Filipino boxer Jayson Vayson was hoping to join compatriots Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran as the country’s only world champions. That dream would have to wait as he lost his chance on Sunday after bowing to WBO and WBA minimumweight kingpin Oscar Collazo in a controversial finish in Indio, California that had fans, the media, and Vayson himself perplexed.
The end came at the 1-minute, 41-second mark of the seventh round as Collazo charged at Vayson looking for the finish. After two body shots by Collazo followed by a left hook by Vayson that caught the champion, referee Thomas Taylor stepped in, pointed to the Filipino’s corner, and waved the fight off.
Vayson looked visibly surprised—shocked, even—at the stoppage, admitting post-match that he still wanted to fight. Many were just as shocked, with the BBC even describing the fight as ending in “bizarre fashion” as it appeared the Filipino pugilist was keeping his wits about him and was still going toe-to-toe with the Puerto Rican titlist.
Vayson Was Breaking—Collazo
Bizarre ending or not, the champion, who hiked his unbeaten record to 13-0, was adamant that his pressure was breaking the challenger.
“I was putting a lot of pressure on him, digging in the shots. That’s the round we were going for the finish,” said Collazo after the fight. “I knew I was going to apply pressure from the first round. … I was breaking him down. I knew I was going to get him.”
True enough, Collazo was putting pressure on Vayson all fight long, even recording a knockdown in the very first round. All three judges seemed to see it that way, as each had the champ ahead, 59-54, at the time of the stoppage. Vayson, though, was putting up a fight, even catching Collazo flush in the second round and doing his best work in the fourth with some solid body shots.
But, in the end, the Filipino’s corner had the final say—and they felt it was best to stop the fight for the sake of the Agusan del Sur native.
With the loss, Vayson dropped to 14-2-1 and will be back to the proverbial drawing board.
