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Sammy Vasquez and Luis Collazo kick-off the Premier Boxing Champions’ (PBC) 2017 calendar with a 10-round main event welterweight bout on February 2nd at the Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi.
Making Collazo Pay
The two were slated to fight each other last July but a calf muscle injury suffered by Collazo forced the cancellation of the fight. As a result, Vasquez went on to face Felix Diaz Jr. in the undercard of Wilder-Arreola and suffered his first ever loss as a professional. Now Vasquez isn’t just eager to get back to his winning ways, the Sergeant is looking to make Collazo pay for playing a part in the derailment of his title bid.
A former National guard who served two tours of duties in Iraq, Vasquez was an undefeated contender who was closing in on a title shot when he got ambushed by Diaz. On the other hand, ex-world champion Collazo is looking to keep his career going after losing to Amir Khan in 2014 and Keith Thurman in 2015.
How Much is Left?
Vasquez has a 68% knockout ratio and he gets his KOs with wicked body shots and relentless combinations. When he lands his power shots, Vasquez is very tough to beat. Vasquez likes to be the aggressor in a bout and he’s proven to have a very good chin. In his last fight, Vasquez took a heavy beating from Diaz, so it will be interesting how he responds after his first career setback.
Collazo, meanwhile, is a tricky opponent who is accurate with his punches. He may no longer be a spring chicken at 36 years of age but he still packs decent power in his punches. Six of his last eight wins have been by knockout and he almost dropped Keith Thurman with a solid body shot during their bout.
Collazo has been in the ring with the best in the business and his experience towers over Vasquez. However, the question with Collazo is how much is left in that tank especially since we haven’t seen him fight since his 2015 defeat to Thurman.
The Pick
Vasquez is a -270 favorite over Collazo who currently stands at +210. Collazo has fought better opposition in his career and will have several tricks to show Vasquez on fight night. However, the younger lion may not only be the hungrier fighter here, he is also the one who can push the pace and dictate the tempo.
Vasquez’s aggressive style and hard punches may overwhelm Collazo whose stamina hasn’t been good enough in recent fights. This fight is going to have a good start but the longer this one goes, Collazo won’t be able to keep up with a hungry contender who may be nearing his prime.
We’re picking Sammy Vasquez to win by decision or stoppage in the second half of the fight. Either way, it’s going to be a dominant win for the Sergeant.
