OSCAR COLLAZO might be inching closer towards cracking the majority of pound-for-pound lists but, in this particular fight, his upwards trajectory appears unlikely to encounter a sudden spike.
This Saturday, the 28-year-old will defend his WBO and WBA titles against Jayson Vayson, a largely unproven contender, while headlining a Golden Boy card at the Fantasy Springs Casino, California.
Entering their contest as the bona fide king at 105lbs, Collazo, 12-0 (9 KOs), has faced stiff competition, most notably in the form of Melvin Jerusalem and Knockout CP Freshmart, as he now looks to extend his scintillating run of form.
His two signature wins both arrived inside the seventh round, in fact, though it was the Puerto Rican’s stoppage over Freshmart that really catapulted him into the limelight.
As is often the case with such talented individuals, Collazo displayed an almost effortless degree of control, flowing with seamless speed and elusiveness, before cementing his career-best performance with a punishing finish last November.
Needless to say, it should take far less than that for the minimumweight technician to dispatch his next opponent – who, somehow, happens to be ranked number-seven and number-10 with the WBO and WBA, respectively – over the weekend.
Vayson, 14-1-1 (8 KOs), in that sense, may need a miracle, or at least a moment of pure abnormality, should he wish to come even remotely close to toppling the unified champion.
In his last outing, ‘Striker’ came up against someone who, to put it bluntly, looked to have the frame of a rather malnourished 12-year-old child.
At least, that was what appeared to be standing in the ring – a 12-year-old boy – only for some extra digging to prove that his opponent is, in fact, 16 years of age.
Yet still, even beyond his pencil-like features, the man – or rather child – standing in front of Vayson was so far out of his depth that a 12-year-old boy, but perhaps one with more impressive physical attributes, might have stood a better chance.
As it happened, the 16-year-old offered little resistance – practically nothing, in fact – before their somewhat bizarre contest was halted in the second-round.
It is times like these, among many others, that force one to question how certain fighters, especially those that face an almost laughable level of opposition, can all of a sudden be ranked by any of the four major sanctioning bodies.
And yet, here we are, previewing a fight which, at least on paper, appears to be little more than a total mismatch.
The only shred of evidence to support Vayson’s credentials at this level, in truth, is the fact that he went the distance with former super-flyweight champion Seigo Yuri Akui in 2023.
But even then, the Filipino lost every round and, in each of his performances since, has done practically nothing to prove that he deserves another stab at world honours.
Collazo, meanwhile, would certainly benefit from turning his attention to 112lbs, where three formidable champions – Ricardo Sandoval, Anthony Olascuaga and Masamichi Yabuki – are eagerly awaiting a meaningful fight.
Before that, though, ‘El Pupilo’ must first come through what seems to be the most straightforward of assignments.
Oscar Collazo vs Jayson Vayson fight prediction
Quite simply, Collazo should win by knockout, perhaps even within the first three rounds.
