For the fighter named Israel , getting to pro boxing's Promised Land was not easy. But, even as he waited for his first shot and had to endure doubters, Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez never lost faith in himself. He always believed that, some night soon, he would become a world boxing champion. "Those doubters were wrong. And the reigning World Boxing Council super bantamweight champion and his team were right. "

The 28-year-old Vazquez, from Cudahy, Calif. won his first title, the International Boxing Federation junior featherweight championship, during March of 2004. But what really has set Vazquez apart from all other 122-pounders is his impressive performance Dec. 3, 2005 when he hit the proverbial boxing jackpot on a nationally televised stage in Las Vegas against highly touted Oscar De La Hoya protégé, Oscar Larios.

Again, Vazquez suffered doubters aplenty, despite having an earlier win over Larios. Las Vegas oddsmakers pegged Vazquez as a 3-to-1 underdog. The boxing media wrote him off as just another "minor" world champion. And the boxing public was snoozing, too.

But Vazquez paid no attention to the naysayers and proceeded to knock out the more experienced Larios and add the WBC super bantamweight belt to his championship wardrobe.

Vazquez successfully defended his WBC super bantamweight title Sept. 16, 2006, in Las Vegas by stopping World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez in the 10th round and three months earlier on June 10 in Atlantic City , N.J. , by halting Ivan Hernandez after four rounds on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkins-Antonio Tarver HBO pay-per-view show.

The stinging upset over Larios and the quick manner in which he dispatched Hernanez, served notice to one and all that this Sycuan Ringside Promotions warrior is “The Man” among 122-pounders.

Vazquez, who had traded knockout wins against Larios before both held title belts, knocked down Larios in the first round. Vazquez fared even better in the second, carving cuts under Larios' left eye. Larios was bleeding profusely when the ring physician halted the one-sided bout during the third round.

"We thought it might be a war of attrition based on their previous two bouts," said Willie Tucker, exexcutive vice president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions. "But Israel was a man on a mission. He just went through Larios like a hot knife through butter. No question now that Israel is the premier 122-pounder in the world."

"I am a much better boxer now than when I fought Larios twice before," said Vazquez, who has a record of 41-3 with 30 knockouts. "And I knew what was at stake. I knew that beating Larios could really put me over the moon and show that I am the man at 122 pounds.

“I made a statement that I'm a champion who's going to be around for a long time,” said Vazquez.

“For that to happen you have to be the best, and that means fighting the best.”

Before making his brilliant statement on the big stage, his trainer, Freddie Roach, said Vazquez is a breath of fresh air at the Wildhorse Gym in Los Angeles.

"When Israel walks in the gym, no one notices him," said Roach. "No one knows he's a world champion. He just doesn't seek that out. He comes in, he shakes everyone's hand, he's very respectful, and he goes over into his corner and gets ready. He's just a gentleman and a pleasure to be around."

Now the boxing world also knows why he is "Magnifico" in and out of the ring.

“Israel got to the top by ducking no one and fighting every tough character around,” said his manager, Frank Espinoza. “We wouldn't have had it any other way. All those battles paid off when Israel thrashed Jose Luis Valbuena to win the IBF crown.”

That was March 25, 2004 in Los Angeles when he knocked down Valbuena twice and finally stopped him in the 12th and final round.

Many newly minted world champions take an optional defense, choosing a challenger they can blow over in a strong wind. It is considered by many, a new champ's privilege to show off his sparkling world title belt with an easy defense.

But Vazquez's first IBF title defense came against No. 1-ranked and undefeated Artyom Simonyam, who he halted in the fifth round on a card presented by Sycuan Ringside Promotions Dec. 28, 2004 at Sycuan Resort & Casino in San Diego.

In his IBF title defense May 31, 2005 in Lynwood, Ill. Vazquez took a 12-round, unanimous decision over tall and rangy Armando Guerrero. Now with the WBC championship, there's no doubt this Israel intends to stay in boxing's promised land.

-Courtesy of Sycuan Ringside Promotions-

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