Jul 10, 2016 3 min read

Monessen native Sammy Vasquez Jr. will continue his attempt to rise up the charts in the loaded welterweight boxing division when he takes on 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Felix Diaz Saturday night as part of the Premier Boxing Championships card in Birmingham, Ala.

The fights will be shown live on WPGH and FOX Desportes starting at 8 p.m.

Vasquez (21-0, 15 KOs) was scheduled to fight veteran Luis Collazo (36-7, 19 KOs), but Collazo pulled out of the fight last week and was replaced by Diaz.

Both are left-handers, so the late change in styles won’t affect Vasquez much, though the 35-year-old Collazo lost two of his last three fights, both of which were WBA welterweight title fights.

Collazo won the WBA welterweight title in 2013 from Victor Ortiz before losing it later that year in his second title defense against Amir Khan in 2014. His last time out, he could not answer the bell in Round 8 against champion Keith Thurman.

The 32-year-old Diaz (17-1, 8 KOs) could present more of a challenge for Vasquez, who now lives and trains in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Diaz lost for the first time in his career late last year against Lamont Peterson and comes into the fight ranked 37th in the world.

“It’s unfortunate that Collazo got hurt, but Diaz is a very good fighter and I know he’s going to bring it,” Vasquez told World Boxing News. “I’ve been sparring with nothing but lefties, and since both Diaz and Collazo are southpaws, it’s business as usual. Diaz is coming off a close majority decision loss, his first defeat, so I know he’s hungry to get back in that win column. This is a dangerous fight and I’m not taking it lightly.”

A fight against Collazo would have been a good measuring stick for Vasquez, who is currently ranked 10th in the world by boxrec.com. Thurman remains the WBA champion and atop the world welterweight rankings and had Vasquez also beaten Collazo, it would have been a feather in his cap.

But Diaz should also be a good measuring stick. Peterson is ranked ninth in the world, one spot ahead of Vasquez. So a dominating victory over Diaz, could vault Vasquez higher in the rankings and move him closer to a title shot.

“I feel I’m ready now,” Vasquez said. “I’m ranked in the top 10 in three of the major sanctioning organizations, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know a victory against Diaz will get me closer to a title shot.

“I have to keep winning to fulfill the goal I set for myself when I first started boxing, and that’s to become a world champion.”

Vasquez is getting closer, but the welterweight division is stacked.

Of the fighters ranked ahead of Vasquez in the top 10, four are unbeaten. Combined, those nine fighters have just 12 losses.

So even one stumble, one bad night, could be devastating.

A chance for a world title fight could be coming for Vasquez, but he’ll have to get past Diaz first.

“The division is loaded with great fighters,” the 30-year-old Vasquez said. “With the exception of Jesse Vargas, all of the champions are undefeated. The road to the top is tough because everyone in the top 10 is an exceptional fighter. I think it’s the toughest division in boxing.”

F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.