Orlando Canizales (born November 25, 1965) is an American former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

who competed from 1984 to 1999. He held the IBF

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Bra ...

title between July 1988 and December 1994.

Early life

Canizales who is of Mexican descent was born in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in

South Texas South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 4.96 ...

. There he began training at the age of ten at the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is the younger brother of fellow bantamweight world champion Gaby Canizales. Both brothers obtained the title of world boxing champion at the same age and weight.

Professional boxing career

Canizales turned professional in 1984 and was undefeated in twelve fights (one fight was a draw) before meeting the 1984 Olympic gold medalist Paul Gonzales in 1986. Gonzales defeated him over twelve rounds. Canizales rebounded from that defeat, however, and on July 9, 1988, he won the IBF bantamweight title by knocking out defending titlist

Kelvin Seabrooks Kelvin Seabrooks (born March 10, 1963 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is a retired American boxer who won the International Boxing Federation bantamweight title and defended it four times. Boxing career Amateur career Seabrooks started boxing wi ...

in the fifteenth round. He tied the division record for consecutive title defences at 15 set by Manuel Ortiz. His victims included old foe Gonzales, former

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

champion Rolando Bohol, British champion Billy Hardy, and future champion Clarence "Bones" Adams. Many people incorrectly state that Orlando Canizales made 16 consecutive defences. This is due to many of them counting a no contest with Derrick Whiteboy as a title defence. No contests are not title defences however as the champion can't defend his title in a match that isn't considered to be a proper boxing contest. In January 1995, Canizales attempted to win a title in the junior featherweight division.

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 Box ...

champion Wilfredo Vazquez prevented him from doing so, winning a twelve-round split decision. He continued fighting until 1999, when future champion Frank Toledo defeated him via ten-round split decision. He retired after that loss. He was inducted into the

International Boxing Hall of Fame The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. The ...

on July 14, 2009. With his parents watching, an emotional Canizales approached the podium and delivered a heartfelt speech. "Boxing has taught me a lot in life -- that dedication, discipline and determination will pay off in the long run and not to be easily swayed by obstacles and bumps in the road." The Orlando & Gaby Canizales Boxing Gym and Community Center on Guadalupe Street in Laredo is named in honor of Orlando and his brother Gaby.Malena Charur, "Orlando & Gaby Canizales Boxing Gym and Community Center: Brothers Honored: Facility Located on Guadalupe Street", ''

Laredo Morning Times The ''Laredo Morning Times'' is a daily newspaper publication based in Laredo, Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At ...

'', May 2, 2014, p. 1

Professional boxing record

References

External links

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Dog House Boxing interview
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Canizales, Orlando 1965 births Living people Bantamweight boxers World bantamweight boxing champions International Boxing Federation champions International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees American boxers of Mexican descent People from Laredo, Texas Boxers from Houston World boxing champions American male boxers