Israel ''Magnifico'' Vazquez Plans Return For 2012.

We never like to concede that it will happen, but it is almost invariably the case, that when a much loved and/or legendary fighter loiters around in this sport past their sell-by date our memories of them are tainted to some degree. There's countless examples from over the years, even now, allegorical figures in boxing such as Roy Jones Jr and Evander Holyfield clinging on in the hope of once again fulfilling past glories beyond their reach.

I was thankful for the fact that there appeared to be one of those few variations, in the case of Israel Vazquez. Every time I recollected what I assumed was going to be his entire career, I had an almost clandestine feeling of relief that all of us fans had our own private agreement that we'd all ignore and never speak of his final two fights, wiping them from memory and deluding ourselves that he ended his vocation at the top, getting the better of Rafael Marquez in their glorious trilogy(and it will stay as a TRILOGY people:twisted, rather than looking unkempt against below average Columbian Angel Priolo before getting slashed to ribbons in a fourth encounter with his respected nemesis.

The only purpose the fourth fight served was making their respective victories in the ultimate wars of recent times numerically even. But it shouldn't have happened considering how ragged Magnifico looked against Priolo. We all wanted to eject it from existance and think no more of it, unfortunately, Vazquez will not allow us to, as he plans to continue on and as a result run the risk of severely polluting a great career.

Is it naive of me to take a glimmer of hope from that second quote? Hoping that he merely wishes to return for a single fight that he can win comfortably in order to go out on a win? One would hope, but doubt that will be the case. Even if he were to take a relative soft touch, would it actually be a soft touch? He was finished when he stepped into the ring with Marquez and may have conspired to have ruined himself even more by absorbing that beating. Not to mention that - whenever this return may happen - he will be out of the ring for nearly two years. There are ZERO encouraging signs here.

I, and I imagine many others, took it as a given that he had immediately retired after that debacle, so I have to admit that these revalations have left me uneasy, and will probably leave me in that state until he finally gives this all up. I can't forsee any way in which we can prevent this, so join me in posting about how worried you are about yet another fighter who refuses to relinquish the dream.

:verysad

 

I'd worry for the state of his face too, how many times has he had plastic surgery to repair his shredded features? He's a decent looking dude(no homo), but it's gotten to the stage where a jab to the body splits his nose in half. This whole idea spells disaster.

EDIT: And on top of that, from what I've heard the effects of a long, gladiator-like career were already telling on him. I don't claim to speak Spanish, but from what I've seen and heard from people who do suggests that Izzy's speach has gradually become more and more slurred over the years, the pinnacle of which came after the Rafa rubbermatch, which once again begs the question of quite why a fourth fight was actually needed?