Former WBA bantamweight champion Rau’shee Warren 19-3 (5) scored his first knockout in more than six years when he knocked out Damien ‘Sugar’ Vazquez 16-3-1 (12) in the second round of their scheduled 10-round bout at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California on Saturday night.
The fight took place on the undercard of the WBO bantamweight title fight between champion John Riel Casimero 31-4 (21) and challenger Guillermo Rigondeaux 20-2 (13).
Warren is normally known as a slick boxer but this time around he came out uncharacteristically aggressive. The 34-year-old southpaw from Cincinnati, Ohio clipped Vazquez with a short right hand in the opening round that dropped his fellow southpaw in the opening round. The 28-year-old Vazquez from Las Vegas beat the count but he quickly found himself back on the deck courtesy of another huge right hand. According to CompuBox, Warren landed 22 of 39 power shots in the opening three minutes of the bout.
Vazquez survived the round but the writing was on the wall. In the second round the three-time Olympian connected with a straight left that visibly hurt Vazquez and left him reeling around the ring. Referee Ray Corona decided he had seen enough at the 2:18 mark of the second frame.
Vazquez went 10 rounds against Brandon Figueroa 22-0-1 (17) in his previous bout.
“I was trying to show them something different this time around,” said Warren. “I have always had the power, but this training camp was very different. I was sitting on my punches and working on something different. It worked in the ring.
“I always knew I had that power and I always knew I had that speed. It’s just about taking your time in the ring and letting them come. When I saw the opportunity, I went for it.”
Warren is looking to become a two-time world champion. He lost his first world title shot to then-undefeated Juan Carlos Payano 23-5 (11) by split decision for the WBA 118-pound strap in August 2015 before defeating the Dominican by majority decision to claim the belt in their rematch 10 months later.
Warren would lose the title in his first defence against Zhanat Zhakiyanov 27-2 (18) by split decision in February 2017. He would win two fights in a row before facing then-undefeated Frenchman Nordine Oubaali 17-1 (12) for the vacant WBC bauble in January 2019. It was a competitive contest that Warren eventually lost by close unanimous decision.
Now on a three-fight win streak, Warren is the number one contender for the WBA title heald by fearsome Japanese puncher Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue 21-0 (18).
“Next fight is a title fight,” said Warren. “I am the number one contender for the WBA. I want to thank my team for putting me in this position and pushing me. They know what kind of fighter I am. I am going to be champion. Next fight I am grabbing that title. Maybe I will fight (Casimero).”