Pedro Montañez (April 24, 1914 – June 26, 1996) was a
boxer from
Cayey, Puerto Rico
Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and ...
. Also known as ''El Torito De Cayey'' (''The Little Bull of Cayey''), he has been considered by many to be one of the best
boxers in history ''never'' to win a world title. In his career, he was 91–8–4 (51KO).
Career
Montañez was recognized by
Ring Magazine as one of history's most prolific
knockout winners with 56 knockout wins, and one of the
Latinos
Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spaniards, Spanish and/or Latin Americans, Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include a ...
with the most knockout wins—while only being knocked out twice himself.
He also ranks as number 14 in boxing history, also recognized by Ring Magazine, among boxers with most wins in a row, totalling 88 wins in a row.
Montanez began boxing in 1931, and captured the Puerto Rican lightweight title in 1933. A European tour followed, and he registered victories in Spain, France, England, and Italy. He was next showcased in New York, and scored wins over Aldo Spoldi and Frankie Klick among others. That set up a non-title bout with lightweight king
Lou Ambers, which Montanez won in a 10-round decision—he was thereafter dubbed the “uncrowned champion.” Impressive wins over formidable foes Eddie Ran,
Wesley Ramey, and Freddie “Red” Cochrane set up a title bout with Ambers on the September 23, 1937, “Carnival of Champions” show at the
Polo Grounds in New York City. Although he was defeated for the first time (L 15), observers say he deserved the decision against Ambers. Montanez bounced back to continue his winning ways in bouts with Jackie “Kid” Berg and Young Peter Jackson.
Montañez went for the world title two times, losing to
Lou Ambers on points. and then
Henry Armstrong
Henry Jackson Jr. (December 12, 1912 – October 24, 1988) was an American professional boxer and a world boxing champion who fought under the name Henry Armstrong.
Armstrong was one of the few fighters to win in three or more different divisi ...
by a TKO in round 9.
Montañez reached great popularity in Puerto Rico,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, and
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, and his collection of photos with celebrities is considered one of the largest in Puerto Rico. He had well over 250 pictures with celebrities such as
Celia Cruz,
Joe Louis,
Jersey Joe Walcott
Arnold Raymond Cream (January 31, 1914 – February 25, 1994), best known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1930 to 1953. He held the NYSAC, NBA, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles from 1951 to 1952 ...
,
Cantinflas
Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 – 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas (), was a Mexican comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is considered to have been the most widely-accomplished Mexican comedian and is cel ...
and some former
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
Governors and other famous people displayed on his house's walls.
Montañez was elected to the ''Salon de la Fama del Deporte Cayeyano'' in July 2004.
Montañez has a stadium named after him, the ''Pedro Montañez Municipal Stadium'' in
Cayey
Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and Sal ...
. It is the home of the Toritos de Cayey Double A baseball team, which was named after him, and it also was the Benigno Fernandez Garcia Jr. High School's field day competitions' site.
Hall of Fame
In December 2006, Montañez was elected to 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 I ...
and in 2007 he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame located @ 360 N Peterboro St, Canastota, NY 13032
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
Sports in Puerto Rico
References
External links
International Boxing Hall of Fame page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montanez, Pedro
1914 births
1996 deaths
International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees
People from Cayey, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican male boxers
Lightweight boxers