It was then time for another world title fight, on 9 July ’74, when Olivares faced Zensuke Utagawa for the vacant WBA title at the Forum. Title was vacated by the retirement of Ernesto Marcel and Olivares would become its next holder when he knocked Utagawa out in round 7 after first stunning the Japanese with an uppercut before knocking him out flat with a right hand. He had already put Utagawa down twice in that round before that. Yet, like his previous 2 championship reigns, this one wasn’t meant to last long either. In his first defense on 23 November, he faced the man who turned out to be one of the greatest to fight in the featherweight divisions ever-Alexis ‘El Flaco Explosivo’ Arguello. The fight was a brawl all the way and both guys landed plenty of leather. In the 12th round, Olivares landed a hard punch that seemed to hurt Arguello, but he soon recovered and in the 13th round he hit Olivares with a perfect left hook on the jaw as Olivares was throwing a right hand. It put Olivares down hard. He spit out his mouthpiece, dazed. It gave him more time to recover but as he rose again, he was again dropped with a left hook, much weaker than the last, and this time it was over. It seemed like the end of Olivares as a serious fighter but already 7 months later, 20 June ’75, he fought Chacon again, this time for the WBC title and scored a spectacular upset by TKO’ing Schoolboy in 2 rounds after knocking him down twice in that round. It was then again time to lose when he fought against Ghanaian David ‘Poison’ Kotey, who put him down in round 1 and cut him over the eye in round 12. The fight was however close and hotly contested but after 15 rounds, the verdict went to the challenger by a split decision, to the detriment of Mexican fans of course. ‘He was very good when he was fighting at bantamweight but he's not the same fighter now,’ said Kotey after the fight.
Olivares attempted to qualify for another WBC title fight but was knocked out in the eliminator by Jose Cervantes in the 6th round in November ’76. He also lost his third fight against Chacon, by UD10. His last notable victory came in April ’78, when he knocked out future 2-time world lightweight champion, Jose Luis Ramirez, in 2 rounds. Olivares fought for the world title last time in July ’79 and was stopped in 12 by WBA champion Eusebio Pedroza. He retired in 1981 after dropping a split decision to the 8-2 Margarito Marquez but came back in 1986. He was definitely finished as a fighter however and after drawing against Roman Almaguer, in 1988 he was knocked out in 2 rounds by a 2-2 fighter called Ignacio Madrid. He ended his career with a record of 89 wins, 13 losses and 3 draws.
Ruben Olivares was a very capable and hard-hitting fighter who was unlucky to lose as many times as he did. Before the arrival of Julio Cesar Chavez, he was considered Mexico’s greatest ever boxer and was a mainstream star in his homeland, also appearing in many films and befriending various entertainment figures. His knockout winning streaks of 24 and 21 are the longest two knockout streaks ever. His 79 knockouts are also a rarity in boxing history, especially since he won 89 times. He was ranked as the twelfth greatest puncher by The Ring in 2003. He was inducted into IBHOF in 1991 and in 1999 voted the best bantamweight ever, along with Carlos Zarate. Olivares still lives in Mexico City today and still is a very popular and respected person. RingNews24 online article 6 April 2018 BoztheMadman
[8.5] WILFREDO VAZQUEZ 68-56(41)-9-2-1 [Lightweight & Featherweight & Super-Bantamweight & Bantamweight]: The Ring online -
While Puerto Rican stars such as Wilfred Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez, Hector Camacho senior, Felix Trinidad and currently Miguel Cotto are more celebrated and have gotten most of the attention, Wilfredo Vazquez senior quietly went about his business building a very respectable career of his own.
It didn’t look that way at first; Vazquez lost his debut back in January 1981. He didn’t lose again for five years when he challenged Miguel ‘Happy’ Lora for the WBC bantamweight title, losing a spirited unanimous decision, despite dropping the Colombian in the fourth frame.
In fall of 1987, the proud Puerto Rican went to South Korea where he met Chan-Young Park for the WBA 118-pound crown. This time, he wasn’t to be denied, stopping the Korean in the 10th round.
His bantamweight title reign was rather unspectacular; Vazquez drew against former champion Takuya Muguruma, who was bidding to win back the title he had lost to Park the previous year. One fight later, Vazquez would lose the strap to Khaokor Galaxy on a split decision in Thailand just seven months after winning it.
Vazquez lost his comeback fight when future two-division world champion Raul Perez outboxed him in Los Angeles and, three fights later, he lost again against future two-time bantamweight belt-holder Israel Contreras, who stunningly stopped him in the opening round.
At this point, it seemed Vazquez’s best days were likely behind him. However, he stepped up to junior featherweight and, after a couple of rehabilitation fights, he was matched with old adversary Perez for the WBA 122-pound strap. This time he didn’t let the Mexican get into his stride, dropping him in the second and again in the third before the fight was waved off.
The globetrotting continued and the wins mounted up. Over the next three years, Vazquez further established his credentials with nine successful defenses against the likes of Thierry Jacob (TKO 8 and KO 10), Luis Mendoza (UD 12) and Orlando Canizales (SD 12).
Ironically, Vazquez, who ultimately took part in 21 world title fights, went 16-4-1 with nine stoppages with all but one coming at home. The only time he fought in Puerto Rico was when he was dethroned of his WBA 122-pound title by Antonio Cermeno. In his 68-fight career, Vazquez fought on the Island just 19 times.
Again he stepped up in weight, this time, at featherweight, after three comeback wins, ‘El Orgullo de Puerto Rico’ (the Pride of Puerto Rico) took on WBA and lineal champion Eloy Rojason on the undercard of Felix Trinidad-Freddie Pendleton at The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although he was trailing badly on the cards, Vazquez rallied, dropping the Venezuelan twice before the latter was rescued midway through the penultimate round in what earned the ‘Knockout of the Year’ award by The Ring magazine in 1996.
It’s also the fight that Vazquez believes was the best win of his career: ‘I beat Eloy Rojas and made history by becoming the first fighter to win titles in three different divisions by the same organization [the WBA].’
Following four successful defenses, he was offered the opportunity to fight WBO titlist Naseem Hamed for a reported career-high payday thought to be in the region of $600,000. When he wasn’t allowed to defend his championship, he vacated the belt. Though he put up an honest effort, he was picked off by Hamed, who dropped Vazquez four times before the action was called off in the seventh round.
After a near-two-year absence, Vazquez returned, beating a couple of journeymen to set up a fight with Juan Lazcano, who beat him in nine rounds. Four more fights followed at a lower level before he decided to hang the gloves up in 2002 with a record of 56-9-2 with 41 KOs.
When looking back on his carer, Vazquez said he wished he had been able to win a fourth world title and says he’d have liked to have fought Manny Pacquiao: ‘I wanted to fight the best.’
Since retiring, he has guided his son and namesake, Wilfredo junior to the WBO junior featherweight title and also trains his younger son, Israel.
The now 54-year-old isn’t in the International Boxing Hall of Fame but is on the ballot for consideration. The Ring online article Coyote Duran
52) Orlando Canizales SD Points 12: US Fight Commentary TV -
v Orlando Canizales 7 January 1995 WBA Super-Bantamweight San Antonio Texas: [r1] … Canizales is the faster fighter … Good right hand [Vazquez] … [r2] … Good right hand by the champion [Vazquez] … [r3] … Lead left by the champion … Canizales fighting a smart fight … [r4] … A good right hand [Canizales] … again … good counter right [Vazquez] … [r5] … Vazquez has picked up the tempo … an interesting fight … [r6] … Very calm, very cool [Canizales] … still pecking away … [r7] … Big left hook [Canizales] … Good right hand by Vazquez … [r8] … The crowd very restless … Canizales definitely hurt the champion … [r9] … Right hand thrown over the top [Canizales] … good uppercut … [r10] … Left jab [Canizales] … Good left hand by the champion … [r11] … Vazquez starting to back up … [r12] … I’ve got Canizales ahead by one point … another close round … Canizales has been the aggressor … [116-115 Vazquez, 115-113 Vazquez, 117-113 Canizales] US fight commentary