“El Magnifico” at the Silver Glove Finals!
Former WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Israel Vazquez showed his support for some young amateur fighters at yesterday’s 2012 Silver Gloves Regional Tournament held at 
Victory Park in the city of Pasadena.
A Southern California fan favorite, “El Magnifico” attended the finals with his wife and their two little boys, Anthony, 6, and Israel Jr., 8. I caught up with the family as we all entered the boxing show for the top Region 8 amateurs.
It looks to be a very busy year for the Vazquez familia. The Mexican warrior just celebrated his birthday on December 25 and 2012 is already shaping up to be a big year for the prizefighter.
Israel’s beautiful wife, Laura, shared some exciting news too: the couple is expecting their third child this year. I asked their sons what they thought about a new brother and sister and all are hoping for a little girl.
It will be a fun and busy time for the fam. Vazquez (44-5, 32 KOs), best known for his vicious battles versus Rafael Marquez, also just opened his own boxing gym in South Gate. The Magnifico Boxing Gym promises to hone the talents of young athletes and future champs.
And at Sunday’s advancing tournament, Israel was there to cheer on these amateur boxers hoping to move on to the Kansas City finals. Hosted by Villa Parke coach Fausto De La Torre, USA Boxing’s Dick Jones and Joe Zanders, we all watched the “Best in the West” show off their skills on the canvas.
There were many close matches and tense rematches between the combatants hailing from Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, California and Arizona.
I asked Israel about his own amateur career. He relates to what these boys and girls are going through as they fight their way up the ranks in amateur boxing, which can lead to the Olympics and later on down the road, the pro game.
“I had 58 amateur fights in Mexico; I really enjoyed fighting in the amateurs,” Vazquez told me. “I never fought here as an amateur though; I was already 16-1 as a pro when I came here in 1998.”
When Israel left his native Mexico City, he said he signed with manager Frank Espinoza. And as fans can attest to, “El Magnifico” built a successful career by always giving it his all, leaving it all in the ring and sacrificing everything to win in many a bloody war.
After suffering eye injuries, Vazquez is still a integral part of the fight game with his brand new gym, training and inspiring youngsters, commentating at live fights and lending support to the sport he loves.
During the weekend Silver Glove finals, the young champions were excited to meet their hero, who posed with the kids and wished them all luck. Many fans were wearing “Magnifico” T-shirts while they cheered on Colorado’s Damien “Sugar” Vasquez, who Israel says is like a “little brother” to him. The former world titleholder also told me some of the kids from the Silver Gloves worked out at his South Gate gym and he had a great time watching them compete.
Check out these exclusive photos of Team Vazquez at the Region 8 Silver Gloves show!
Photos by Michele Chong
