Vicente Samuel Saldívar García (May 3, 1943 – July 18, 1985) was a Mexican professional boxer who competed between 1961 and 1973. He was a two-time featherweight champion, having held the WBA, WBC, and The Ring titles from 1964 until his retirement in 1967. He came back and once again held the WBC and The Ring titles in 1970. Saldivar has frequently been ranked amongst the greatest in the history of that division by many noted boxing historians and critics.[1] He currently holds the record for the most wins in unified featherweight title bouts and the longest unified featherweight championship reign in boxing history at 8 title bouts and 7 title defenses respectively. Saldívar 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.[2]

Vicente Saldivar
Saldivar after the bout with Raul Rojas in 1965
Born
Vicente Samuel Saldivar García

(1943-05-03)May 3, 1943
Mexico City, Mexico
DiedJuly 18, 1985(1985-07-18) (aged 42)
Mexico City, Mexico
Other namesEl Zurdo de Oro
(The Golden Southpaw)
Statistics
Weight(s)Featherweight
Height5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
Reach66+12 in (169 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights40
Wins37
Wins by KO26
Losses3

Childhood

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entrevista a vicente zaldivar 1964

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.[3] Like many other Mexicans his father was a big boxing fan, so it was a logical move. He was taught by Jose Moreno,[4] a veteran trainer of a nearby Mexico City boxing gym.[5]

Fighting style

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As a southpaw, 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.[6][7]

Amateur career

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Saldívar had a successful amateur career, crowned with a Mexican Golden Gloves title at bantamweight. At seventeen years old, he was included into the 1960 Olympic team, but was eliminated in the first bout of the Rome tournament by Ernst Chervet of Switzerland.[8]

Professional career

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Saldívar turned professional 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 avenged by knockout.

WBC and WBA Featherweight Championships

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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.[9]

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.[10] In the final installment of their trilogy, he defeated Winston by 12th round knock out.[11] 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

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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 and comeback

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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.[12][13]

Professional boxing record

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40 fights 37 wins 3 losses
By knockout 26 3
By decision 10 0
By disqualification 1 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
40 Loss 37–3 Éder Jofre KO 4 (15) Oct 21, 1973 Ginásio de Esportes, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil For WBC featherweight title
39 Win 37–2 Frankie Crawford UD 10 Jul 15, 1971 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
38 Loss 36–2 Kuniaki Shibata RTD 12 (15) Dec 11, 1970 Auditorio Municipal, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Lost WBC and The Ring featherweight titles
37 Win 36–1 Johnny Famechon UD 15 May 9, 1970 PalaEur, Rome, Lazio, Italy Won WBC and The Ring featherweight titles
36 Win 35–1 José Legrá UD 10 Jul 18, 1969 The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
35 Win 34–1 Howard Winstone TKO 12 (15) Oct 14, 1967 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring featherweight titles
34 Win 33–1 Howard Winstone PTS 15 Jun 15, 1967 Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales, U.K. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring featherweight titles
33 Win 32–1 Mitsunori Seki TKO 7 (15) Jan 29, 1967 Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring featherweight titles
32 Win 31–1 Mitsunori Seki UD 15 Aug 7, 1966 Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring featherweight titles
31 Win 30–1 Floyd Robertson KO 2 (15) Feb 12, 1966 Plaza de Toros México, Mexico City, Mexico Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring featherweight titles
30 Win 29–1 Howard Winstone PTS 15 Sep 7, 1965 Earls Court Arena, London, England, U.K. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring featherweight titles
29 Win 28–1 Raul Rojas TKO 15 (15) May 7, 1965 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring featherweight titles
28 Win 27–1 Delfino Rosales TKO 11 (12) Dec 6, 1964 Plaza de Toros La Luz, León, Guanajuato, Mexico Retained Mexican featherweight title
27 Win 26–1 Sugar Ramos RTD 12 (15) Sep 26, 1964 Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring featherweight titles
26 Win 25–1 Ismael Laguna UD 10 Jun 1, 1964 Plaza de Toros, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
25 Win 24–1 Eduardo Guerrero UD 12 Apr 4, 1964 Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico Retained Mexican featherweight title
24 Win 23–1 Juan Ramírez TKO 2 (12) Feb 8, 1964 Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico Won Mexican featherweight title
23 Win 22–1 Félix Gutiérrez TKO 3 (10) Dec 16, 1963 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
22 Win 21–1 Beresford Francis TKO 2 (10) Sep 21, 1963 Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico
21 Win 20–1 Eloy Sánchez KO 1 (10) Jul 13, 1963 Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico
20 Win 19–1 Baby Luis TKO 8 (10) Jun 15, 1963 Mexico City, Mexico
19 Win 18–1 Dwight Hawkins KO 5 (10) Apr 19, 1963 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
18 Win 17–1 Luis Hernández KO 2 (10) Mar 16, 1963 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
17 Loss 16–1 Baby Luis TKO 7 (10) Dec 29, 1962 Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico
16 Win 16–0 Jorge Salazar KO 5 (10) Dec 16, 1962 Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
15 Win 15–0 José López PTS 10 Nov 17, 1962 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
14 Win 14–0 Luis Hernández KO 1 (10) Oct 11, 1962 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
13 Win 13–0 Alberto Soto TKO 2 (10) Aug 22, 1962 Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico
12 Win 12–0 Indio Fernández TKO 6 (10) Jun 27, 1962 Mexico City, Mexico
11 Win 11–0 Genaro González DQ 8 (10) May 2, 1962 Mexico City, Mexico
10 Win 10–0 Jorge Salazar KO 4 (10) Apr 4, 1962 Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
9 Win 9–0 Juan Zavala KO 10 (10) Mar 18, 1962 Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico
8 Win 8–0 Rosendo Martínez TKO 5 (10) Feb 8, 1962 Huauchinango, Puebla, Mexico
7 Win 7–0 Ernesto Beltrán KO 6 (10) Jan 6, 1962 Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
6 Win 6–0 Juan Rodríguez TKO 6 (10) Dec 3, 1961 León, Guanajuato, Mexico
5 Win 5–0 José Luis Mora PTS 10 Oct 14, 1961 Huauchinango, Puebla, Mexico
4 Win 4–0 Babe López KO 3 (8) May 20, 1961 León, Guanajuato, Mexico
3 Win 3–0 Eduardo Meza KO 3 (8) Apr 16, 1961 Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico
2 Win 2–0 Frijol González KO 4 (6) Mar 22, 1961 Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico
1 Win 1–0 Baby Palacios KO 1 (6) Feb 18, 1961 Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico

Death

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He died of cancer on July 18, 1985, aged only 42.[14] In 1999 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Amato, Jim (October 7, 2010). "Vincente Saldivar: A Mexican legend". Boxingnews24.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  2. ^ "Vicente Saldivar". Cyber Boxing Zone. May 5, 1943. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  3. ^ Jim Amato (October 8, 2010) Vincente Saldivar : A Mexican Ledgend [sic]. ringnews24.com
  4. ^ "Adolfo "Negro" Pérez y su gran campeón Vicente Saldívar – Lic. Tomás Kemp". Oem.com.mx. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  5. ^ "Vincente Saldivar : A Mexican Legend : Boxing Let'S Talk". Boxingletstalk.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  6. ^ "De Vicente Saldívar al "Canelo" Álvarez - Duelos inolvidables entre mexicanos e ingleses". yucatan.com.mx. March 5, 2011. Archived from the original on March 8, 2011.
  7. ^ "Erik Morales representará a Vicente Saldívar en el cine". Solo Boxeo. February 17, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  8. ^ "Vicente Saldivar – Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  9. ^ "BBC Sport – Boxing – Howard Winstone v Vicente Saldivar III". BBC News. October 7, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  10. ^ "The 100 Greatest Title Fights of All-Time – Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  11. ^ "Vicente Saldivar vs. Howard Winstone (2nd meeting) – Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  12. ^ "Home". Max Boxing. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  13. ^ "Eder Jofre vs. Vicente Saldivar – Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  14. ^ "Mexican Legend: Vicente Saldivar". BoxeoMundial. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  15. ^ Vicente Saldivar. International Boxing Hall of Fame
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Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Preceded by
Juan Ramirez
Mexican
featherweight champion

February 8, 1964 – 1965
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Mario Díaz
World boxing titles
Preceded by WBA featherweight champion
September 26, 1964 – October 14, 1967
Retired
Vacant
Title next held by
Raul Rojas
WBC featherweight champion
September 26, 1964 – October 14, 1967
Retired
Vacant
Title next held by
Howard Winstone
The Ring featherweight champion
September 26, 1964 – October 14, 1967
Retired
Vacant
Title next held by
Johnny Famechon
Undisputed featherweight champion
September 26, 1964 – October 14, 1967
Retired
Vacant
Vacant
Title last held by
Johnny Famechon
WBC featherweight champion
May 9, 1970 – December 11, 1970
Vacant
Title next held by
Kuniaki Shibata
The Ring featherweight champion
May 9, 1970 – December 11, 1970