Vinny Paz


Vinny Paz, formerly Vinny Pazienza, is an American former professional boxer who held world titles at lightweight and light middleweight. The 2016 film Bleed for This is based on his comeback from a spinal injury. In 2022, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. Paz was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2025.
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Professional career

In the 1980s, Pazienza built a reputation along the U.S. East Coast, defeating such opponents as Melvin Paul, Joe Frazier Jr., Harry Arroyo, Nelson Bolanos, and Roberto Elizondo. 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 IBF world lightweight champion. The pair would meet two more times: Haugen recovering the title in an immediate rematch, and Pazienza prevailing in a 10-round decision in their rubber match in 1990.
Pazienza failed in title tries in the junior welterweight division: in 1988, against WBC World Champion Roger Mayweather and in 1990, against both WBO Champion Hector "Macho" Camacho and WBA World Champion Loreto Garza.
In 1991, Pazienza moved into the junior middleweight division. This movement was at the advice of his new trainer Kevin Rooney. In his first fight at junior middleweight, he won the USBA championship against Ron Amundsen in a 12-round decision. He defeated the WBA world jr. middleweight champion Gilbert DelΓ© with a 12th-round TKO in Providence, becoming the second fighter in boxing history to win both the lightweight and junior middleweight world championships.
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, 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. He returned to the ring thirteen months after the accident and defeated future WBC world jr. middleweight champion Luis Santana by a 10-round decision.
After the Santana fight, Pazienza went on to defeat Brett Lally by a 6th-round TKO, and then, in another TKO, former world champion Lloyd Honeyghan in the 10th round. Pazienza went on to win the vacant IBO middleweight world title in 1993 with an 11th-round KO over Dan Sherry. Pazienza then went on to beat Roberto DurΓ‘n twice, both via unanimous decision, with the IBC super middleweight title on the line both times. In the first fight, DurΓ‘n 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 DurΓ‘n 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.
In June 1995, Pazienza lost his world title bid against IBF world super middleweight champion Roy Jones Jr. In 1996, Pazienza inflicted then-prospect Dana Rosenblatt's only loss to win the vacant WBU super middleweight world championship.
In early 2001, Pazienza legally changed his last name to Paz. In 2002, he lost to WBC world super middleweight champion Eric Lucas in what would be his last shot at a world title. 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. He also won the USBA title.

Neck injury

On November 12, 1991, Pazienza was a passenger in a car that was involved in a head-on collision in Warwick, Rhode Island, at an estimated speed of, as a result of which he suffered a dislocated vertebra and two fractured vertebrae in his neck. The driver of his car suffered a head injury and the driver of the oncoming car suffered minor injuries. Pazienza sued both drivers and was awarded $926,000, after the District Court for the District of Rhode Island ruled that the driver of the car in which Pazienza was a passenger was solely responsible for causing the accident.

Television/film appearances

Outside of boxing, Paz was a guest star on the TV series Police Academy, a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, was featured on The Montell Williams Show, served as a guest security guard on an episode of The Jerry Springer Show, and refereed the Brawl for All fight at WrestleMania XV between Bart Gunn and Butterbean. He appeared in the unreleased 1997 movie The Good Life.
The 2016 film Bleed for This is based on his comeback from a spinal injury, and stars Miles Teller as Pazienza.

Legal issues

Paz has been arrested on a variety of criminal charges, including alcohol-related crimes, domestic violence, passing bad checks, and disorderly conduct.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
60Win50–10Tocker PudwillUD10Mar 27, 2004Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
59Loss49–10Eric LucasUD12Mar 1, 2002Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.For WBC super-middleweight title
58Win49–9Levan EasleyUD10Dec 7, 2001Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
57Win48–9Tim ShocksUD10Sep 21, 2001Rhodes-on-the Pawtuxet, Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S.
56Win47–9Pat LawlorKO2, 1:52Jul 27, 2001Rhodes-on-the Pawtuxet, Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S.
55Loss46–9Aaron DavisTKO8, 1:48Feb 9, 2001Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
54Loss46–8Dana RosenblattSD12Nov 5, 1999Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.For vacant IBO super-middleweight title
53Win46–7Esteban CervantesSD10Jun 25, 1999Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
52Win45–7Joseph KiwanukaUD10Apr 9, 1999Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
51Win44–7Undra WhiteTKO9, 2:55Jan 8, 1999Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
50Win43–7Arthur AllenUD10Nov 6, 1998Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
49Win42–7Glenwood BrownMD10Jul 26, 1998Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
48Loss41–7Herol GrahamUD12Dec 6, 1997Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, EnglandFor WBC International super-middleweight title
47Win41–6Dana RosenblattTKO4, 2:13Aug 23, 1996Bally's Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Won vacant WBU super-middleweight title
46Loss40–6Roy Jones Jr.TKO6, 2:58Jun 24, 1995Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.For IBF super-middleweight title
45Win40–5Roberto DurΓ‘nUD12Jan 14, 1995Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained IBC super-middleweight title
44Win39–5Rafael WilliamsUD10Nov 8, 1994Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
43Win38–5Roberto DurΓ‘nUD12Jun 25, 1994MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Won vacant IBC super-middleweight title
42Win37–5Jacques LeBlancUD10Apr 5, 1994Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
41Win36–5Dan SherryKO11, 2:59Dec 28, 1993Ritz Carlton, Aspen, Colorado, U.S.Won vacant IBO super-middleweight title
40Win35–5Robbie SimsUD10Oct 26, 1993Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
39Win34–5Lloyd HoneyghanTKO10, 0:56Jun 26, 1993Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
38Win33–5Brett LallyRTD6, 3:00Mar 2, 1993Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
37Win32–5Luis SantanaUD10Dec 15, 1992Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Connecticut, U.S.
36Win31–5Gilbert DelΓ©TKO12, 2:10Oct 1, 1991Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.Won WBA light-middleweight title
35Win30–5Ron AmundsenUD12Jul 2, 1991Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.Won IBF–USBA light-middleweight title
34Loss29–5Loreto GarzaDQ11, 2:59Dec 1, 1990Arco Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S.For WBA light-welterweight title
33Win29–4Greg HaugenUD10Aug 5, 1990Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
32Loss28–4Hector CamachoUD12Feb 3, 1990Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.For WBO light-welterweight title
31Win28–3Eddie VanKirkTKO5, 2:41Nov 27, 1989Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
30Win27–3Vinnie BurgeseTKO10, 1:05Jun 11, 1989Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
29Win26–3Jake CarolloTKO2, 1:58Apr 14, 1989Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
28Loss25–3Roger MayweatherUD12Nov 7, 1988Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.For WBC light-welterweight title
27Win25–2Rick KaiserTKO3, 1:24Oct 4, 1988Park West, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
26Win24–2Felix DubrayTKO4, 1:34Jun 27, 1988Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
25Loss23–2Greg HaugenUD15Feb 6, 1988Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Lost IBF lightweight title
24Win23–1Greg HaugenUD15Jun 7, 1987Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.Won IBF lightweight title
23Win22–1Roberto ElizondoTKO10, 2:56Feb 8, 1987Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
22Win21–1Roger BrownTKO4, 2:53Nov 8, 1986San Juan, Puerto Rico
21Win20–1Nelson BolanosTKO6, 2:48Sep 18, 1986Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
20Win19–1Harry ArroyoUD10May 18, 1986Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
19Win18–1Joe Frazier Jr.TKO7, 1:52Feb 5, 1986Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
18Win17–1Melvin PaulTKO2 Nov 26, 1985Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
17Win16–1Jeff BumpusUD10Sep 18, 1985Harrah's Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
16Win15–1Antoine LarkTKO6, 2:46Mar 27, 1985Harrah's Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
15Loss14–1Abdelkader MarbiTKO5 Dec 1, 1984Palazzo Dello Sport, Milan, Italy
14Win14–0Bruno SimiliTKO3 Nov 17, 1984Riva del Garda, Italy
13Win13–0Rich McCainUD8Aug 29, 1984Sands Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
12Win12–0Mike GoldenPTS8Apr 15, 1984Sands Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
11Win11–0David BellTKO4 Feb 26, 1984Beaumont Civic Center, Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
10Win10–0Jose OrtizKO6, 2:37Dec 14, 1983Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey, U.S.
9Win9–0Emilio DiazTKO3 Dec 2, 1983Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S.
8Win8–0Robert StevensonKO1, 1:45Oct 27, 1983Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
7Win7–0Jim ZelinskiTKO2 Sep 24, 1983Ice World, Totowa, New Jersey, U.S.
6Win6–0Ricardo MorenoTKO3, 2:42Sep 9, 1983Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
5Win5–0Rafael AliciaTKO2, 2:30Aug 31, 1983Sands Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
4Win4–0Eddie CarberryTKO2 Aug 16, 1983Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
3Win3–0Patrick Dangerfield Jr.KO2 Jul 10, 1983Caesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
2Win2–0Keith McCoyKO3 Jun 30, 1983Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
1Win1–0Alfredo RiveraTKO4 May 26, 1983Sands Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.