Boxing News is not recognised as the sport’s bible for nothing, so when it says Lewis Ritson is “stepping up” against Miguel Vazquez then ‘The Sandman’ is indeed stepping up.
The Mexican will face Ritson on October 17 in a twice-postponed Matchroom show, originally scheduled for Newcastle, where the Geordie hero beat Robbie Davies in their WBA light-welterweight title eliminator almost 12 months ago.
Vazquez is a quiet, warm and modest man who does not ram down your throat just how good he is and how much he has won.
He has indeed won a lot and has not given up hope of triumphing at the very highest level again so the fact he does not indulge in any extravagant talk about what he might do to Ritson suggests he is a serious man, as well as seriously good.
Remember ‘The Puppet’, from Guadalajara, spent four years as the IBF’s world champion.
“From a sporting point of view I still feel very young and feel young enough to go and win the world championship again,” he told punch-lines.
“From the emotional point of view, it is my wife and daughter that drives me on to keep them in a good life.”
This contest, for Ritson’s WBA inter-continental belt, is six months delayed from the original April 4 date.
It means, forgive punch-lines stating the bleeding obvious here, Vazquez is another half a year older.
At 33, he is someway off the likes of Roy Jones Jnr, Bernard Hopkins and the original oldest swinger in town, Dennis Andries, who were still performing well into their 40s.
So, suggestions of being the oldest swinger in Toon are met with a firm counter though, of course, there is little prospect of this contest going ahead in the North-East.
“It is a challenge fighting a younger man, but you look at Bernard Hopkins, he was beating younger fighters when he was over 40,” said Vazquez.
“That is not to say Lewis Ritson is not a very good fighter, he’s a very hard hitter who will be looking to try to get a knock-out on the night.”
Vasquez knows why he’s been employed. He IS an ex-world champ and a very good name who Matchroom and Team Ritson hope will help the Geordie that step nearer a WBA world title shot.
“I know it’s motivating for boxers to fight former world champions because they can gain experience and know-how from it,” said Vasquez, whose sense of outrage at a 97-94 points defeat to Ohara Davies in London last year still motivates him greatly.
“One of the challenges you face when you travel as the away fighter to another country is you would normally have the opponent’s fans against you,” he said. “I won’t have that here but I would hope the judges are fair to both fighters and I believe I can win, whatever objects are put in front of me.”
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Matt Povey/ Matchroom
