Surprised no one has tried making a comparison between these two. Who do you think was the greater fighter of the two in your opinion? Who was more exciting to watch? Personally they're both equally entertaining to watch and it's really hard to pick one over the other. I think Izzy was a bit more skilled and crafty and his wins over Rafael Marquez and Jhonny Gonzalez outweigh Gatti's best wins.
Nobody has made the comparison because Vazquez was definitely better and Gatti definitely had the better fights in total.
To me an "oldtimer" [sorry about that], the name Israel Vasquez brings a smile to my face because he was as thrilling a featherweight I ever saw. He was as great a left-hooker as any small man I ever did see and deserves more adulation on ESB for his record of never being in a dull fight ever...
Israel Vasquez was one bad dude. The brutal whoopings he put on Marquez effectively ruined him as a belt holder/top contender.
I'd say both men owed boxing nothing. They were great entertainers, but I think it is fair to say Vasquez was the " better " fighter.
Vasquez without question. Gatti never beat anyone remotely as good as Rafeal Marquez. Don't get me wrong, I love Gatti as a fighter but Vasquez was better pound for pound
Yeah, Vasquez was the better fighter. But who was more exciting? Gatti had unforgettable fights with Wilson Rodriguez (my personal favourite of his wars), Gabriel Ruelas, Ivan Robinson and, of course, two classics out of the three fights with Mickey Ward. Vasquez had the three wars with Rafael Marquez but also fantastic fights with Oscar Larios and Jhonny Gonzalez. Maybe just Gatti, but not by much.
