Editing Vinny Paz (section)

==Professional career==
{{main|Roberto Durán vs. Vinny Pazienza|Vinny Pazienza vs. Roberto Durán II|Roy Jones Jr. vs. Vinny Pazienza}}
In the 1980s, Pazienza built a reputation along the [[East Coast of the United States|U.S. East Coast]], defeating such opponents as Melvin Paul ([[Knockout|KO]] 2), Joe Frazier Jr. ([[Technical knockout|TKO]] 7), [[Harry Arroyo]] ([[Unanimous decision|UD]] 10), Nelson Bolanos (TKO 6), and Roberto Elizondo (KO in 10). His first world title fight came on June 7, 1987, in [[Providence, Rhode Island]], where he outpointed [[Greg Haugen]] over 15 rounds to become the [[International Boxing Federation|IBF]] world lightweight champion.<ref>{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Phil |date=June 8, 1987 |title=Boxing; Pazienza Shaken But Captures Title |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/08/sports/boxing-pazienza-shaken-but-captures-title-uf881.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Putnam |first=Pat |date=June 15, 1987 |title=Local Boy Makes Good |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1987/06/15/115567/local-boy-makes-good-vinny-pazienza-scrapped-his-way-to-a-title-in-providence |magazine=Vault - [[Sports Illustrated]] |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> The pair would meet two more times: Haugen recovering the title in an immediate rematch,<ref>{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Phil |date=February 7, 1988 |title=Boxing; Haugen Regains I.B.F. Lightweight Crown |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/07/sports/boxing-haugen-regains-ibf-lightweight-crown.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Raffo |first=Dave |date=February 7, 1988 |title=Greg Haugen and Vinny Pazienza have boxed 30 rounds |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/02/07/Greg-Haugen-and-Vinny-Pazienza-have-boxed-30-rounds/5779571208400/ |work=[[United Press International]] |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Putnam |first=Pat |date=February 15, 1988 |title=Old Enemy, New Ending |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1988/02/15/117148/old-enemy-new-ending-greg-haugen-won-revenge-and-the-ibf-lightweight-crown-from-vinny-pazienza |work=Vault - Sports Illustrated |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> and Pazienza prevailing in a 10-round decision in their rubber match in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |last=Putnam |first=Pat |date=August 13, 1990 |title=Let's Dance |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1990/08/13/122456/lets-dance-vinny-pazienza-waltzed-over-greg-haugen |work=Vault - Sports Illustrated |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>

Pazienza failed in title tries in the junior welterweight division: in 1988, against [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] World Champion [[Roger Mayweather]] and in 1990, against both [[World Boxing Organization|WBO]] Champion [[Hector "Macho" Camacho]] and [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] World Champion [[Loreto Garza]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Brock |first=Ted |date=February 10, 1991 |title=He Decides at the Last Minute He's Not Really Retiring Type |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-10-sp-1410-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref name="pcmwto">{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Phil |date=May 20, 1992 |title=Boxing; Pazienza Is Trying to Make a Comeback in More Ways Than One |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/20/sports/boxing-pazienza-is-trying-to-make-a-comeback-in-more-ways-than-one.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>

In 1991, Pazienza moved into the junior middleweight division.  This movement was at the advice of his new trainer [[Kevin Rooney (boxer)|Kevin Rooney]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/38144437|title = The boxer who returned from a broken neck|work = BBC Sport}}</ref> In his first fight at junior middleweight, he won the [[United States Boxing Association|USBA]] championship against Ron Amundsen in a 12-round decision. He defeated the WBA world jr. middleweight champion [[Gilbert Delé]] with a 12th-round TKO in Providence, becoming the second fighter in boxing history to win both the lightweight and junior middleweight world championships.<ref name="pcmwto"/><ref name="ptdrfbn">{{cite news |title=Boxing; Pazienza Takes a Decision In Return From Broken Neck |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/16/sports/boxing-pazienza-takes-a-decision-in-return-from-broken-neck.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 16, 1992 |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>

Pazienza was forced to relinquish the title due to a serious car accident in which his neck was broken. He was scheduled for a Jan.10 title defense against Pat Lawlor in Atlantic City but it was called off. Doctors informed him he might never walk again and would certainly never fight again. Pazienza had to wear a medical device called a [[Halo (medicine)|Halo]], a circular metal brace screwed into the skull in four spots and propped up with four metal rods. He had the Halo screwed to his skull for three months, during which time he maintained a workout regimen against doctors orders.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jackman |first=Phil |date=December 10, 1992 |title=Never one to back down, Pazienza manages to fight off broken neck, too |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1992/12/10/never-one-to-back-down-pazienza-manages-to-fight-off-broken-neck-too/ |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Price |first=Terry |date=December 15, 1992 |title=The Return of Pazienza |url=https://www.courant.com/1992/12/15/the-return-of-pazienza/ |work=[[Hartford Courant]] |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> He returned to the ring thirteen months after the accident and defeated future WBC world jr. middleweight champion [[Luis Santana (boxer)|Luis Santana]] by a 10-round decision.<ref name="ptdrfbn"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Berkow |first=Ira |date=January 13, 1995 |title=Boxing; Vinny Pazienza's Necessary Risks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/13/sports/boxing-vinny-pazienza-s-necessary-risks.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>

After the Santana fight, Pazienza went on to defeat Brett Lally by a 6th-round TKO,<ref>{{cite news |last=Canfield |first=Owen |date=March 3, 1993 |title=He Has Right to Boast Because He Isn't Wrong |url=https://www.courant.com/1993/03/03/he-has-right-to-boast-because-he-isnt-wrong/ |work=Hartford Courant |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Boxing; Pazienza Wins by Knockout |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/03/sports/boxing-pazienza-wins-by-knockout.html |work=The New York Times |date=March 3, 1993 |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> and then, in another TKO, former world champion [[Lloyd Honeyghan]] in the 10th round.<ref>{{cite news |title=Vinny Pazienza decked Lloyd Honeyghan twice and stopped him |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/06/27/Vinny-Pazienza-decked-Lloyd-Honeyghan-twice-and-stopped-him/5683741153600/ |work=United Press International |date=June 27, 1993 |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Eskenazi |first=Gerald |date=June 27, 1993 |title=Boxing; Not Even The Towel Can Stop Pazienza |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/27/sports/boxing-not-even-the-towel-can-stop-pazienza.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> Pazienza went on to win the vacant [[International Boxing Organization|IBO]] middleweight world title in 1993 with an 11th-round KO over Dan Sherry.<ref>{{cite news |last=Plummer |first=William |date=December 20, 1993 |title=Difficult Patient |url=https://people.com/archive/difficult-patient-vol-40-no-25/ |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> Pazienza then went on to beat [[Roberto Durán]] twice, both via unanimous decision, with the [[International Boxing Club of New York|IBC]] super middleweight title on the line both times. In the first fight, Durán put Pazienza down in Rounds 2 and 5, but referee Joe Cortez controversially ruled the Round 2 knockdown to be a slip. The first fight divided the people watching as some felt that Durán had won a close fight, but others felt that Pazienza had won either narrowly or widely after finishing strongly in the last five rounds. The second fight was more lopsided in Pazienza's favour, as despite the official judges giving Pazienza the win by scores of 116–112, 117–111 and 118–110, the TV commentators expressed puzzlement at the closeness of the official scoring as they thought that Pazienza had won every round in a 120–108 shutout.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wise |first=Mike |date=January 16, 1995 |title=Boxing; Age 32 Beats Age 43: It's an Old Story |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/16/sports/boxing-age-32-beats-age-43-it-s-an-old-story.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>

In June 1995, [[Roy Jones Jr. vs. Vinny Pazienza|Pazienza lost his world title bid against IBF world super middleweight champion Roy Jones Jr]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Katz |first=Michael |date=June 25, 1995 |title=Pazienza No Match for 'Brillaint' Jones |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/pazienza-no-match-brilliant-jones-article-1.681656 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hoffer |first=Richard |date=July 3, 1995 |title=Beaten to the Punch Vinny Pazienza Failed to Survive Even the Merciful Pounding Delivered by Roy Jones Jr. |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1995/07/03/204433/beaten-to-the-punch-vinny-pazienza-failed-to-survive-even-the-merciful-pounding-delivered-by-roy-jones-jr |work=Vault - Sports Illustrated |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> In 1996, Pazienza inflicted then-prospect [[Dana Rosenblatt]]'s only loss (a knockout in four rounds) to win the vacant [[World Boxing Union|WBU]] super middleweight world championship.<ref>{{cite news |last=Katz |first=Michael |date=August 23, 1996 |title=Paz Receives No Respect from Tonight's Opponent |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/paz-receives-no-respect-tonight-opponent-article-1.747753 |work=New York Daily News |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wise |first=Mike |date=August 25, 1996 |title=Pazienza Uses Tough Talk And an Even Tougher Right |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/25/sports/pazienza-uses-tough-talk-and-an-even-tougher-right.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref>

In early 2001, Pazienza legally changed his last name to Paz.<ref>{{cite news |last=Price |first=Terry |date=February 9, 2001 |title=Name Changes, But Not Style |url=https://www.courant.com/2001/02/09/name-changes-but-not-style/ |work=Hartford Courant |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> In 2002, he lost to WBC world super middleweight champion [[Eric Lucas]] in what would be his last shot at a world title.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lucas, Paz to Fight for WBC Belt |url=https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/Lucas-Paz-to-Fight-for-WBC-Belt-7340348.php |work=[[Huron Daily Tribune]] |date=February 26, 2002 |access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> In 2004, Paz fought in his last fight, defeating Tocker Pudwill via 10-round unanimous decision. His record stands at 50–10, with 30 wins by knockout and five world titles (the IBF lightweight championship, WBA jr. middleweight championship, IBO super middleweight championship, IBC super middleweight championship, and the WBU super middleweight championship). He also won the USBA title.