In this article, we will look at some of the most talented, popular and well-known Latin and Spanish fighters.
My favorite boxer of all time is Puerto Rican Carlos Ortiz, who went 61-7-1 with 30 knockout victories, held the WBA and WBC lightweight world titles, and relocated to New York. I've met him a few times, including at the IBHOF induction ceremony.
At Ali's Deer Lake camp and hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I met with my second favorite, The Cuban Kid, “The Cuban Hawk” Gavilan, the NBA world welterweight titleholder with a record of 108 wins, 30 losses, 5 draws, and 28 knockouts.
He was writing about Blinky Palmero, Johnny Saxon's manager, who robbed him, and about Cuba's Fidel Castro, who robbed him of his fortune in Cuba.
I asked him if he had a copy of the record and he said he didn't, so I gave him a copy of the Ring Encyclopedia. He was famous for “Bolo Punch,” a Cuban snack made from cut sugar cane.
My third place goes to Cuban welterweight champion Luis “El Fio” Manuel Rodriguez, who won 107 fights, 13 losses and 49 knockouts, all of whom are inducted into the IBHOF.
When Cuban boxers leave the island, they usually come to Florida, some go to Mexico, like world welterweight champion Jose “Mantequilla” Napoles (81-7, 54 knockouts), and others go to Spain, like WBC featherweight champion Jose “Pocket Cassius Clay” Regula (129-11, 4 draws, 49 knockouts).
Coming in at number 9 on the list of most successful boxers is Kid Azteca of Mexico with a record of 193 wins, 49 losses, 11 draws, and 114 knockout victories. Cocoa Kid of Puerto Rico finished in New Haven, Connecticut with a record of 179 wins, 58 losses, 11 draws, and 48 knockout victories.
Luis Romero was born in Morocco and has 78 wins by stoppage. Another Spanish boxer is Fred Galiana, who has 156 wins, 22 losses, 13 draws, and 90 wins by stoppage.
Cuba's Angel Robinson Garcia had a record of 138 wins, 80 losses, 21 draws, and 55 wins by stoppage before coming to the United States and living in several European countries. Spain's Luis Foredo had a record of 129 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw, and 50 wins by stoppage, and was a bullfighter before taking up boxing.
Panama's Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran was 103-16 with 70 knockouts and held world titles in four weight classes. I met him at “Smokin'” Joe Frazier's gym, and although he couldn't speak English, he could jump rope.
I met Alexis “Thin Man” Arguello from Nicaragua, a three-time division world champion with a record of 77-8, 62 stoppages, and he was a real class act.
World middleweight champion Carlos Monzon (87 wins, 3 losses, 9 draws, 59 knockouts) and my all-time favorite flyweight, 1948 Olympic gold medalist and world flyweight champion Pascual Pérez (84 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw, 57 knockouts) were from Argentina.
The last three-division world champion from Puerto Rico was Felix “Tito” Trinidad with a record of 42-3 and 35 stoppage wins. The last three-division world champion from Puerto Rico was Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez with a record of 44-3-1 and 42 stoppage wins.
Finally, someone who was born in the Bronx, New York and moved to Puerto Rico was three-division world champion Wilfredo Benitez, who had a record of 53 wins, 8 losses, and 1 draw, with 31 wins by knockout.
These are just a few of the great Latin and Spanish figures. Can you add more?
