Along with Manny Pacquiao and Michael Nunn, Vinny Paz was honoured at The Hall of Fame this past weekend, with all three greats being enshrined. It was a happy occasion for all three men, but Paz, when talk turned to one man, made it clear he still carries some unhealthy dislike for one of the most notable and tough rivals of his career.
Paz, speaking after being enshrined, spoke with The Ring, and he let his emotions get the better of him when Greg Haugen’s name came up. As fans of a certain age will no doubt recall, Paz and Haugen fought three times, with Paz winning two and Haugen winning one. The two met at 130 and at 140 pounds. All three fights went the distance.
Paz hated Haugen back then, while Haugen hated him. Sadly, Haugen passed away from cancer earlier this year, so we cannot ask him if his dislike for his former ring rival has mellowed. It sure hasn’t in the case of Paz, who said that despite Haugen’s passing, he still “hates him.”
“I hate him,” Paz said of the man known as “Mutt” when speaking with Ring Magazine. “I know he died, but I still hate him. I beat him two out of three. I beat him in the last three rounds [in the first fight]. That’s balls to the wall. You got 13, 14, 15 rounds, that’s torture. I beat him. I hate this guy…..I hate him. Can’t stomach him.”
Some grudges last a heck of a long time, as is the case with this one. Some fans may find it odd that Paz can still hate someone who is no longer living, but there you go.
As he’s not here to respond, here’s some stuff Greg said about Paz when speaking with me a year or so before he sadly lost his battle with cancer.
“Vinny Paz, he was a pretty white boy who felt he was a lot better than me, you know,” Haugen told me. “He told me he was gonna knock me out, he was gonna do this and do that. But I don’t know any guy that won a fight who then spent three days in the hospital after the fight because that’s where he was at for three days after we fought [the first time] – because I beat the s**t out of him! He just kept on running his mouth, this before the second fight. And in the second fight, I beat him up worse. And they gave me that fight because it was in Atlantic City, and he didn’t have a hometown crowd. He was supposed to fight me in Vegas, but he didn’t have the balls to fight me in Vegas. The closest [to Providence, Paz’ hometown] was Atlantic City. And like my manager said, ‘What’s the difference between Atlantic City and Providence? 500 miles and 10,000 dagos!’”
Greg Hagen and Vinny Paz are two great warriors who fought to the end.
