By Chris Williams: On Saturday night former WBO super bantamweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (21-2-1, 18 KO’s) will try and turn his career around in facing #3 WBO Jonathan Oquendo (22-2, 15 KO’s) for the vacant WBO International super bantamweight title at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Vazquez Jr., 28, has seen things turn sour rapidly in his once promising career with him losing two out of his last three fights. Vazquez Jr. was beaten by Jorce Arce by a 12th round knockout last year in May in a surprising upset that saw Vazquez Jr. lose his World Boxing Organization super bantamweight title in a fight that he was incredibly close going into the 12th. Vazquez Jr. would then beat journeyman Roberto Carlos Leyva by a 3rd round KO in his next fight in October of last year.

However, things nosedived for Vazquez Jr. once again as he was beaten by Nonito Donaire by a 12 round split decision last February in a failed attempt to recapture his old vacant WBO super bantamweight title. It sounds nice that the judges scored it as a split decision but it was a mostly one-sided fight and the more accurate scoring of that fight were done by the two judges that scored it 117-110 and 117-110 rather than the lone judge that had Vazquez Jr. winning by a 115-112 score.

Vazquez Jr. is taking a real risk in facing Oquendo because he’s really good fighter and could be too much for Vazquez Jr. at this point unless he can find some offense to match Oquendo’s fire power. Oquendo has won his last eight fights after losing to WBO Latino super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez four years ago by a 3rd round TKO. You can’t blame Oquendo for losing that fight because Lopez was at the top of his game back then and nearly unbeatable. Oquendo’s other loss on his resume came from a disqualification in 2007 against Oscar Andrade.

Oquendo has looked really powerful in stopping six of his last eight opponents. These haven’t been just fodder opposition. He stopped Eden Sansona and Jose Luis Araiza, two really good fighters.

Vazquez Jr. is going to have to show something in this fight because if he doesn’t jump on Oquendo early to make him respect him this will probably be early night for Vazquez Jr. with him getting knocked out. He’s not going to be able to jab his way to a victory so I hope he plans on showing some offense because he won’t beat Oquendo just by playing it safe.