(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Oscar Collazo Defends Titles With 7th-Round Stoppage Over Jayson Vayson
Indio, California — Unified minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo (13-0, 10 KOs) successfully defended his WBO and WBA titles on Saturday night at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, stopping Filipino challenger Jayson Vayson (14-2-1) in the seventh round.
The bout ended at 1:41 of Round 7, when referee Thomas Taylor halted the action after Collazo backed Vayson against the ropes and landed body shots that prompted the challenger’s corner to signal the stoppage.
Vayson Disappointed, but Respects Corner’s Decision
Visibly emotional, Vayson admitted he wanted to continue:
“My corner thought I was breaking. I wanted to fight,” he said. “I respect the decision of the corner for the safety of the boxer.”
Though he was competitive through six rounds, all three judges had Collazo ahead 59-54 at the time of the stoppage.
Collazo’s Pressure Paid Off
The Puerto Rican champion said the plan was always to break Vayson down:
“I was putting a lot of pressure on him, digging in the shots. That’s the round we were going for the finish,” Collazo said.
Collazo used his sharp jab to control the early rounds, scoring effectively to the head and body. Vayson responded with heavy punches in the second and sixth rounds, showing flashes of power at the higher weight, but Collazo’s relentless pressure wore him down.
What’s Next for Collazo?
With his third victory over a Filipino fighter since 2023, Collazo now has multiple options for the future:
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Unification at 105 lbs against another world champion.
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Moving up to 108 lbs to challenge WBO titleholder and fellow Puerto Rican Rene Santiago.
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Or even a 112 lbs showdown with new unified champion Ricardo Sandoval, a Golden Boy Promotions stablemate.
“Puerto Rico versus Mexico is always a good matchup,” Collazo said when asked about a possible fight with Sandoval.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya added before the fight:
“Sandoval is a great challenge for Collazo in the near future.”
With another title defense in the books, Collazo has firmly established himself as one of boxing’s rising stars in the lighter weight classes.
