What's Three Pounds? The Collazo-Vayson Affair
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 13 Aug 2025
Part 1: Can Vayson Do a Donaire?
What difference does moving down three pounds in weight make if it means a chance to fight a lineal world champion with unified titles at stake?
Jayson Vayson is moving down from light flyweight to challenge Ring Magazine's lineal world minimumweight champion and unified WBA-WBO titlist Oscar Collazo. This high-profile bout will serve as a companion main event on a major boxing card at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, on September 20, 2025.
Can Vayson pull off the upset?
It has been done before. Nonito Donaire Jr. famously moved three pounds down from super flyweight to challenge the brash Armenian Vic Darchinyan for his IBF world flyweight crown. Beyond the world belt, Donaire had a powerful personal motivation: to avenge the brutal defeat of his brother Glen at the hands of Vicious Vic in an earlier title challenge. Glen had his jaw broken by Darchinyan's ponderous blows which the Filipino corner said included an errant elbow or two, forcing Glen's corner to surrender the bout.
When Donaire got his chance on July 7, 2007, in Bridgeport, he used his slight size advantage to pummel Darchinyan whenever opportunities arose. "Vicious Vic" gamely traded blows, haughtily and defiantly posing as an ever-present threat with his sledgehammer left. This pride proved to be the Australia-based Armenian's undoing. In the fifth round, Donaire exploded with his own lethal left at Darchinyan's jaw just as Darchinyan was winding up to throw his own vaunted punch. Darchinyan crashed down in a heap. He tried to get up, his face bloodied and his eyes extremely glassy and rolling. The referee stopped the contest, declaring Donaire the winner by knockout.
Donaire knocks out Darchinyan with his vaunted left.
Donaire's feat was not a one-off. He did it again in 2019, moving down from super bantamweight to join the World Boxing Super Series at bantamweight. In his first outing, he won the WBA 118-pound super championship by stopping British titleholder Ryan Burnett in Glasgow.
It has been done before, but Donaire had extra motivation beyond just winning a world boxing crown.
Can Jayson Vayson do it himself this time? His motivation is the chance to fight and defeat an undefeated new Puerto Rican idol, who is recognized as the best in the 105-pound class, along with the fame and fortune that would accompany such a success. Of course, avenging the earlier defeats of Vic Saludar and Melvin Jerusalem to Collazo could provide an added impetus for Vayson to do his absolute best to win, despite the odds.
Part 2: Why Jayson Vayson?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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