Roberto Vasquez: The Panamanian Boxing Legend’s Rise
Roberto Gaspar Vásquez Ramírez was a Panamanian southpaw who boxed professionally from 2001 to 2017. Born May 26, 1983, in Panama City, he won WBA world titles at light-flyweight and flyweight. BoxRec lists his final record as 34 wins, seven losses, and two draws, with 23 knockouts.
From regional titles to a world championship
Vásquez turned professional in 2001. His early title run included the WBO Latino light-flyweight belt in 2002 and regional WBC and WBA Fedelatin titles in 2003, according to his BoxRec career history. On April 29, 2005, he stopped Colombia’s Beibis Mendoza in the 10th round to win the vacant WBA light-flyweight championship. The WBA record confirms the title and result.
He defended the belt three times, then vacated it to move up. On December 2, 2006, in Paris, he won a split decision over Takefumi Sakata for the interim WBA flyweight title. Sakata won their July 1, 2007 rematch by unanimous decision in Tokyo, retaining the regular title he had won from Parra earlier that year; contemporary Associated Press coverage published by La Prensa reported the result.
Later career
Vásquez continued competing after his world-title runs, including later bouts at bantamweight. BoxRec records his final professional fight on October 24, 2017, and lists 34 wins, seven losses, and two draws, with 23 knockouts. His career spanned three weight divisions and included world-title wins at light-flyweight and flyweight.
Sources
- BoxRec: professional record and career dates
- BoxRec: title history and career record
- World Boxing Association: title fight record
- La Prensa, reporting by the Associated Press: Sakata defeats Vásquez (2007)
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
