List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
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In Puerto Rico,
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
is considered a major sport, having produced more
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
and
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
world champions than any other sport in its history. Puerto Rico ranks 5th worldwide between countries with most boxing world champions in history (only behind USA, Mexico, UK and Japan). Also, in year 2004, became the first country to have had, at least, one world champion in every single one of the 17 current boxing weight divisions throughout the history (Provided that John Ruiz is considered as Puerto Rican and not counting Bridgerweight division). Puerto Rico ranks first in champions per capita with an astonishing 16 in every one million people. February 9, 2008 was the first time that boxers from Puerto Rico had held three of the four major welterweights titles (
World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...
,
International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
and
World Boxing Organization The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
) when Carlos Quintana defeated Paul Williams to join
Miguel Cotto Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez (born October 29, 1980) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2017. He is a multiple-time world champion, and the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four weight classes, ...
, and Kermit Cintron as champions in the division. Individually, Puerto Rican world champions have earned numerous achievements. These include,
Wilfredo Gómez Wilfredo Gómez RiveraWilfred Benítez Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...
became the youngest world champion in the history of the sport. On September 3, 1994, Daniel Jiménez established a world record for the quickest knockout in a championship fight, defeating Harald Geier in 17 seconds (currently the second fastest). p.97 Juan Manuel López is sixth in this category, having defeated César Figueroa in 47 seconds during his first defense. Ossie Ocasio was the first World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight champion, winning it on February 13, 1982. This accomplishment was mimicked in other organizations: José de Jesús,
José Ruíz Matos José "Cheíto" Ruíz Matos (October 24, 1966 – February 28, 1992) was a Puerto Rican boxer. Born and raised in the municipality of Trujillo Alto, he was signed as a professional when he was 17 years old. Ruíz made his debut July 13, 198 ...
,
John John Molina Juan Molina (born March 17, 1965), better known as John John Molina in the world of boxing, is a former boxer whose career transcended boxing in Puerto Rico. A multiple time world champion, this boxer was also known as quite a socialite. Molina ...
and
Héctor Camacho Héctor Luís Camacho Matías (May 24, 1962 – November 24, 2012), commonly known by his nickname "Macho" Camacho, was a Puerto Rican professional boxer and entertainer. Known for his quickness in the ring and flamboyant style, Camacho compet ...
did it in their respective divisions in the World Boxing Organization (WBO). On June 7, 2014, Miguel Cotto made history by becoming Puerto Rico's first four-division world champion. In
women's boxing Although women have participated in boxing for almost as long as the sport has existed, female fights have been effectively outlawed for most of boxing's history until recently, with athletic commissioners refusing to sanction or issue licenses ...
, Amanda Serrano was the first IBF super featherweight champion and the first Puerto Rican boxer (male or female) to win major world titles in seven different weight classes (Camacho made it first, but four of his titles were considered minor world titles). Also, in 2023, Serrano was the first Puerto Rican to be Undisputed world champion in a single division (featherweight), having won the four belts on each of the major boxing organizations (WBO,WBC,IBF and later WBA).


Boxing in Puerto Rico

Boxing was introduced and practiced in a clandestine manner in Puerto Rico while the archipelago was still a Spanish colony.Fonseca ''et al.'', p.314 Fights were organized in
hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...
s among the workers of the sugar and coffee plantations, and the objective was to determine the best fighter among the employees. Following the culmination of the Puerto Rican Campaign and
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
, American soldiers who were stationed in the main island practiced the sport. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, a championship known as ''Campeonato Las Casas'' was held as training for military personnel.
Nero Chen Nero Chen (–1924), a.k.a. ''El Negro,'' was Puerto Rico's first professional boxer to gain international recognition. Boxing career Little is known about Chen's early years except that "Nero Chen" was his nickname, and that he was born in Puer ...
, the first Puerto Rican boxer to gain recognition, began his career in these tournaments. The Combat Maneuver Training Center followed this example and organized boxing activities, which they named ''Los Campeones del Campamento''. These were received with enthusiasm by the young recruits. Most of these events were celebrated without restriction due to military jurisdictional limits, although prohibitions were put in place for the civilian population. Illegal matches were organized on the rooftops of residences in
Old San Juan Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (s ...
, empty terrain's in
El Condado Condado is an oceanfront, tree-lined, pedestrian-oriented upper middle to upper class community in Santurce. It is one of the forty subbarrios of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Setting Condado is an upscale neighborhood located on the bea ...
and in hippodromes. Outside of the island, legendary opera tenor Antonio Paoli, fell on economic hardship due to the closing of european opera houses during the first world war. He decided to change careers and entered a period of training making his boxing debut in London in 1916. Paoli won his first 5 fights but injured his wrist in his 6th bout, deciding to retire. The fact that a celebrity of his stature, who had been bestowed honors for his musical prowess by the pope, the spanish monarchs and the russian czar, would so quickly choose boxing as an alternate career shows how popular and deeply embedded in the culture of the island boxing was, even during its clandestine era.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Paoli By 1924, several young men were being taught to box by Gregario Rosa, a boxer who had won the featherweight championship of the Atlantic Fleet while serving in the Navy. Rosa established "Jack Dempsey Physical Culture and Boxing Club", a gym where he continued instructing more pugilists; however, the local police department would go in and arrest any boxer that participated in a card (organized boxing match). At times they were surprised to discover that several members of the law enforcement agencies and government were involved. In one case they discovered a group of police officers, including a colonel, two members of the governor's cabinet, numerous legislators and a judge at an event. The charges were archived; the decision was justified with a statement that said: "How will we have a boxing world champion if we don't let the boys learn how to box?" In 1926, a boxing venue was opened in a military facility known as '' Cuartel de Ballajá''; a
fight card Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
was organized weekly. Legislator Lorenzo Coballes Gandía redacted a proposal to legalize boxing, which was signed by governor Horace Mann Towner in May 1927.Fonseca ''et al.'', p.315 Consequently, the ''Primera Comisión Atlética de Boxeo'' (The First Athletic Boxing Commission) was created; this became the first organization dedicated to sanctioned boxing in Puerto Rico. ''Estadio Universal'' (Universal Stadium) became the first venue to organize legal boxing cards. The first event featured a fight between Enrique Chaffardet and Al Clemens as the main event, which was declared a draw by the judges. New stadiums were built in Bayamón,
Caguas Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...
, Mayagüez, Ponce,
Aguadilla Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla i ...
and San Juan. The first Puerto Rican to win a world championship was
Sixto Escobar Sixto Escobar (March 23, 1913 – November 17, 1979) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he became Puerto Rico's first world champion. Escobar was born in Barceloneta and raised in San Juan. There he ...
, who won it on June 26, 1934. During the 1960s and 1970s, there was an increase in the number of pugilists who achieved this recognition.Fonseca ''et al.'', pp.14–16 Including
Wilfred Benítez Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...
who on March 6, 1976, became the youngest world champion in history at 17 years old. This tendency continued during the following two decades, reaching its peak between the 1980s and 1990s. There was a slight decline in the 1990s. Félix Trinidad was Puerto Rico's most notable champion during this period.Fonseca ''et al.'', p.17 The 2000s brought another increase, as over a dozen boxers won world championships. Héctor García, Dommys Delgado Berty, Francisco Varcárcel and José Peñagaricano have served as presidents of the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission. This organization gained more prominence in 1985 when it received full control as the sanctioning body in any professional fight organized in Puerto Rico.Fonseca ''et al.'', p.317 In 2000, the commission's regulation was revised to exclude
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
, which up to that point had been under its scope. This was Peñagaricano's first proposal on taking office, since he considered professional wrestling "a spectacle instead of a sport like boxing". During the following decades, the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission became the first governing body to have a female president when Delgado Berty served from 1986 to 1988.Fonseca ''et al.'', p.320 It became the first commission to require pre-fight weigh-ins, a measure that was at first criticized, but was later adopted by other boxing organizations.Fonseca ''et al.'', p.326 In 2007,
David Bernier David Enrique "Quique" Bernier Rivera (; born January 21, 1977) is a Puerto Rican dentist and politician that has served in various roles in public service in Puerto Rico. Bernier first served as executive director of the Office of Youth ...
, then Secretary of Recreation and Sports, approved a new rule in the boxing organization's regulation that prohibited the signing of any pugilist younger than 18 years old as a professional.Fonseca ''et al.'', p.328 In 2011, women's boxing saw an increase in popularity, gaining mainstream attention. This was fueled by the championships won by Ada Veléz and Amanda Serrano, as well as Kiria Tapia becoming the first
Pan American Pan-American, Pan American, Panamerican, Pan-America, Pan America or Panamerica may refer to: * Collectively, the Americas: North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean * Something of, from, or related to the Americas * Pan-Amer ...
champion in her division.


List of male world champions

* Major Sanctioning Body * Undisputed World Championship * Lineal World Championship


List of female world champions


Current titleholders


Men


World champions


Women


International Boxing Hall of Fame


See also

*
Sport in Puerto Rico Sports in Puerto Rico can be traced from the ceremonial competitions amongst the pre-Columbian Native Americans of the Arawak (Taíno) tribes who inhabited the island to the modern era in which sports activities consist of an organized physical ...
*
List of current world boxing champions This is a list of current world boxing champions. Since at least John L. Sullivan, in the late 19th century, there have been world champions in professional boxing. The first of the current organizations to award a world title was the World Box ...
*
List of boxing triple champions In boxing, a triple champion is a boxer who has won world titles in three weight classes. For most of the 20th century it was a remarkable and rare achievement accomplished by only a handful of fighters. Beginning in the 1970s, triple champions hav ...
*
List of boxing quadruple champions A quadruple champion in boxing refers to a boxer who has won world titles in four different categories of weight. Recognition Major sanctioning bodies There is some dispute on which sanctioning body is considered "major" enough to award champions ...
*
List of boxing quintuple champions A quintuple champion in boxing refers to a boxer who has won world titles in five different categories of weight. Recognition Major sanctioning bodies These "Big 4" sanctioning bodies are considered "major" enough to award championships. They are ...
*
List of boxing sextuple champions A sextuple champion in boxing refers to a boxer who has won world titles in six different weight classes. Recognition Major sanctioning bodies There is some dispute on which sanctioning body is considered "major" enough to award championships. Th ...
*
List of WBC world champions This is a list of WBC world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The WBC is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and certifies world champions in 18 different weight cla ...
* List of WBA world champions * List of IBF world champions *
List of WBO world champions This is a list of WBO world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Organization (WBO). The WBO is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has awarded world championships in 17 different wei ...
*
List of IBO world champions This is a list of IBO world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the International Boxing Organization (IBO) since 1993. *r – Champion relinquished title *s – Champion stripped of title Heavyweight Cruiserweight Li ...
*
Septuple Champion In different sports when a sportsman wins seven crowns, titles, medals, belts or another distinctions is called a Septuple Champion. Boxing In boxing, a septuple champion is a boxer who has won world titles in seven different weight classes. M ...


References


Footnotes


Sources

*


Notes


Men's titlists

:I: :II: :III: :IV: :V: :VI: :VII: :VIII: :IX: :X: :XI: :XII: :XIII: :XIV: :XV: :XVI: :XVII: :XVIII: :XIX: :XX: :XXI: :XXII: :XXIII: :XXIV: :XXV: :XXVI: :XXVII: :XXVIII: :XXIX: :XXX: :XXXI: :XXXII: :XXXIII: :XXXIV: :XXXV: :XXXVI: :XXXVII: :XXXVIII: :XXXIX: :XL: :XLI: :XLII: :XLIII: :XLIV: :XLV: :XLVI: :XLVII: :XLVIII: :XLIX: :L: :LI: :LII: :LIII: :LIV: :LV: :LVI: :LVII: :LVIII: :LIX: :LX: :LXI: :LXII: :LXIII: :LXIV:


Women's titlists

:A: :B: :C: :D:


External links


Yahoo! Sports – Boxing

International Boxing Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Puerto Rican Boxing World Champions world boxing champions, List of Puerto Rican Puerto Rican world boxing champions, List of * Puerto Rican Boxing in Puerto Rico