![]() Hundreds of amateur and professional boxing world champions have come from Mexico. Featherweight champion, Wilfredo Gomez, made the pre-fight proclamation of "standing or dead, but never on my knees." The event, at the Caesars Palace hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, was highly publicized as "The battle of the little giants." Ironically, Gomez was left kneeling and bleeding, after a technical knockout, in the eighth round, by Mexico's lesser known WBC world Featherweight champ, Salvador Sanchez. The rivalry appears to have begun in 1981, when Puerto Rican boxing celebrity, and Jr. A long standing rivalry, started by little giantsįor decades, there has been an ongoing rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican boxers. In 1932, at the summer games in Los Angeles, Francisco Cabañas Pardo was the first Mexican boxer to earn an Olympic medal. In 1915, Febles returned to Mexico to continue his fighting career. Febles, who was also a jujutsu fighter, trained as a boxer in Cuba, at a boxing academy established by Chile's first professional boxer, John Budinich. Miguel Ángel Febles, also known as Mike Febles or "León Veracruzano" (Lion of Veracruz), is credited as being the first professional Mexican boxer. The development of Mexican professional boxing The first Mexican boxing commission was formed in Tampico, in 1921, to add some regulation the dangerous sport, after numerous accidents had already happened. In these early match-ups, the competitors would wrap napkins around their fists, and hats would be passed amongst the spectators to collect drinking money. 5 here).Napkin wrapped beginnings of amateur boxing in MexicoĪmateur boxing in Mexico first began around 1918, in Tampico and other port cities along the Gulf of Mexico, where seafaring mariners would set up make-shift boxing rings, marked by four chairs, at the local bordellos where they spent most of their time ashore. ![]() Alvarez deserves the respect he receives.Ħ-10 (in alphabetical order): Isaac Cruz (proved himself in loss to Davis), Julio Cesar Martinez (fights Gonzalez next month), Emanuel Navarrete (needs a few more big wins), Gilberto Ramirez (has done nothing but win), Rey Vargas (almost was No. ![]() And he has gotten progressively better over the years, which is a testament to his work ethic. He has won titles in four divisions, which is impressive even if you think belts are overrated. He has beaten a list of elite opponents that is longer than any rival in the sport, including Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs and Sergey Kovalev. He has turned himself into a complete fighter, one who can outbox you to win a wide decision or knock you out in brutal fashion. The fact is he’s one of the best Mexican fighters of all time. ![]() The undisputed super middleweight champion has accomplished too much to debate his place at the top of this list. And remember: The top man on this list also tested positive for a PED. Valdez’s reputation took a hit when he tested positive for a banned substance yet was allowed to defend his title against Robson Conceicao in September but there is no denying his unusual all-around ability. Before that, he held a major 126-pound title for more than three years. The dynamic boxer-puncher from Sonora claimed his career-defining victory by outboxing and then knocking out the feared Miguel Berchelt in 10 rounds to win a 130-pound title in February of last year, which lifted him to a new level of respect. Let’s hold off writing his boxing obituary. And he plans to move back down to 126, where he should be particularly strong if he can make the weight comfortably. He bounced back from the Davis setback to shut out Keenan Carbajal on Feb. ![]() He has won titles in four divisions and beaten a long list of elite opponents along the way. However, it might be too soon to write him off. And he was brutally knocked out by Gervonta Davis in his penultimate fight, which put a instantaneous halt to any momentum he had. He’s 33, an age when some fighters begin to fade. Is Santa Cruz declining? That’s a reasonable question. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |