By: Sean Crose
Boasting a record of 15-1-1, Damien Vasquez slipped into the ring at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday to face the 20-0-1 WBA super bantamweight champ Brandon Figueroa. The first round was a high octane affair, with both men trading well. The second round also saw both men trading punches. Figueroa began putting up the pressure in the third. Vasquez, however, wouldn’t willingly give ground.
Figueroa landed very well in the fourth. On several occasions, it appeared as if the fight was over. Yet Vasquez held strong. It was worth wondering, though, how much punishment the man could take. The fifth round was as action oriented as the previous rounds, though Figueroa by this point seemed to be edging it. The sixth saw Vasquez peppering his man well with his southpaw jab.
Both men continued to trade in the seventh. By the second half of the round, however, Vasquez was beginning to look terribly beat up. Still, the man continued to battle on in the eighth and ninth rounds, even though Figueroa was landing hard shots essentially at will. The fight was stopped in the tenth. To his credit, Vasquez went out giving it his all. Figueroa, however, was simply piling on too man harmful punches.