The Boxing History Blog

Salvador Sanchez  Next up to challenge Salvador Sanchez was Spain ’s twenty-eight-year-old reigning European featherweight champion Roberto Castanon. The challenger boasted a 42-1 (24 KOs) record, and his only loss was a second-round knockout in his challenge to Danny Lopez for the WBC title in March 1979.   Sanchez-Castanon took place on 22nd March 1981 at Caesar Palace’s Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas, with the twenty-two-year-old hardly losing a round on his way to a tenth-round technical knockout.   The champion did not fight again until 11th July in a ten-round non-title contest against America’s Nicky Perez at the Olympic Auditorium in front of a Los Angeles crowd. Sanchez was declared a unanimous winner with scores of 100-91, 100-90 and 98-92, improving his record to 40-1-1 (30 KOs), before a sterner challenge from Wilfredo Gomez scheduled for 21st August in Las Vegas.   Gomez, born in Puerto Rico on 29th October 1959, had a 96-3 amateur caree...

 Salvador Sanchez Salvador Sanchez was born in Santiago Tianguistenco, México, to father Felipe Sanchez and mother María Luisa Narváez on 26th January 1959. At sixteen, after a brief spell as an amateur, he turned professional with a third-round knockout against countryman Al Gardeno on 4th May 1975.   Sanchez faced Mexican opposition and remained unbeaten during his first eighteen contests, before dropping a twelve-round split decision against Antonio Becerra for the vacant Mexican bantamweight title in September 1977. He ended the year with two ten-round points wins to improve his record to 20-1 (17 KOs).   In April 1978, Sanchez made his American debut against eighteen-year-old Juan Escobar , a southpaw from Tijuana , who had an 8-2 (6 KOs) record. Sanchez, 19, found himself on the floor in round five and nearly revisited the canvas in the final minute of the contest when he was stopped in his tracks by a wild left to the head. Sanchez desperately hung on ...

Pernell Whitaker The new IBF lightweight champion made the first defence of his crown against undefeated Mexican Louis Lomelli at the end of April 1989. Whitaker staggered his opponent in the first round and went on to stop the Mexican in the third. Four months later Whitaker would face arch-nemesis Jose Louis Ramirez again in his home town of Norfolk, Virginia. The fight was also for the vacant WBC lightweight championship, as the holder, Julio Cesar Chavez, had moved up to the light-welterweight division. During fight week it very much looked as if both governing bodies wouldn't be sanctioning Whitaker-Ramirez II. Both organisations were squabbling over who would name the officials, them or the Virginia Athletic Commission. They also had trivial debates, such as what logo would be on the referee's shirt. As it turned out, referee Chris Wollesen, wore neither. On the Wednesday, which was four days before fight night, the IBF president, Bob Lee, was persuaded to sanctio...

Since it's re-introduction in 1986, the British super-featherweight title was a difficult championship to keep hold of. It took fourteen champions and eight years for one to make a first successful defence. Here is a list of the British super-featherweight champions:- John Doherty - 16th January to 17th April 1986   Doherty didn't have the greatest start to his professional career, losing his debut to Taffy Mills in the first round on 26th May 1982. The Bradford-born Doherty then got back on track by winning his next eight and getting back-to-back draws against Ray Plant and Steve Enwright in 1983. He then lost his next bout to Anthony Brown over a six-round points decision. After two wins he ended 1983 with a seventh-round TKO defeat to Stuart Carmichael. He drew his first contest of 1984 against Les Walsh over eight rounds, then went on a winning streak of ten victories over two years, including a win over Les Walsh in a rematch. On 16th January 1986 he ...