LOS ANGELES (AP) -Israel Vazquez could have retired with a secure place in boxing history after winning two of his three fights with Rafael Marquez in a rivalry that ranks among the best of their generation.
Instead, Vazquez is determined to write more chapters in a career that some people wish was already over.
Vazquez (43-4, 31 KOs) will return from a 19-month absence Saturday night in downtown Los Angeles against Colombia's Angel Priolo. Vazquez, a former 122-pound champion, is moving up to featherweight, with an eye on bigger opponents and paydays - and perhaps a fourth fight with Marquez.
Although Vazquez has a clean bill of health, no doctor can quantify the punishment he received from Marquez during their three fights, which were filled with knockdowns, momentum shifts and surprising finishes. The crowd-pleasing bouts left Vazquez requiring three surgeries to repair a torn retina in his right eye - and he was the winner of the last two.
Vazquez, a 31-year-old Mexican-born fighter who lives in Huntington Park, Calif., took plenty of time to heal, though he claims his sight was never seriously endangered. Boxing remained ``an itch I need to scratch,'' he said.
``Obviously, it was something that was very worrisome, but now I feel so much better,'' Vazquez added. ``Now I want to retire on my terms. I want to go out when I want to go out. I feel confident nothing is going to happen to me.''
Others will always worry about Vazquez. Freddie Roach, his longtime trainer, said he hoped Vazquez would retire after his first punishing fight with Marquez, which Vazquez lost in March 2007. Vazquez returned to stop Marquez in the sixth round five months later before winning the rubber match by split decision in March 2008.
Although Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer realizes Vazquez's fearless approach made him a star, he also wants to be certain his fighter is safe.
``Israel still wants to fight very much, and you want to see what he has left in the ring,'' Schaefer said. ``You need to rely on the doctors, and I'm sure they're very strict. I'm sure they put him through all the relevant tests, and they cleared him.''
Vazquez's trainers and handlers claim they aren't about to risk his health any more than necessary. In addition to choosing a comeback opponent who has lost his last six fights, Vazquez has worked extensively with trainer Rudy Perez to start staying away from punishment, rather than plodding toward it.
``You're going to see a fighter that's a little more technical, not the same toe-to-toe fighter,'' Perez said. ``But he's still the same guy with a lot of hunger. I'm not changing his style. I'm just enhancing it with a little more defense.''
While a fourth fight with Marquez is still a possibility if Vazquez looks sharp against Priolo and Marquez hashes out his promotional issues, Vazquez is thinking ahead to additional goals, including a 126-pound title and a fight with Indonesian champion Chris John.
``I still have a lot of life left in boxing,'' Vazquez said. ``If the fans want to see (a fourth fight), why not? Either of us could win at every moment. ... I like to be aggressive, but I could always improve my defense and my strategy. I don't want to keep receiving these punches. It's not fun.''
