Very sad news for boxing. Known for his aggressive all action style and courage. His fights with Rafael Marquez is still one of the greatest boxing rivalries. RIP Champ. What a goddamn warrior he was. Israel Vázquez, dogged three-time world champion from Mexico, dies aged 46 | Boxing | The Guardian
RIP That series with Rafael was amazing. If it had ended after three fights, I’d have it #1 all time on trilogies. All 3 fights were exciting and highly competitive, and the 3rd ended in the most dramatic way a decision fight can end. Scoring a KD in the final seconds of the last round and winning the fight by 1 point on the cards.
Tough break for the guy, helluva way to go after all the brutal wars, probably be picking up titles for fun if he was active today. RIP. Fwiw ..... Marquez was just that good.
We're all gonna be sat here fairly soon swearing that our era was dee gratest, chomping our cigars and shaking our heads.
I'm careful to avoid doing it, as tempting as it can be sometimes. A big part of why people get into any era of boxing as fans is because there is some sense of relatability with the practitioners, or they're a larger than life character you can't ignore like Tyson. A lot of it has to do with being young too, these are the guys you grew up with so they take on a different quality. We are old now, so it won't be the same, but I think I would have been a fan of Crawford, Usyk and Inoue if they'd been part of my era. The sport isn't as deep as it used to be, but I can still appreciate the standouts.
