Unbeaten welterweight Sammy Vasquez and former world titleholder Luis Collazo, who are going in opposite directions in their respective careers, will square off in a crossroads fight on July 16 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
The fight, announced on Tuesday, will serve as the co-feature to the Premier Boxing Champions card on Fox headlined by heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder, who is from nearby Tuscaloosa, defending his belt for the fourth time when he meets Chris Arreola.
Vasquez (21-0, 15 KOs), who served two tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the U.S. National Guard, has become something of a fan favorite because of his service and his typically action-packed fights. He is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Aron Martinez on Jan. 23. Collazo is easily the most notable opponent of his career.
"This is a great opportunity for me, and I'm looking forward to showcasing my talent and skills," the 30-year-old Vasquez, of Monessen, Pennsylvania, said. "Luis Collazo is one of the toughest guys I've fought so far, and he's definitely going to test me. My job is to go in there, handle my business and beat him worse than anyone else has. I think our styles will combine for a great battle, and I'm excited to give the people another great fight."
Collazo (36-7, 19 KOs), a southpaw like Vasquez, held a welterweight world title from 2005 to 2006 before losing it by controversial decision to Ricky Hatton. He is 1-2 in his past three fights and will be coming off a one-year layoff.
In his past three fights, Collazo has lost a lopsided decision to Amir Khan in 2014, knocked out club fighter Christopher Degollado in the second round in April 2015 and gotten knocked out in the seventh round challenging world titlist Keith Thurman, whom he badly hurt with a body shot, last July.
Collazo, 35, of Brooklyn, New York, said he is ready for a challenge from Vasquez.
"I'm totally stoked about this fight against Sammy Vasquez," said Collazo, who has also faced opponents such as Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto. "He is a talented fighter and I'm excited to test his abilities and the will that he has to keep that zero. This will be a good one."