— PBC (@premierboxing) February 3, 2017
Anchoring the latest installment of Premier Boxing Champions’ reliable PBC on FS1 series, Vasquez began his welterweight showdown by boxing circles around Collazo (37-7, 20 KOs). “The Who Can Mexican” moved beautifully and picked the Brooklynite apart with relative ease. However, when Collazo turned up the pressure in the third, he sucked Vasquez into a heated exchange. Vasquez fell for the trap and was floored by a sizzling left-right to the head.
Vasquez (21-2, 15 KOs) climbed back to his feet and rallied in the fourth by rocking his foe badly with a left hook to the melon, but Collazo wouldn’t buckle. From there, they pinned their ears back and stood virtually toe-to-toe for the next two rounds. Finally, an atomic bomb of a right hook caught Vasquez dead on the chin during an exchange in the sixth, knocking him senseless and motionless on his side. Referee Bill Clancy waived off his count, promptly ending the war at 1:27 of the frame, giving Collazo a much-needed boost to his career.
Yordenis Ugas (18-3, 8 KOs) fought 10 spirited round with Levan Ghvamichava as each man gave as good as took. Though the rounds were littered with sporadic moments of action, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist was quicker and more accurate than Ghvamichava (17-3-1, 13 KOs) and appeared to have easily won the fight when the final bell rung. Ugas was declared the winner but it was via a puzzling split decision; he won via tallies of 99-90, 97-94 and 94-95.
In the opening bout of the telecast, super lightweights Ryan Karl (13-1, 9 KOs) and Eddie Ramirez (16-0, 11 KOs) took turns battering each other for the better part of nine rounds. But as terrific as the action was, Ramirez landed the far better punches and rocked “Cowboy” several times. When the ninth ended, Karl’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel, saving him from unnecessary punishment.