THE LEGACY OF AZTEC BOXING
Olivares fought, it was a national celebration. He held world titles at both 118 and 126 pounds and retired with an 89-13-3 (79 KOs) record.
1970 to 1988, establishing himself as one of the greatest bantamweights in history. His style was brilliant – marked by exceptional head and waist movement and brutally accurate punching prowess. Zarate retired from boxing with 66 victories, an astonishing 63 of them by knockout, and only four losses.
Chávez fought 115 professional bouts and was unbeaten for an astounding 90-bout (89-0-1) streak. He took part in 37 world title fights and made 27 title defenses. These numbers make Chávez not only the greatest Mexican fighter, but one of the greatest in history worldwide. He also holds a record that seems impossible to beat – 132,274 people paid to attend his 140-pound title defense against Greg Haugen at Estadio Azteca (some sources say 136,000) on February 20, 1993. Chávez won world titles in three divisions and fought the best of his era, including Rocky Lockridge, Héctor “Macho” Camacho, Meldrick Taylor (twice), Oscar De La Hoya (twice), Frankie Randall (three times), Pernell Whitaker, Edwin “Chapo” Rosario, and Roger “Black Mamba” Mayweather (twice). In his prime, Chávez carried Mexican boxing on his back. He remains its greatest idol.
with Michael “Little Hands of Stone” Carbajal was epic. González suffered a terrifying knockout to Carbajal in the 1993 Fight of the Year, then won the second and third bouts of their legendary trilogy. He retired in 1995 with a 43-3 (30 KOs) record.
underdog undressed “The Prince” over 12 brilliant rounds. His 12-round wars with Erik Morales at 122, 126 and 130 pounds comprise one of the greatest trilogies of all time and their bad-blood rivalry was among the fiercest in history. Barrera only lost to the best: Morales, Pacquiao, Márquez, Junior Jones and Amir Khan. His victories over Morales, Johnny Tapia, Kennedy McKinney, Paulie Ayala, Kevin Kelley and Rocky Juarez elevated him to Mexican idol status.
of the pantheon?
Rubén Olivares, International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) induction: 1991 What does it take to become a Mexican boxing legend? “It’s about giving yourself completely. It meant fighting 15 rounds without rest and doing things the right way – with honesty and, as Ultiminio ‘Sugar’ Ramos used to say, ‘with cojones, chico,’ giving all the glory to God. But you always have to earn the place that’s meant for you and recognize that God is with all of us, all the time. I always knelt before Him, because He’s the one who made us, the one who places us where we’re meant to be so that we can become who we are.” Is Canelo a legend of Mexican boxing? “Canelo is a legend. He’s a great fighter. He has a great team – people who don’t take advantage of him. He has the people he needs. And he’s also very smart, because he understands this is a business. It’s a great thing that Canelo is doing all this, so fighters can learn to protect themselves, to become their own promoters, their own sponsors – everything. He runs his businesses and takes care of them. He’s a great guy. And that’s just the truth. Canelo is the current world champion, the promoter, the producer, the director of his events. He does it all. The fighters of my generation weren’t able to do that. It’s great that Canelo came along to set the example. I don’t know why people get mad about Canelo. No, Canelo is number one.” Where does Canelo rank in Mexican boxing history? “Canelo is already among the greats of Mexican boxing – he’s that and more. He’s a world champion. He’s the face of boxing and generates a lot of money. He’s shown the way to both the old school and the new generation.”
Salvador Sánchez At 23 years old, on August 12, 1982, Sánchez died in a car crash. Many believed he would become the greatest Mexican fighter of all time. Some still rank Sal above Julio César Chávez. We’ll never know how far he could have gone, but what’s certain is that he made Mexican fans proud when he defeated Danny “Little Red” López to become Mexico’s latest featherweight champion in 1980. Eighteen months later, he brought immense joy to the nation when he delivered a decisive knockout (TKO 8) over unbeaten (32-0-1, 32 KOs) Puerto Rican idol Wilfredo Gómez. His last fight came on July 21, 1982, when he stopped Ghana’s future legend Azumah Nelson in the 15th round at Madison Square Garden.
Juan Manuel Márquez December 8, 2012, is a date forever etched in the hearts of Mexican fans. At 2:59 of Round 6 of the fourth bout between Márquez and Manny Pacquiao, a thunderous right hand shocked fans at the MGM Grand and stunned millions watching around the world. Márquez, known as “Dinamita,” ended one of boxing’s greatest rivalries with the Knockout of the Year. Despite losing his pro debut in 1993, the Mexico City native climbed to world titles in four divisions. His battles against Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Díaz, Joel Casamayor, Michael Katsidis, Robbie Peden and Terdsak Jandaeng are unforgettable. He was a master technician, but tenacity was his greatest virtue – it carried him to his place among the all-time greats.
Daniel Zaragoza No boxing movie can outdo the bloody, real-life wars “The Bulldog of Tacubaya” took part in. With total commitment, a massive heart, great skill and impeccable character, this crafty and unorthodox southpaw conquered both the bantamweight and junior featherweight divisions during a 17-year career. Zaragoza defeated the best of his era: Zárate, Valerio Nati, Paul Banke (twice), Chan-Yong Park, Kiyoshi Hatanaka, José Sanabria, Héctor Acero Sánchez, Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (twice) and Wayne McCullough. Zaragoza retired at 39 with an impressive 55-8-3 (28 KOs) record. His final performance passed the torch to a future legend, 21-year-old Erik Morales.
Érik Morales Tijuana is boxing – it hosts more fight cards annually than most cities on earth. From there emerged Morales, one of the standard-bearers of Mexican boxing. “El Terrible” was gifted, reckless, fierce and fearless, a quintessential Mexican fighter. He didn’t need an impressive physique – when he stepped into the ring, he became a beast, willing to sacrifice everything to make history. For nearly 20 years, Morales gave fans legendary battles. He knocked out fellow Mexican legend Daniel Zaragoza to win his first world title. He won the epic first bout of his trilogy with Barrera, which produced the 2000 and 2004 Fights of the Year. He was the first Mexican to beat Pacquiao. And he was the first Mexican to win titles in four divisions. N ow that you’ve been introduced to the modern greats, let’s learn what they have to say about what it takes to become a Mexican legend and get their views of Canelo Alvarez’s career so far. Is he a member
Humberto González “La Chiquita” (“The Little One”) embodies the classic Mexican fighter: a family man, a hard worker and a man of unwavering faith. A devoted follower of the Virgin of Guadalupe, González went from working in a butcher shop to becoming one of the legends of the lighter weight divisions and one of the first to break the million-dollar earnings mark for a single fight. Unlike many others, González never turned his back on his roots or his hometown of Nezahualcóyotl, where he still lives. He wisely diversified his income into several ventures, including butcher shops, banquet halls, casinos and restaurants. His rivalry
Carlos Zárate Nicknamed “El Cañas” from a young age due to his skinny legs, Zárate was a man with devastating punching power. He emerged from the legendary cradle of Mexican fighters known as Tepito – “el barrio bravo” – one of the toughest neighborhoods in Mexico City, and boxed professionally from
Marco Antonio Barrera Who could forget Barrera’s master class vs. Naseem Hamed? Naz entered their fight with a formidable 35-0 (31 KOs) record, but the Mexican
Julio César Chávez In Mexico, Chávez’s fights were national holidays. The entire country came to a halt when he entered the ring.
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