After a brief trip up to 122 pounds, Damien Vazquez (15-2-1) will return to the bantamweight division on August 14th when he faces former champion Rau'shee Warren (18-3).  The fight will be part of an all bantamweight Showtime broadcast.  John Riel Casimero defends his title against Guillermo Rigondeaux in the main event and Gary Antonio Russell takes on Emmanuel Rodriguez in the co-feature bout. 

Vazquez moved up to the super bantamweight division early in February, 2020 when defeated Alejandro Moreno in a tune up bout. He decided to stay in the division and landed an opportunity to face WBA super bantamweight champion Brandon Figueroa. Unfortunately for him, the move up wasn't successful and he was stopped in 10 rounds.   

“I feel more comfortable at 118. I feel stronger and a lot faster than I felt at 122. I want to stay at 118 for as long as I can,” Vazquez stated.

The 24-year-old Las Vegas resident knows that a win over a former champion like Warren would open a lot of doors but he refuses to look too far ahead.  He said that all of his focus is on Warren.

“The thing is right now I am just taking it day by day. I am taking it step by step. I am not looking to skip any steps or anything like that.  I am just thinking about Warren,” Vazquez told BoxingScene.com.

Warren only has 4 knockout victories on his ledger and is known more for his movement and defense than his offensive output.  Even so, Vazquez expects an exciting fight.

“All I know is it is going to be a hell of a fight. I can’t really make a prediction right now. I don’t know if I will knock him out or not. All I know is I am going to come out on top,” Vazquez explained. 

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