee Pat Russell it was a knockdown.

That proved the decisive margin on the final scorecard, giving Vazquez a split-decision triumph rather than a draw.

It remains one of the greatest fights I’ve witnessed in person, was rightfully awarded the 2008 fight of the year and is Exhibit “A” as to why Vazquez should stand arm-in-arm with already inducted International Boxing Hall of Fame member Rafael Marquez.

Vazquez, 44-5 (32 KOs), reigned as a super-bantamweight champion from 2004 to 2008, defeated the likes of Jhonny Gonzalez and Mexico’s Oscar Larios along the way and ultimately lost vision in his right eye following damage done in the third Marquez fight.

The pair met for a fourth time in 2010, but it was an anticlimactic affair won by Marquez.

We learned last week that Vazquez, nicknamed “Magnifico,” has been struck by a damning form of cancer at the young age of 46.

“I just spoke to him. He’s resting at home. He’s very sick. The scenario is tragic,” World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman told BoxingScene Tuesday morning.

Vazquez met with staff at the prestigious City of Hope in Duarte, California, to discuss his diagnosis, and it’s unclear if surgery will be pursued.

“I told him, ‘Keep fighting,’” Sulaiman said.

It’s a crushing turn of events for the former champion who delivered the sport such lasting battles.

Beyond the fighting spirit he displayed, Vazquez has been one of boxing’s top ambassadors across Southern California, attending a stream of public events and regaling fans with war stories and his incredible sweetness. 

That impact was seen Monday as the WBC released a flood of about 40 video well-wishes from boxing dignitaries, including Vazquez’s countryman Canelo Alvarez. 

Because Vazquez starred in that first fight I covered for The Times, I’d often go directly to him when I’d see him at events. The warm smile, the stories and his brilliant thoughts on the state of the sport were always appreciated.

“He was in the most amazing trilogy – the top of the top,” Sulaiman said.

He should also be in the Hall of Fame.

According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame website, the 2025 class will be announced in early December.

We don’t know if Israel Vazquez can endure that long in this ultimate fight that comes upon us all, and if there’s a way to fast-track an announcement that includes his name, I’ll pray that happens.

For what it’s worth in the meantime, champ, you got my vote. And keep fighting.