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00:00:00Go down to 122 and see if it's just as exciting.
00:00:03In the second of our two main events,
00:00:06Orlando Canizales, who set a record for most consecutive title defenses at 118 pounds,
00:00:11now goes four pounds up the road to fight at 122 pounds
00:00:16against a terrific champion, Wilfredo Vasquez.
00:00:22It all began when Orlando Canizales became the IBF Bantamweight champion.
00:00:30The IBF Bantamweight champion.
00:01:00Six and a half years and 16 title defenses later,
00:01:10Canizales had become the longest-reigning Bantamweight champion in boxing history.
00:01:19Tonight, Orlando Canizales moves up in weight
00:01:22with aspirations of now dominating the junior featherweight division
00:01:25as he takes on the WBA champion, Wilfredo Vasquez.
00:01:31Back live in the Freedom and Coliseum in San Antonio,
00:01:34and if you think the crowd had a rooting interest in the last fight,
00:01:37just wait till you hear him in this one.
00:01:39Orlando Canizales was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, 150 miles away from here.
00:01:44His father worked in San Antonio as he raised the Canizales family for 20 years.
00:01:51They'll be raucous in this one.
00:01:54George, you're the oldest reigning champion in the sport at 45 years of age.
00:01:59Wilfredo Vasquez is 33, which is ancient for a lower weight class like this.
00:02:03Now, it's one thing for a heavyweight like yourself to exist for a long time in the sport,
00:02:07relying on power.
00:02:08Do you think it's tougher for a guy like him, age 33 at 122 pounds?
00:02:12Not at all.
00:02:12Let me tell you, the age is no barrier at all.
00:02:15He said early on in some interviews,
00:02:16hey, I don't smoke, I don't drink, I'm preserved.
00:02:19And he's well-preserved.
00:02:20You look at his body, doesn't look like a 32- nor a 21-year-old body.
00:02:23It looks like an athlete.
00:02:24This guy's ready to fight.
00:02:26If he loses, it's because he's not the tougher fighter tonight.
00:02:28But that body is well-abled.
00:02:30Yeah, we walked into his room yesterday for the meeting.
00:02:32He had a shirt off, and your eyes popped.
00:02:34What was it you were seeing?
00:02:35Look at that body.
00:02:36That man is in shape.
00:02:37All right, Wilfredo Vasquez getting ready for his ninth title defense
00:02:40against Orlando Canizales,
00:02:42who has been one of the best in the sport for several years.
00:02:44Larry, years and years ago, before I came to HBO,
00:02:48you guys covered a fight in this weight class, 122 pounds.
00:02:52What are your memories of that one?
00:02:54Well, if this is anywhere near as good as that one,
00:02:57or maybe even as good as the fight we just saw,
00:03:00we'll have a hell of a fight tonight.
00:03:02It's 1982.
00:03:03It's New Orleans.
00:03:04It's Pintor versus Gomez.
00:03:06Lupe Pintor of Mexico, the bantamweight champion.
00:03:11Wilfredo Gomez of Puerto Rico, the 122-pound champion.
00:03:1614 rounds, toe-to-toe.
00:03:19Finally, the smaller man, Pintor, dropped more from exhaustion than anything else,
00:03:24as Gomez had nearly dropped from exhaustion on a number of occasions,
00:03:28and as everybody in the arena felt like dropping from exhaustion.
00:03:33Tonight, 1995, San Antonio,
00:03:37a bantamweight champion, a Mexican-American in Canizales,
00:03:41a 122-pound champion, Vasquez, from Puerto Rico,
00:03:45two fighters that were skilled,
00:03:48two fighters with great champion's hearts.
00:03:51That's the formula for the kind of fight we had 13 years ago.
00:03:55All right.
00:03:56So we get ready for Canizales against Vasquez.
00:03:58Let's take a look at the tale of the tape.
00:04:00And we told you the story of how Kevin Kelly
00:04:02had battled the cold coming into the last fight.
00:04:05Orlando Canizales,
00:04:06who's moving up in weight partially because he was starting
00:04:09to have tremendous difficulty making weight at 118 pounds,
00:04:12struggled to make weight at 122.
00:04:15At yesterday's weigh-in, he stepped on the scale,
00:04:18was about three-quarters of a pound over,
00:04:20went out for an hour and a half,
00:04:22came back and made weight.
00:04:23But he has appeared to have difficulty at 122,
00:04:26just as he did at 118.
00:04:27You see that Vasquez,
00:04:29who, as George said, is in superb condition,
00:04:31also has a four-inch reach advantage.
00:04:33Punch that numbers, Larry.
00:04:36Take a look at how active these are,
00:04:38and you can see the activity is roughly the same,
00:04:40but Canizales is the more accurate puncher.
00:04:44He is a boxing puncher master.
00:04:51Take a look at the jabs,
00:04:52and you'll see that in these statistics
00:04:54that were taken from fights against left-handers,
00:04:57Vasquez doesn't throw many jabs.
00:04:59He'll throw more jabs against Canizales,
00:05:01who is an orthodox fighter.
00:05:06Different governing body,
00:05:07another set of rules, Harold Letterman.
00:05:09Well, Fredo Vasquez and Orlando Canizales
00:05:12will box tonight using the rules
00:05:13of the World Boxing Association.
00:05:16Twelve rounds, there is no standing eight count,
00:05:19but the three-knockdown rule is in effect.
00:05:22He can be saved by the bell in the last round only,
00:05:24and only the referee can stop the fight.
00:05:27Jim!
00:05:27And first into the ring,
00:05:31long-time reigning champion at bantamweight,
00:05:35but now the challenger as he moves up the junior featherweight,
00:05:39Orlando Canizales.
00:05:40He surrenders the IBF bantamweight title
00:05:52as he moves up and takes this fight
00:05:55in the higherweight class,
00:05:57ending his six-and-a-half years
00:05:59atop that division.
00:06:01Jim, you mentioned his father,
00:06:03who used to commute 300 miles round trip
00:06:07two or three days a week
00:06:08to work here in San Antonio.
00:06:09He was a champ as well.
00:06:11Three of his sons are college graduates.
00:06:15Two of them were world champions.
00:06:18Gabby Canizales owned this title
00:06:21in the 80s.
00:06:23And you see the record,
00:06:2540 professional fights for Canizales,
00:06:27who's 29 years old,
00:06:2828 knockouts in those fights,
00:06:30one loss, one draw.
00:06:35He's been a tremendous warrior,
00:06:37has ranked for several years
00:06:39in most polls and magazine lists
00:06:43as one of the 10 best pound-for-pound in the world.
00:06:45Here's another great fighter,
00:06:47Wilfredo Vasquez,
00:06:48getting ready for the ninth defense
00:06:51of his WBA junior featherweight title.
00:06:55Not the first and only championship
00:06:57he's held in the sport.
00:06:59He, too, held a world championship
00:07:01in a lowerweight class and lost to him.
00:07:05Vasquez told us that he decided
00:07:08to become a prize fighter
00:07:10when his father,
00:07:11who is a great fight fan,
00:07:14died on the day
00:07:15of Wilfredo Gomez's famous match
00:07:18against the Zarate of Mexico.
00:07:30Large entourage.
00:07:32These happy Puerto Ricans
00:07:33have dominated the social scene
00:07:35in our hotel
00:07:36for the past few days.
00:07:38And let me tell you,
00:07:39they have a lot of fun.
00:07:40They make it tough to sleep.
00:07:42We've got a big, noisy crowd here,
00:07:44and we ought to congratulate Cedric Kushner
00:07:47for knowing how to put Tushers in seats.
00:07:51There are about 500, 150, and $100 seats here.
00:07:55Everything else,
00:07:56$40 down to $10,
00:07:59and he has a crowd of well over 8,000.
00:08:02And there's the record for Vasquez,
00:08:07who enters the ring with his three sons.
00:08:10As Larry said a little bit earlier,
00:08:12they look like a Little League outfield.
00:08:1441 wins, 6 losses, 3 draws,
00:08:1632 KOs for a guy who can both box and punch.
00:08:23It's a good thing everybody is small up there.
00:08:25That ring could collide with heavyweights.
00:08:26Let's see if Michael Buffer
00:08:30can get through all this
00:08:31to the official introductions.
00:08:39Don't collapse.
00:08:46Ladies and gentlemen,
00:08:47Cedric Kushner promotions
00:08:48in association with Corona Beer
00:08:51presents part two
00:08:52of this double championship rumble.
00:08:55Once again,
00:08:55this bout is sanctioned
00:08:56by the Texas Department
00:08:58of Licensing and Regulation,
00:09:00and their officials at ringside
00:09:01remain the same.
00:09:02This bout is also sanctioned
00:09:03by the World Boxing Association,
00:09:06President Gilberto Mendoza,
00:09:08Supervisor in Attendance at ringside,
00:09:10Dr. Elias Cordoba.
00:09:12The three judges assigned
00:09:13to score this bout
00:09:14on a 10-point must system
00:09:16are Francisco Burak,
00:09:19Roberto Ramirez,
00:09:21and Jack Woodruff.
00:09:23And when the bell rings,
00:09:24he's a man in charge of the action,
00:09:26working for the 21st time
00:09:28in a world title bout,
00:09:29referee Rafael Ramos.
00:09:32And now, ladies and gentlemen,
00:09:33from one of America's great cities,
00:09:37San Antonio, Texas,
00:09:38once again,
00:09:40let's get ready to rumble!
00:09:4312 rounds of boxing for the WBA
00:09:49Junior Featherweight Championship
00:09:51of the World.
00:09:55Introducing first,
00:09:56fighting out of the blue corner,
00:09:57wearing blue,
00:09:58trimmed in red and white,
00:10:00he weighs 122 pounds,
00:10:02and his professional record,
00:10:0338 victories,
00:10:0528 by knockout,
00:10:06with only one loss
00:10:07and one draw.
00:10:08He is currently
00:10:09the longest-reigning champion
00:10:10active today,
00:10:11and he has the most
00:10:12consecutive defenses
00:10:13in band of weight
00:10:14boxing history.
00:10:16But tonight,
00:10:17he steps up in weight
00:10:18to become a challenger.
00:10:20Ladies and gentlemen,
00:10:22from Laredo, Texas,
00:10:24introducing the challenger
00:10:25and reigning
00:10:27IBF,
00:10:28phantom weight,
00:10:29world champion,
00:10:31Orlando
00:10:32Hanizale!
00:10:41And his opponent
00:10:42across the ring
00:10:43in the red corner,
00:10:44wearing red with white trim,
00:10:46also weighing an even
00:10:47122 pounds
00:10:49in his professional career.
00:10:51He's racked up
00:10:5241 victories,
00:10:5332 by KO,
00:10:55against six losses
00:10:56with three draws,
00:10:57and he's captured
00:10:58two world titles.
00:11:00Ladies and gentlemen,
00:11:01from Bayamon,
00:11:02Puerto Rico,
00:11:04presenting
00:11:04the two-time world champion
00:11:07and reigning
00:11:08WBA junior
00:11:10featherweight champion
00:11:12of the world,
00:11:14Wilfredo
00:11:15Vázquez!
00:11:21Vázquez,
00:11:22canizale!
00:11:23Vázquez!
00:11:28I'm here to import
00:11:29the last regression
00:11:30of the WBA.
00:11:31I'm here to implement
00:11:32the rules of the
00:11:32Association Mundial de Boxeo.
00:11:34Protect yourself
00:11:35at all the time.
00:11:35Protect yourself
00:11:36at all the time.
00:11:37Good luck.
00:11:37Good luck.
00:11:38Shake hands.
00:11:39Almost done!
00:11:40Nice job!
00:11:41At their best,
00:11:43Carrizales
00:11:43is a greater champion
00:11:45than the champion
00:11:47that he's facing tonight.
00:11:50Can he be at his best
00:11:52again at this added weight?
00:11:54There's a lot of debris
00:11:56in the ring,
00:11:57left over from all
00:11:58the activity there.
00:12:00Surprised that nobody
00:12:01had thought to get
00:12:02somebody with a broom
00:12:03to sweep it out.
00:12:08And a penny flies
00:12:10into the ring
00:12:10as the action begins
00:12:12and referee Rafael Ramos
00:12:14hands over to pick
00:12:15something up
00:12:16as Alfredo Vasquez
00:12:17starts it off
00:12:18with a jab.
00:12:31And it's Alice
00:12:32in the blue trunks,
00:12:33Vasquez in the red.
00:12:34And from the beginning,
00:12:40you see that both men
00:12:42are schooled
00:12:43in textbook boxing.
00:12:45That's true.
00:12:46Carrizales is going
00:12:47to have to be careful
00:12:48not to think of himself
00:12:49as a good puncher
00:12:50moving up in weight
00:12:51like this.
00:12:52You've got to respect
00:12:53the extra weight
00:12:53and do a bit more boxing.
00:12:56Come on, come on!
00:12:57Come on!
00:12:57Come on!
00:12:58Come on!
00:12:59Come on!
00:12:59Come on!
00:13:00Come on!
00:13:01Come on!
00:13:01Come on!
00:13:02Come on!
00:13:03And in a so far
00:13:05cautious first round,
00:13:07both men seem interested
00:13:08in finding out
00:13:09what the extra four pounds
00:13:10is going to mean
00:13:10to Canizales.
00:13:11There's a hard right hand
00:13:12over the top
00:13:13by Vasquez.
00:13:14Combination inside
00:13:15by Canizales
00:13:16glancing blows.
00:13:19Sometimes the guys think,
00:13:21hey, I've been sparring
00:13:21with guys who are a lot bigger.
00:13:23But sparring and boxing
00:13:24is two different things.
00:13:26You just can't get
00:13:27in the corner
00:13:28or in the training
00:13:29which you get
00:13:29out in this ring.
00:13:31Hard left hand
00:13:32by Vasquez.
00:13:33Right hand power shot.
00:13:40Canizales feeling
00:13:41these punches
00:13:42at 122 pounds
00:13:43for the first time
00:13:44in the ring
00:13:44in an actual fight.
00:13:46Of course,
00:13:46he sparred a great deal
00:13:47against larger,
00:13:48heavier fighters.
00:13:52One thing about
00:13:52being older,
00:13:53you have a tendency
00:13:54not to overexert yourself.
00:13:56You're a bit more
00:13:57conservative
00:13:57than you need to be.
00:13:59That may be
00:14:00the only knock.
00:14:02Well, how can you say
00:14:06that, George?
00:14:07You never hold
00:14:07anything back.
00:14:09It's always full on
00:14:10all activity
00:14:10with you, isn't it?
00:14:11I do a lot of grunting
00:14:12and bluffing.
00:14:14But as you get older,
00:14:15it's not that you can't do it,
00:14:17but you just have a tendency
00:14:18not to waste
00:14:19what you don't have to.
00:14:20And sometimes
00:14:21you can lose rounds
00:14:22like that.
00:14:27To win a good fight,
00:14:28you've got to waste
00:14:28a lot of punches, too,
00:14:30especially on points.
00:14:31Butting left hook
00:14:32upstairs by Canizales.
00:14:35Vasquez follows
00:14:36with a hard right hand.
00:14:41Edge and power shots
00:14:42in round one
00:14:43appears to belong
00:14:44to the Puerto Rican.
00:14:44Vasquez.
00:14:46Body shot.
00:14:47When you're a good puncher
00:14:52and plus you go down
00:14:53to the body occasionally,
00:14:54that even makes it better.
00:14:57Vasquez with a couple
00:14:58left hooks,
00:14:59the first of them
00:14:59back to Canizales up.
00:15:01And Vasquez
00:15:02fainting with the right hand
00:15:04and Canizales reacting
00:15:05dramatically enough
00:15:06to indicate that he has
00:15:08felt Vasquez's power already.
00:15:11Nice round.
00:15:12Move to your right more.
00:15:14He's trying to hit you
00:15:14with that right hand,
00:15:15all right?
00:15:17Keep moving to the right.
00:15:18Don't move to the left
00:15:19as much.
00:15:19Set that up
00:15:20and then turn on him,
00:15:21pivot on him and crack him.
00:15:22I want your jab
00:15:23to touch his body.
00:15:24You hit him
00:15:25with a good right hand
00:15:25in the body.
00:15:26Make him conscious
00:15:26of those body shots.
00:15:29And double your jab.
00:15:31He's trying to counter
00:15:32over one jab.
00:15:33Double it up.
00:15:35Good.
00:15:40Keep using that jab
00:15:41and go to the lower
00:15:42if you're going too high
00:15:43to his face right now.
00:15:45You have to go lower.
00:15:48Always keep that jab going
00:15:50and move from side to side.
00:15:53Every time you can throw
00:15:54that jab
00:15:55and go into his body,
00:15:56do it.
00:16:02Vasquez with the round one edge
00:16:04and throws and connects.
00:16:07Trainer Jesse Reed
00:16:08telling Orlando Canizales
00:16:09to move to his right.
00:16:10Yes, away from Vasquez's
00:16:12right hand
00:16:13but toward his left hook.
00:16:15And he's not doing it.
00:16:17No, he isn't.
00:16:20Thinks about it for a second
00:16:21but then decides
00:16:22to come straight in.
00:16:23The way you fight a puncher
00:16:25is you get out there
00:16:26and outpoint him early
00:16:27in the fight
00:16:27and make him come after you
00:16:28trying to land one big shot
00:16:30and then the 12 rounds
00:16:31will come to an end.
00:16:32You don't wait around for them.
00:16:37Is that how you've outpointed
00:16:38all those punchers
00:16:39in your career, George?
00:16:42Just get good body punch.
00:16:46Yeah, good hard right
00:16:47to the body by Vasquez.
00:16:48Crowd still settling
00:17:10into this bout
00:17:11after the excitement
00:17:13of Alejandra Gonzalez's upset
00:17:15win over Kevin Kelly
00:17:16to take the WBC
00:17:17Featherweight Championship.
00:17:32Not a lot of footwork
00:17:33from Vasquez.
00:17:35Able to simply circle around
00:17:37in the middle of the ring
00:17:38and take his shots
00:17:40at Canizales.
00:17:41If he moves at all,
00:17:42moves to his left.
00:17:43Exactly the opposite direction
00:17:44from the one in which
00:17:46Jesse Reed told him
00:17:46he wanted him to move.
00:17:47Now he pedals to the right
00:17:48a little bit
00:17:49but stops and throws.
00:17:57Good hard straight left
00:17:58by Canizales.
00:18:02Canizales is not
00:18:03using a left jab
00:18:05or nothing.
00:18:05If you're going to be
00:18:06in this fight moving around,
00:18:07make sure you get
00:18:08some points by using
00:18:09your left jab.
00:18:10Does he look like a guy
00:18:13who's dried out
00:18:14from too much trouble
00:18:15making weight, George?
00:18:16He sure does.
00:18:16He looks awful,
00:18:17really dull there.
00:18:19Even at this point,
00:18:20there's not a whole lot
00:18:21of sweat on his back.
00:18:32Boat fighters struggled
00:18:33in their last outings
00:18:34but came away with close,
00:18:36relatively controversial wins.
00:18:38Canizales over Sergio Reyes
00:18:40in his hometown of Laredo,
00:18:41a fight that many
00:18:42ringside observers
00:18:43believed that Reyes had won
00:18:44at his back earlier
00:18:46in the fall.
00:18:47And Vasquez
00:18:48against Juan Paulo Perez.
00:18:49Canizales, best combination
00:19:04of the fight,
00:19:05a left and a right inside.
00:19:06Can you see?
00:19:16Can you see?
00:19:16Can you see?
00:19:23How do you feel?
00:19:30He's getting ahead of you.
00:19:35You got to go on top of this guy.
00:19:38Put up right pressure and move the fight to the center of the ring.
00:19:45Let's fight.
00:19:46Doing good.
00:19:47You can be a little busier with your jab.
00:19:48Get more confidence and get into the flow of this thing.
00:19:51Don't be so stationary up in front.
00:19:52Get that head moving, flowing, all right?
00:19:54Get a little rhythm going.
00:19:55Get this crowd a little excited.
00:19:56Show them what you can do.
00:19:59The first fight had the passion of youth.
00:20:03So far, this one has the professionalism of experience
00:20:07of two beautifully schooled boxer punches.
00:20:13Gonzalez did something interesting the previous round.
00:20:16He landed a short right hand.
00:20:18You start doing that when you got a little punching power.
00:20:21You get you a lot of confidence.
00:20:24Start chopping with him.
00:20:25He threw it again.
00:20:29I'll try this out for him.
00:20:34Vázquez taking his jab in this round.
00:20:38And now Canizales doubles up a jab for himself.
00:20:41Vázquez has the greater reach and height advantage,
00:20:51and height advantage at least the reaching advantage he's not using it a whole life
00:20:59simply standing and waiting for canazales to come to him that's true you get a
00:21:05and you know that you can punch and you may have an edge because you've been in that weight class
00:21:09a lot longer it gives you this overconfidence that you can just wait around and lose a fight
00:21:15good left hook to the body that time by vasquez
00:21:19and canazales backing up slightly after the body shot
00:21:25now they settle back into the pattern which has dominated the fight
00:21:31vasquez standing in center ring and waiting for canazales to come to it
00:21:36hard right hand by vasquez over the top left hook short by canazales
00:21:40vasquez with a clear edge and power punches so far
00:21:50punch that numbers in the first two rounds found him landing 22 power shots to only six
00:21:55orlando canazales canazales just needs to be more active it appears to i think so he's doing the
00:22:02right movement he's staying out of harm's way but he's not landing effective jabs at this point
00:22:07referee rafael ramos tells vasquez keep him up vasquez lands a hard right hand shot over the top
00:22:24the fourth one past once you can't be conservative and then back a gain to the corner too you gotta make up your mind
00:22:4433 year old Wilfredo Vasquez for a brief period of time in his room yesterday tried
00:23:00to gullis into believing he was actually 35 inspired by George Foreman to believe that
00:23:05the older he is the better he'll be I'm 30 man breathe in breathe in through the nose and
00:23:23throw out his mouth this guy's feeling it he's feeling it he's almost out don't lose any
00:23:31time I keep throwing that those hands into the ribcage take care you're doing good but
00:23:40you can do more don't be so cautious you're gonna take this title you don't want to be
00:23:46so cautious with yourself get a little busier with your hands and get him into a fight this
00:23:53guy's an old man make him work I don't mean we've heard that people get him working I
00:24:02believe canizales does have to make something happen has to start taking risks they've felt
00:24:08each other out for three rounds they know what they have canizales has to open up
00:24:24orlando canizales clearly two tentatives so far through the first three rounds
00:24:31he's moving up and waiting he's tasting that power
00:24:34that power no matter what your corner tells you hey I feel something out here that tells me to be
00:24:40reluctant but we're already in round four and he may well be down three rounds to love on the
00:24:49scorecards he's doing a lot better when he gets close I don't know why he's staying out there well
00:24:54this time he has listened to Jesse Reed and he begins to step up the activity level canizales stays
00:24:59close and he's effective when he bags away he's nothing
00:25:05so you want him right in there on Vasquez's shoulder certainly he's having the better reach
00:25:09so get up there close and use this should make him use his long reach you can't reach anything like
00:25:13like that George I didn't quite get that does he have the reaching manager doesn't he no
00:25:19best players has the reach advantage so you don't want to be on the outside you want to get close to
00:25:23him to make him he can't do anything from in close makes to me like he's got some short sharp punches
00:25:31guys guys it's a it's a difficult uh he's only effective from the outside canizales move in close
00:25:39vasquez can't do anything he backs out a little bit he's gonna get those right hands all night
00:25:43well certainly canizales is getting into the fight here in round number four and he's doing it by
00:25:48stepping up inside vasquez's range stay there vasquez want room don't give him any room
00:25:58hard right hand inside by vasquez canizales comes back with his own left hand
00:26:08good right hand by canizales at that time it was some short distance he didn't have to reach for it
00:26:13he keeps doing that he can get him a knock down and as they trade shots at close range
00:26:17as often as not canizales is landing two for vasquez is one in this round first three rounds appeared to
00:26:24belong to wilfredo vasquez
00:26:28there's a hard right hand by vasquez backs canizales up
00:26:31but not a power shot and now canizales recognizes it's safe to come back in
00:26:35good left jab by vasquez vasquez has got an excellent left jab
00:26:54one third of the way into the fight orlando canizales so far not able to get the partisan home crowd
00:27:05much to support him with
00:27:12you can see how he's slowing down you got to keep him you got a little cut here no problem
00:27:17you got to keep him working you hear what i mean he'll get tired and you'll pop him out of there
00:27:23don't let him get off the hook i got it doc
00:27:33just a little one a little one keep working like that don't look for his big shots don't think he can
00:27:38hurt you you go out there and dictate what you want to do you know what i'm saying you dictate
00:27:43harrell letterman four rounds your scorecard larry 39 37 three rounds to one orlando canizales larry
00:27:51orlando's wearing uh sneakers instead of the conventional boxing shoes and he's fighting that
00:27:56way keeps moving good ring generalship i think he's got vasquez's face all red and he's outboxing him
00:28:03but he's losing the fight right no you got canizales ahead all right well then we disagree i have vasquez
00:28:08ahead by the same score you got any feeling about that george oh i can't see uh canizales ahead at
00:28:18this point at all he can get ahead if he go on and starts fighting a little smarter but
00:28:23you know how it is most of the time i think we agree with harold letterman this time i think he is
00:28:30alone among the four of us so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out he was absolutely right
00:28:34canizales is moving he's jumping he's doing what the judge is like they like to see movement
00:28:39he's not letting enough jobs until now
00:28:44i don't care how many places your feet move it's how much leather you put on your opponent
00:28:52it was a good round four for canizales canizales is stepping up the pace now
00:28:58he's trying to get closer and closer and he's landing good shots
00:29:08good right hand by uh vasquez
00:29:17a right hand lead over the top he hasn't done much of that you catch a guy standing
00:29:21around as canizales is doing why not hit it
00:29:32red a braided area outside the left eye of vasquez you saw the small cut
00:29:37over canizales's right eye that jesse reed worked on between rounds canizales is starting to use his
00:29:44eyes real good night he's weaving in between that left jab of vasquez getting a little closer
00:29:51good short right inside by canizales vasquez responds with a couple of jabs
00:29:56still working that jab sometimes it's a good hard snap sometimes he just paused with it
00:30:01there's a right hand to the body
00:30:05and a hard left hand inside by canizales and that right hand hurt vasquez too
00:30:18and a hard right hand to the right hand to the right hand to the right hand to the right hand
00:30:23crowd assorted booze from back up on the rafters some of the members of the crowd disappointed
00:30:31perhaps that this fight doesn't have the intensity so far that we saw in the preceding main event
00:30:38down here in texas especially uh san antonio you know if you boo and make noise you'll make them pick up
00:30:43the pace
00:30:56canizales is getting more courage as the minutes go by and he's stepping in closer and closer
00:31:01he's hungry for a knockout
00:31:06seen any evidence so far george that he can get it yes indeed
00:31:14it's only a matter of time it's only a matter of time
00:31:19take it easy this round
00:31:23you have to gain some confidence
00:31:26that incidentally is an inswell
00:31:28take it easy
00:31:34keep you on the job
00:31:35it's time to show what a champion you are get that body pumping i mean four and five shots
00:31:43you heard harold ledeman talking about those shoes that canizales is wearing and harold said they
00:31:47are tennis shoes they certainly look like tennis shoes they looked up for us like tennis shoes his
00:31:52corner says no they're not tennis shoes they are simply a lighter weight boxing shoe
00:31:56what do you say george it's a boxing tennis shoe all right pick it up son get your momentum going
00:32:03feel like you're shot you're in the gym moving nice on loose come on
00:32:07so far canizales has behaved i would say close to being more like a shot fighter
00:32:20than vasquez is but maybe i'm watching the wrong fight since harold and i disagree so much on the score
00:32:26well that's just going to be one of the subplots uh as this drama plays itself out
00:32:32canizales puts on the pressure to vasquez vasquez panics a little bit
00:32:36i don't know why canizales don't put a little more pressure on him stay closer to him rough him up
00:32:41make him fight
00:32:45the two trainers in wilfredo vasquez's corner fredis caban and alex matos
00:32:49telling their fighter you're winning the fight by a comfortable margin don't rush
00:32:56good right uppercut by canizales that may have been the best punch of the whole fight and
00:33:03vasquez wobbles backward just a tiny bit i don't think he's recovered from that shot at all but he's
00:33:08reassumed that aggressive position in the middle of the ring so he gives canizales a target and
00:33:12canizales gets another uppercut with the left now vasquez smiles and talks to him always a telltale
00:33:18sign thank you thank you canizales is smelling knockout now
00:33:29he's found out it's the uppercuts left and right uppercuts they can clean him out
00:33:37canizales just a little bit quicker now than in the early stages of the fight
00:33:41oh right to the body that's what vasquez can't take at this point body punch let's see if he can
00:33:49get to that uppercut one more time george
00:33:53they trade jabs
00:33:56there's the uppercut there it is comes back with that right uppercut we're going to see some magic
00:34:03canizales all he got to do is dig in there a couple times and get it
00:34:06that's just popping the jab canizales stepping inside of it
00:34:13hard left hook by vasquez canizales looking as though he feels he can take wilfredo's punch
00:34:23keeping his hands up just in time to block the shots by vasquez
00:34:27sometimes you can be a little too careless now canizales took a couple on the chin
00:34:33then landed a hard right hand shot
00:34:52for the first time vasquez is trying to hold on a little bit
00:35:03halfway through a pretty decent fight despite the booing you hear
00:35:12here in the freeman coliseum and
00:35:15gonzalez's left eye that cut i don't know if it's getting any larger but it is visible
00:35:21quickly now we go back to a highlight of the fight which preceded this one alejandro gonzalez's upset
00:35:26win over kevin kelly to earn the wbc featherweight championship it was
00:35:31a brawl in round number six you saw the champion kevin kelly badly damaged and down on the canvas for
00:35:39the third time in his career gonzalez had time to try for the knockout but couldn't quite get it
00:35:44then appeared on the verge of knocking kelly out again at the beginning of round number eight
00:35:49as kelly bothered to that point by badly swollen eyes took a lot of punishment in the early part of
00:35:54the eighth round and then showed his guts and courage by coming back to floor gonzalez with that
00:36:00left hand but then after the tenth round kelly's trainer phil borja taking a look at his fighter's
00:36:06eyes and saying no you can't see i'm not going to risk it there'll be plenty to do later in your career
00:36:12this time we're throwing in the towel that's what i call a good that's what i call a good trainer
00:36:18knowing when to say win yeah it was an excellent decision on borsche's part
00:36:22round seven of the scheduled 12 with the wba junior featherweight championship 122 pound
00:36:33weight class canazales seems to have come alive in the last round and early here
00:36:38let's see if he can sustain it
00:36:47canazales now is absolutely getting close
00:36:50when that jab misses by vasquez he's right there to retaliate right quick with a left hook
00:36:59vasquez's trainers telling him between rounds
00:37:02to begin looking for a knockout opportunity whether that means they think canazales is ready to go
00:37:09or whether they're worried about their own fighter remains to be seen
00:37:14you should tell him when this guy want to fight you box and when he want to box you fight
00:37:18that's way i should be taking that kind of advice
00:37:25it's becoming more and more of a slugfest here and that may ultimately work to the advantage of orlando
00:37:30canazales
00:37:34when there's a lot of movement and exchange canazales seems to be on top but when it slows down a little
00:37:40bit whoa right hand by canazales and a hard left inside as well
00:37:46canazales getting the better of many of the exchanges now that did not appear to be the case in
00:37:50the first few rounds there's a hard left and a right by vasquez
00:37:53but again it appears for the moment that the very hard-chinned canazales can take vasquez's punch
00:38:05the better jabber i don't know why he's not using a bit more of his jab
00:38:20only one at a time right hand inside by canazales
00:38:24chopping right hand by vasquez was an effective punch
00:38:37canazales has got the range now all he's doing is stand close hot shot
00:38:41if you keep that range things will be just fine
00:38:53the three judges scoring this bout are from colom panama san juan puerto rico and dallas texas
00:39:00brought here by the world boxing association
00:39:03in the fight you've got to stay busy don't be waiting for him you let him sit he's going to
00:39:20hitch and keep you off balance inside get off right away you don't have to load up start acting like
00:39:25you're shadow boxing four and five shots you get back into this fight son you're down right now we
00:39:31we got to get back into it
00:39:39reach for it son
00:39:47here's vasquez with a solid right a solid right hand
00:39:56he is one solid solid prize fighter
00:40:01he's going to have to do something exceptional to ruffle the prize fighter
00:40:10who is quite as stable
00:40:14and fights within himself george he seems to know exactly what he's doing
00:40:19i think canazales is miscalculating
00:40:22he can mix it up with this guy he doesn't understand that that extra weight
00:40:25give this guy a little more power
00:40:30harold letterman how do you score it jim i got it the opposite five rounds to two
00:40:3468 65 or lando canazales i just think he's out boxing him and i don't think
00:40:39wilfredo vespos is doing enough standing too much in the middle of the ring and he's not busy enough for
00:40:44a heavy punch-up i have vasquez ahead four rounds to three at this moment
00:40:49canazales is really coming on strong the last couple of rounds i mean he's standing
00:40:55toe-to-toe and getting the bed of a lot of exchanges but he started off late
00:40:59so you have a two-round disparity between the merchant and letterman scorecards
00:41:07merchant seeing vasquez in control letterman believes canazales is winning they trade bunk
00:41:12is in the middle of the ring both guys damaged by that exchange and there's another one of those
00:41:18hard uppercuts from canazales followed by good left hook inside by vasquez canazales likes this
00:41:23kind of fighting no doubt about it he's that's the kind of fight he want to be in
00:41:29that's because his punch output slowing just slightly canazales trying to go to the body
00:41:34and then back up to the head body vasquez landed to the head canazales gets the crowd excited with
00:41:41a double shot inside that uppercut is landing over and over again for orlando canazales
00:41:51vasquez cannot take that much he's gonna have to back away and use his jab if he
00:41:58want to stay in the net round with this guy well but canazales's punching power at a new weight class
00:42:03122 pounds has to be an unknown quantity he wobbled vasquez there but vasquez comes back with a hard right
00:42:10this is pintor and gomez follows for 14 rounds
00:42:23i don't think we have to worry about the score cost much longer
00:42:32you mean you see a knockout brewing here george and lazales is really teasing this guy he's done the
00:42:36right kind of body punching he's jabbed him a little bit now he's going uppercuts he could get a knockout
00:42:40easily
00:42:48i wouldn't have expected that early on
00:42:53vasquez landing a hard left hand shot that moved canazales inside now vasquez tries to go to the body
00:42:59canazales coming back with those hooks and uppercuts
00:43:08vasquez has a longer reach doesn't benefit him to fight in like that tough round
00:43:15both fighters punished
00:43:21my eye wipe my eye
00:43:25my eyes are covered i can't see
00:43:29give me the vaseline
00:43:31try him up
00:43:36let's take it easy we're winning this fight
00:43:39drink some water
00:43:44we've got to continue to work
00:43:44here's that inside exchange shoulder-to-shoulder head-to-head toe-to-toe
00:44:00fist-to-fist two outstanding professional fighters going at it
00:44:06well the sparring is over with fellas now we can get the fight
00:44:16i'm starting to see things the way to judge see them now
00:44:21round eight via punch stack numbers can be seen as a dead even round vasquez landing 35 out of 72 canazales 33 out
00:44:29of 75
00:44:36stylistically it looks more and more like a canazales fight
00:44:43that doesn't necessarily mean that the frederican is out of it
00:44:46hard right hand by canazales and now a left vasquez stands right there
00:45:00canazales is an educated man you see how do you see that george his dad made it make sure he
00:45:23he's continued in school he got hit but at that time
00:45:28these guys are all talking about college
00:45:30graduating from college hard right hand by vasquez yeah and canazales says he wants to go back to
00:45:35college when he retires from boxing but he doesn't want that to be too soon
00:45:41that's going to be too soon
00:45:46okay
00:45:47vaska is starting to back up from these exchanges now no longer quite as resolute
00:45:59the first time we've seen some boxing now the vast squares he's moving and bouncing now
00:46:04Canizala's driving in with the body shot,
00:46:09backing Vasquez into the ropes,
00:46:11trying to get the crowd into the fight a little bit.
00:46:34Good overhand right, and that hurt Canizala's.
00:46:48Saw him shake his head as he moved away.
00:46:50He's surprised that he's being hurt,
00:46:52but he doesn't understand this extra weight
00:46:54that Vasquez has naturally
00:46:56can really put some hurting on him.
00:46:59122 is a pretty good distance from 118, George.
00:47:02A great distance, and it all,
00:47:04most of it is in the fist and in the forearm.
00:47:10Nine of a scheduled 12 rounds complete
00:47:13in a totally professional prize fight.
00:47:16Now you're back in there now.
00:47:18Now we're working.
00:47:20Come on, that's the only way we're gonna win this fight.
00:47:23Look at me.
00:47:24You're still down by two points.
00:47:26You're still down by two points.
00:47:28Take the top off of him.
00:47:29Take the top off of him.
00:47:31Give him some water.
00:47:32There we go.
00:47:33Look at me.
00:47:35I want these next rounds.
00:47:37All of them.
00:47:38I don't want you waiting.
00:47:39I want you to take charge.
00:47:40All right.
00:47:41That's increase.
00:47:42That's what, Jess?
00:47:43Keep using that right hand, man.
00:47:44Okay, okay.
00:47:45Okay.
00:47:46Okay.
00:47:47Okay.
00:47:48Okay.
00:47:49Okay.
00:47:50Okay.
00:47:51Breathe in.
00:47:52Breathe in.
00:47:53Breathe in.
00:47:54Keep using those punches.
00:47:56Left and right.
00:47:57Left and right.
00:47:58Left and right.
00:47:59Two veteran fighters, two fathers, two professionals fighting desperately from here on out to extend
00:48:03their careers at the top of the game.
00:48:1033-year-old Wilfredo Vasquez of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, 29-year-old Orlando Canizales of Laredo, Texas, both of them with many years in the bank as world champions in this sport.
00:48:27Well, this is the first round Vasquez has started to use some enthusiasm now. He's throwing combinations on top. Seems to conserve himself at this point.
00:48:47Bringing some new life to the 10th round. Hard right hand by Vasquez and then the left quickly to follow up.
00:48:55Canizales once again stopped in his tracks for the moment.
00:49:01Seems to want to use nothing but experience early on. Now he's moving a little enthusiasm.
00:49:21Good left hook.
00:49:22Left hand, yeah.
00:49:23Now another left hand inside.
00:49:26Vasquez misses twice and then extends the long left to make contact.
00:49:31The harder punches there belonged to Canizales.
00:49:34Canizales is the aggressive now, landing good right hands to the body. He's no longer standing back.
00:49:44When you're being aggressive, you've got to land some hard shots to make the guy continue to move away from you. You just can't just stand there and make him run.
00:49:54Maybe not as aggressive though as trainer Jesse Reed would like him to be. You heard Jesse say in between rounds, I don't want you to wait. I want you to go in and dominate.
00:50:09He's doing it, but he's not landing the proper shots. Easy to say, but when this guy like Vasquez is just standing back to pot shot you.
00:50:21The farther Canizales gets away, the more effective Vasquez is. Wouldn't you like to see Orlando get in there on his shoulders and pound that uppercut, George?
00:50:29Get there and stay there. Get those uppercuts in that you've been doing real good all night.
00:50:36He's given Vasquez a chance to regain command by putting distance between himself and the champion.
00:50:42Hard right hand by Vasquez in the center of the ring. He backs away. Canizales struggling to get close enough.
00:50:52Vasquez has been a counter puncher now. He's waiting until Canizales missed, hits him with a shot, make him slow down his good right hand.
00:51:01Restless crowd sensing that the fight may be turning back in the direction of the Puerto Rican. Two rounds to go.
00:51:09Get some air. Get some air. Son, you're moving and not punching. Moving and not punching. You've got to punch more. You've got to punch more.
00:51:26You need these two rounds, son, and you need them back. I mean, you can knock this guy out. He's been waiting to get taken out.
00:51:41Give him water. We're beating this guy up like he wouldn't believe.
00:51:49I want you to just jump around. Keep jumping around. Every time you jump around, this guy can't hit you.
00:51:57Just keep jumping around. Move around. Move around. Don't let him hit you. Be prepared.
00:52:04I'm not sure why they don't want Vasquez to engage Canizales since he usually comes out ahead in the exchanges.
00:52:14But I don't know if Canizales has enough left. I said earlier in the fight he was fighting like a shot fighter.
00:52:21Then in the middle rounds, it looked like he might have reloaded.
00:52:25Let's see if he has enough left in the last two rounds to pull this out, at least on my card.
00:52:30Harold Letterman. Jesse Reed suggesting to Canizales that he's behind and has to win rounds.
00:52:35Vasquez's Corner clearly believes they're ahead. You still see it the opposite way?
00:52:40Yes, Jim, I do. I got it 96, 94, six rounds to four, Orlando Canizales.
00:52:45But I'll tell you one thing. There haven't been too many decisive rounds in this fight.
00:52:49It's a lot of close rounds. I think Alfredo Vasquez sees the openings and can't pull a trigger.
00:52:54Somehow or another, he just doesn't get off when he should get off.
00:52:57But I think Orlando's walking right through him.
00:52:59Do you think it's a tough fight to score, Harold?
00:53:01Without question, this is a tough fight to score. This is a doozy. Not a lot of decisive rounds.
00:53:06Yeah, I agree. It's very hard. And sometimes what happens is in the eye of the beholder.
00:53:11And let's remember, we are in Canizales' hometown.
00:53:15But the judges are imported. One from Panama, one from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
00:53:23Those two might not be too overwhelmingly influenced by the fact that they're sitting in San Antonio.
00:53:32Well, I'm from Texas.
00:53:37Are you impressed, George? It's a good fight. More tactics than the previous fight.
00:53:43We need to do more fights in Texas, don't we, George?
00:53:45I'm telling you, it's in the eye of the beholder. You're right.
00:53:49The crowd not quite sure what to make of this. Orlando Canizales, hometown favorite.
00:53:58Not getting the lift from the crowd he might have hoped for.
00:54:01Some of the crowd's energy no doubt sapped by the spine-tingling excitement of Gonzalez versus Kelly.
00:54:07That's where his corner told him to keep moving.
00:54:17And they were telling him right, because he's not going to be able to exist long standing on that rope, exchanging punches with Canizales.
00:54:23More and more, it looks as though it's going to be a job for three WBA judges.
00:54:50The reigning champion is Wilfredo Vasquez and the Red Trunks.
00:54:54The challenger and long-time champion in the weight class, one rung down at 118 pounds, is Orlando Canizales.
00:55:01Coming up immediately following tonight's coverage of world championship boxing.
00:55:05Stay tuned for passenger 57 on the east coast and grumpy old men on the west coast.
00:55:12And here a couple of not-so-grumpy old men of the ring have one round to go.
00:55:18This is it. Three minutes. We cannot let this guy hit us. Let's fight this guy. Three minutes. That's all we got.
00:55:27Okay?
00:55:29Okay?
00:55:30Let's go.
00:55:34Did I read that?
00:55:35Yes.
00:55:36I mean dig. Turn that body and dig.
00:55:40Come on now, son. This is all...this is your whole life right here.
00:55:44This is a business.
00:55:45We got nothing to prove.
00:55:47Just go for it right now. Keep jumping around. Don't let him hit you.
00:55:50Don't let him hit you. If he hits you, don't let him hit you.
00:55:54Go, son. You're sitting there. You're letting him off the hook. This is the last round.
00:55:58Reach down for everything you got.
00:55:59Now, come on. Let's get him out of there. Take him out of there.
00:56:03I want him out. You can do it.
00:56:08A good look at Orlando Canizales.
00:56:14You heard trainer Jesse Reed pleading for the knockout. A little of the old Teddy Atlas inspiration.
00:56:20Come on. Dig. Dig for everything you've got.
00:56:24Let's see what Canizales can bring in this last round.
00:56:31If the question were, has Canizales done enough to take the title away from Vasquez,
00:56:38which used to be the question, I don't think he could win the fight unless he did something dramatic here.
00:56:44If the question is, can he eke out some sort of decision, I suppose that's possible.
00:56:51What do you think, George?
00:56:52I see Vasquez winning this fight hand down.
00:56:55He's ahead on point, and he's trying to preserve his point system.
00:56:58The only mistake he can make is to get in there and mix it up with a desperate guy,
00:57:01just like Canizales' trainer said, get in there and get a knockout.
00:57:05I think Vasquez is too smart for that, and he's showing that right now.
00:57:10But in the last round, you've got to win it, though, because if they do give it to the other guy,
00:57:15the judges can say, well, we have a reason to.
00:57:17Canizales bringing the right hand.
00:57:19Vasquez standing still for the moment.
00:57:23Vasquez seemingly a little wobbly, maybe tired here in the 12th.
00:57:27Punched at numbers through 11 rounds.
00:57:29Showed Vasquez throwing and landing more than Canizales.
00:57:33Good headbutt by Canizales, got under Vasquez's chin.
00:57:41Portions of the crowd chanting Orlando, Orlando.
00:57:57I think they should have done that three-round previously.
00:58:07Left hook over the top by Canizales, but nothing so far that would appear to set up the knockout that Jesse Reed asked his fighter for.
00:58:15He's trying to get out there and get a knockout, Canizales is, and he's doing a good job.
00:58:19Just three minutes is not enough time against an experienced fighter.
00:58:25Good body shot by Canizales.
00:58:27Digging to the body, but only 45 seconds to go in the fight.
00:58:31Wouldn't have minded seeing more body shots five or six rounds ago, too, George.
00:58:36He's doing the right thing, but a little too late for a knockout, that is.
00:58:39On sheer aggression, though, Canizales appears in position to win this round.
00:58:53No doubt about it.
00:58:56And sometimes in a close fight, that's the decisive factor.
00:59:08The veteran waited for their 10-second indication.
00:59:12He goes wild.
00:59:22But you can see what Vasquez's corner thinks of it.
00:59:27And nobody is lifting Canizales for the moment.
00:59:30Now there he goes.
00:59:34And the crowd offers appreciation to Laredo, Texas's own.
00:59:39Harold Letterman, your final, final score.
00:59:42Well, I got a 116-112, eight rounds to four, Orlando Canizales.
00:59:47Larry, when I watch a fight, if it's equal in clean punching, I start looking at the other things.
00:59:52Effective aggressiveness.
00:59:54Who's getting off first?
00:59:55Who's backing the other guy up?
00:59:56And Orlando Canizales did all of that.
00:59:58He showed me the good movement.
01:00:00He showed me the ring generalship.
01:00:01Well, Fredo Vasquez looked to me like a beaten fighter.
01:00:04All lumped up.
01:00:05All red.
01:00:06He just showed no emotion whatsoever.
01:00:08And I think Orlando Canizales did more.
01:00:10I think he walked through him.
01:00:11I think he's going to win this decision.
01:00:13I gave Canizales the last two rounds.
01:00:17It's conceivable that that gives him the fight.
01:00:20I have Vasquez ahead by a point.
01:00:22I agree with you on those last two rounds.
01:00:23I think it definitely helped Canizales in his fight.
01:00:26I still think he walked through him, got off first.
01:00:28That definitely was the effective aggressor.
01:00:32A lot of the members of this crowd making their way through the exits.
01:00:35That's their way of indicating that they think Canizales has lost.
01:00:39Final punch stat numbers show 95 more punches thrown by Vasquez.
01:00:4474 more punches landed by Vasquez.
01:00:46And the edge in connect percentage.
01:00:48Now, did Canizales land the harder shots?
01:00:51I can't honestly say that I believe that's true, George.
01:00:54Nor can I.
01:00:55But when you go down and you wait for the outcome by way of the judges, what can you expect?
01:00:59Sometimes I think the judges come here already made up their mind who's going to win these boxing matches.
01:01:04And if you don't get a knockout, you're not going to win a fight.
01:01:07George, I don't know where you're getting that conspiracy theory from.
01:01:13And we don't know what the judges thought of this fight.
01:01:15I don't know.
01:01:16I've had about 30 years in the boxing.
01:01:18That's where I get it from.
01:01:20All right.
01:01:21So who do you think they thought coming in would win the fight?
01:01:24Canizales.
01:01:25He had the inside on the...
01:01:27Okay.
01:01:28Well, maybe not.
01:01:29All right.
01:01:30We'll see if you're right.
01:01:31Let's go.
01:01:32Let's go.
01:01:33Let's go.
01:01:34Let's go.
01:01:35Let's go.
01:01:36Let's go.
01:01:37Let's go.
01:01:38Let's go.
01:01:39Let's go.
01:01:40Let's go.
01:01:41Let's go.
01:01:42Let's go.
01:01:43Let's go.
01:01:44Let's go.
01:01:45Let's go.
01:01:46Let's go.
01:01:47Let's go.
01:01:48Let's go.
01:01:49Let's go.
01:01:50Let's go.
01:01:51Let's go.
01:01:52Let's go.
01:01:53Let's go.
01:01:54Let's go.
01:01:55Let's go.
01:01:56Roberto Ramirez scores the bout, pardon me, Jack Woodruff scores the bout, 117, 113, he
01:02:05has it for Canazales, Burak's score 116, 115 is for Vasquez, and Roberto Ramirez scores
01:02:11the bout, 115, 113 for the winner by split decision, and still world champion, Wilfredo
01:02:20So there you have it, Orlando Canazales gets a title shot in his first appearance at 122
01:02:41pounds, and winds up the loser via split decision, all in all, I'd have to say that's justice
01:02:46George? I saw it as good, clean justice, and that's what boxing need, a lot of fair decisions
01:02:51like that, and I'm telling you, I can come back and watch the little guys fight some more
01:02:54Yeah, I started to say, we make a rare trip down below the lightweight division, watch a couple
01:02:59fights at 126 and 122 pounds, and what a night of entertainment
01:03:02It was beautiful, love it
01:03:04Did you learn anything?
01:03:05Yeah, Texas is the only place to have a good, lightweight fight
01:03:08Spoken like a true Texan, George
01:03:11Larry Merchant, your thoughts on this terrific evening of boxing in the lower weight classes
01:03:16Well, we had a split decision at ringside in this second fight, and a split decision in the real fight
01:03:23I guess my thoughts still run back to that first fight, a sensational fight
01:03:27and Kevin Kelly, who had been the most prominent featherweight champion in America for
01:03:33nearly half a century before he lost this one
01:03:36I see Kevin Kelly as a kid who is always on fast forward
01:03:40If he was a machine, he'd be a VCR
01:03:43But tonight he ran into a young guy who put him into reverse
01:03:48And he could not recover from it
01:03:51And in the second fight, we just had a little bit
01:03:54Relatively of slow-mo on the old machine
01:03:59But it was a terrific night of fights between the young guy, between the small guys
01:04:04The old guy won, the little guy won, the young guy won, and the little guys all won
01:04:11Yeah, and that first fight, as you point out, was a tough act to follow
01:04:15Maybe somebody should have gotten in the ring between fights just to tell the crowd
01:04:17Hey, don't expect them all to look that way
01:04:20That was one of the best you'll ever see
01:04:22So victories for Alejandro Gonzalez of Mexico and Wilfredo Vazquez of Puerto Rico
01:04:28Neither of whom was the headliner coming into this show tonight
01:04:33And a quick look back at the results of the two fights
01:04:37Alejandro Gonzalez of Guadalajara, Mexico
01:04:39The winner by a TKO at the end of round 10
01:04:42Over WBC featherweight champion Kevin Kelly
01:04:45Gonzalez takes the title
01:04:47Kelly's trainer, Phil Borgia
01:04:48In effect, throwing in the towel for his beaten fighter
01:04:52After 10 rounds
01:04:53And that was followed by a split decision victory for Wilfredo Vazquez
01:04:58Who retains the WBA junior featherweight title
01:05:01Orlando Canizales
01:05:03After 16 consecutive successful title defenses at 118
01:05:06Moves up to 122 pounds
01:05:09And finds it tough going
01:05:10Against a reigning champion making his ninth title defense
01:05:14Coming up immediately following tonight's coverage of world championship boxing
01:05:17Stay tuned for Passenger 57 on the East Coast
01:05:20And grumpy old man on the West Coast
01:05:22World championship boxing returns next month with two of the sports best
01:05:26Former two-time champion James Toney moving up to the light heavyweight division
01:05:29To take on Montel Griffin
01:05:31And Oscar De La Hoya fighting in the biggest bout of his early professional career
01:05:36Against lightweight champion John John Molina
01:05:39That's live on HBO Saturday, February 18
01:05:41And turn to HBO for the show The Pros Watch inside the NFL
01:05:45As hosts, Lynn Dawson, Nick Quanticotti, and Chris Collinsworth
01:05:49Are joined by Jimmy Johnson to take a complete look back
01:05:52And a first look ahead at all the action throughout the NFL postseason
01:05:55Premiering Thursday nights at 11 o'clock Eastern and Pacific time
01:05:59So now for Larry Merchant, George Foreman, and Harold Lederman
01:06:02I'm Jim Laffley saying so long from this terrific trip to San Antonio, Texas
01:06:07The executive producer of HBO Sports
01:06:12Born in San Antonio, by the way, is Ross Greenberg
01:06:14Tonight's program was produced by Rick Bernstein and directed by Mark Payton
01:06:18The associate producers were Kirby Bradley and Brian McDonald
01:06:21Assistants to the producer, Greg Backer, Artie Curry, Dave Leapson, and Tom Odelfeld
01:06:26The production manager was John McCalley
01:06:28And the technical supervisor was George Wenzel
01:06:32The producer, Greg Backer, Artie Curry, Dave Leapson, and Tom Odelfeld