Vicente Saldivar

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Vicente Saldívar
Statistics
Real name Vicente Samuel Saldívar García
Nickname(s) Zurdo de Oro
Rated at Lightweight
Super Featherweight
Featherweight
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Reach 1.70 m (67 in)
Nationality Mexican
Born (1943-03-05)5 March 1943
Mexico City, Mexico
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Stance Southpaw (though he was born right handed and started in an orthodox stance) at 2:06 of this video you will hear the commentator say it in Spanish[1]
Boxing record
Total fights 40
Wins 37
Wins by KO 26
Losses 3
Draws 0
No contests 0

Vicente Samuel Saldívar García (May 3, 1943 in Mexico City – July 18, 1985) was a Mexican boxer in the Featherweight division and was a part of the 1960 Mexican Olympic team.[2] He was a former WBC and a two-time WBA Featherweight Champion.[3] Saldivar has frequently been ranked amongst the greatest in the history of that division by many noted boxing historians and critics.[4] Vicente fought in front of the fourth largest crowd ever, 90,000 in Estadio Azteca, and has also regularly been cited as one of the finest left-handed fighters of all time.[5]

Childhood

Saldívar was born in one of the many poor quarters of Mexico City and is one of seven children. He used to get in fights on the streets and in school, so his father decided to channel the misguided energy into boxing.[6] Like many other Mexicans his father was a big boxing fan, so it was a logical move. Vicente was taught by Jose Moreno,[7] a veteran trainer of a nearby Mexico City boxing gym.[8]

Fighting style

As a southpaw, Vicente Saldívar was a dynamic fighter in the ring. He could box or brawl, and often softened opponents with a brutal body attack. Among his greatest assets was his stamina; he scored seven knockouts after the 7th round. Saldívar had an unusually slow heart and pulse rate, which he claimed was the secret of the phenomenal pace he was able to maintain in the ring.[9][10]

Amateur career

Saldívar had a successful amateur career, crowned with a Mexican Golden Gloves title at bantamweight. At seventeen years old, he surprised most by making the 1960 Mexican Olympic team, but lost a very disputed decision to Ernst Chervet of Switzerland in Rome. Having defeated the best Mexican amateurs, Saldívar turned pro in 1961 at the age of 17.[11]

Professional career

Saldívar turned pro in 1961 and won the Mexican featherweight title with a second-round knockout of Juan Ramírez on February 8, 1964. His first major victory came on June 1 of that same year when he defeated future lightweight champion and hall of fame member Ismael Laguna. Before challenging for a world title, he accumulated a record of 25-1, with his sole loss coming via a contested disqualification, which he later avenged by knock out.

WBC & WBA Featherweight Championships

On September 26, 1964, Saldívar won the WBA and WBC Featherweight titles by upsetting fellow Mexican fighter and future hall of famer Sugar Ramos with an 11th-round knockout in an extremely bloody battle. His first reign as champion would last three years, in which Saldívar made eight successful title defenses. The reign was highlighted by his trilogy with Howard Winstone.[12]

In his first title defense, he defeated future champion Raul Rojas. On September 7, 1965, he defeated Winstone in their first meeting with a 15-round decision . Following that victory, he defeated Floyd Robertson by second round knock out. He then defeated Mitsunori Seki in two consecutive bouts. On June 15, 1967, Saldívar defeated Winston once again by a 15-round decision. In 1996, Ring magazine included their second meeting on their list of the 100 greatest title fights of all-time.[13] In the final installment of their trilogy, he defeated Winston by 12th round knock out.[14] Saldivar announced his retirement after that contest in October 1967. Three months later, Winstone won recognition as WBC featherweight champion, claiming the belt left vacant by Saldivar, by defeating Mitsunori Seki with a 9th-round stoppage due to a cut right eye.

Return to the ring

After 21 months of inactivity, Saldívar returned to the ring on July 18, 1969 and won a 10-round unanimous decision over another former as well as future Featherweight champion, José Legra. Then on May 9, 1970, he regained the featherweight title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Johnny Famechon. This reign, however, was short-lived. Saldívar lost the crown seven months later in his first defense against Kuniaki Shibata.

Retirement & comeback

He would fight once more before retiring again in 1971, however, the lure of the ring was too strong. He returned at the age of 30 after 2 years and 3 months of inactivity for another title attempt on October 21, 1973. His opponent was fellow Hall of Famer and former bantamweight champion Éder Jofre. Jofre, who was 37, had won the Featherweight crown after coming out of his own retirement (albeit a brief 7 month one). Saldívar's skills had greatly diminished and Jofre won the contest with a fourth-round knockout in Brazil. After the fight, Saldívar retired for good.[15][16]

Professional record

37 Wins (26 knockouts, 11 decisions), 3 Losses, 0 Draws
Res. Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 37-3 Brazil Eder Jofre KO 4 (15) 1973-10-21 Brazil Salvador, Bahia, Brazil For WBC World featherweight title
Win 37-2 United States Frankie Crawford UD 10 1971-07-15 United States Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA
Loss 36-2 Japan Kuniaki Shibata RTD 12 (15) 1970-12-11 Mexico Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Lost WBC World featherweight title
Win 36-1 Australia Johnny Famechon UD 15 1970-05-09 Italy Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Lazio, Italy Won WBC World featherweight title
Win 35-1 Cuba José Legra UD 10 1969-07-18 United States Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
Win 34-1 United Kingdom Howard Winstone TKO 12 (15) 1967-10-14 Mexico Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Retained WBC & WBA World featherweight title
Win 33-1 United Kingdom Howard Winstone UD 15 1967-06-15 United Kingdom Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom Retained WBC & WBA World featherweight title
Win 32-1 Japan Mitsunori Seki TKO 7 (15) 1967-01-29 Mexico Plaza Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Retained WBC & WBA World featherweight title
Win 31-1 Japan Mitsunori Seki UD 15 1966-08-07 Mexico Plaza Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Retained WBC & WBA World featherweight title
Win 30-1 Ghana Floyd Robertson KO 2 (15) 1966-02-12 Mexico Plaza Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Retained WBC & WBA World featherweight title
Win 29-1 United Kingdom Howard Winstone UD 15 1965-09-07 United Kingdom Earls Court Arena, Kensington, London, United Kingdom Retained WBC & WBA World featherweight title
Win 28-1 United States Raul Rojas TKO 15 (15) 1965-05-07 United States Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, United States Retained WBC & WBA World featherweight title
Win 27-1 Mexico Delfino Rosales TKO 11 (15) 1964-12-06 Mexico Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico Retained Mexico featherweight title
Win 26-1 Cuba Sugar Ramos RTD 12 (15) 1964-09-26 Mexico Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Won WBC & WBA World featherweight title
Win 25-1 Panama Ismael Laguna UD 10 1964-06-01 Mexico Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win 24-1 Mexico Eduardo Guerrero UD 12 1964-04-04 Mexico Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Retained Mexico featherweight title
Win 23-1 Mexico Juan Ramírez TKO 2 (12) 1964-02-08 Mexico Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Won Mexico featherweight title
Win 22-1 Cuba Félix Gutiérrez TKO 3 (10) 1963-12-16 Mexico Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Win 21-1 Panama Beresford Francis TKO 2 (10) 1963-09-21 Mexico Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win 20-1 Mexico Eloy Sánchez KO 1 (10) 1963-07-13 Mexico Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win 19-1 Cuba Baby Luis TKO 8 (10) 1963-06-12 Mexico Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win 18-1 United States Dwight Hawkins KO 5 (10) 1963-04-19 Mexico Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
Win 17-1 Mexico Luis Hernández KO 2 (10) 1963-03-16 Mexico Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Loss 16-1 Cuba Baby Luis DQ 7 (10) 1962-12-29 Mexico Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win 16-0 Mexico Jorge Salazar KO 5 (10) 1962-12-16 Mexico Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Win 15-0 Mexico José López UD 10 1962-11-17 Mexico Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
Win 14-0 Mexico Luis Hernández KO 1 (10) 1962-10-11 Mexico Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win 13-0 Mexico Alberto Soto TKO 2 (10) 1962-08-22 Mexico Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win 12-0 Mexico Indio Fernández TKO 6 (10) 1962-06-27 Mexico Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win 11-0 Mexico Genaro González DQ 8 (10) 1962-05-02 Mexico Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win 10-0 Mexico Jorge Salazar KO 4 (10) 1962-04-04 Mexico Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Win 9-0 Mexico Juan Zavala KO 10 (10) 1962-03-18 Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico
Win 8-0 Mexico Rosendo Martínez TKO 5 (10) 1962-02-08 Mexico Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Win 7-0 Mexico Ernesto Beltrán KO 6 (10) 1962-01-06 Mexico Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
Win 6-0 Mexico Juan Rodríguez TKO 6 (10) 1961-12-03 Mexico Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Win 5-0 Mexico José Luis Mora UD 10 1961-10-14 Mexico Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Win 4-0 Mexico Babe López KO 3 (8) 1961-05-20 Mexico Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Win 3-0 Mexico Eduardo Meza KO 3 (8) 1961-04-16 Mexico Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Win 2-0 Mexico Frijol González KO 4 (6) 1961-03-22 Mexico Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Win 1-0 Mexico Baby Palacios KO 1 (6) 1961-02-18 Mexico Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico professional debut.

Death

He died of cancer on July 18, 1985, aged only 42.[17] He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999.

See also

References

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  6. [1][dead link]
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  9. [2] Archived March 8, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
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External links

Preceded by WBA Featherweight Champion
1964 Sep 26 – 1967 Oct
Retired
Succeeded by
Raul Rojas
Preceded by WBC Featherweight Champion
1964 Sep 26 – 1967 Oct
Retired
Succeeded by
Howard Winstone
Preceded by WBC Featherweight Champion
1970 May 9 – 1970 Dec 11
Succeeded by
Kuniaki Shibata