Vazquez mounts comeback after grueling trilogy

LOS ANGELES – Israel Vazquez could have retired with a secure place in boxing history after winning two of his three fights with Rafael Marquez in a rivalry that ranks among the best of their generation.

Instead, Vazquez is determined to write more chapters in a career that some people wish was already over.

Vazquez (43-4, 31 KOs) will return from a 19-month absence Saturday night in downtown Los Angeles against Colombia’s Angel Priolo. Vazquez, a former 55-kilogram (122-pound) champion, is moving up to featherweight, with an eye on bigger opponents and paydays – and perhaps a fourth fight with Marquez.

Although Vazquez has a clean bill of health, no doctor can quantify the punishment he received from Marquez during their three fights, which were filled with knockdowns, momentum shifts and surprising finishes. The crowd-pleasing bouts left Vazquez requiring three surgeries to repair a torn retina in his right eye – and he was the winner of the last two.          (AP)