Rafael Herrera (born 7 January 1945) is a Mexican 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 ...

. He has won the

Lineal championship In combat sports where champions are decided by a challenge, the lineal championship of a weight class is a world championship title held initially by an undisputed champion and subsequently by a fighter who defeats the reigning champion in a mat ...

in the bantamweight division.

Professional career

Herrera turned pro in 1963 and in 1972 defeated

Rubén Olivares Rubén Olivares Avila (born January 14, 1947) is a Mexican former professional boxer and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame., Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champio ...

by TKO to capture the Lineal, WBC and WBA bantamweight titles. He lost the titles in his first defense to

Enrique Pinder Enrique Pinder (born August 7, 1947) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1966 until 1973. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' bantamweight titles from 1972 to 1973. Professional career In 1966, Pinder be ...

. Pinder was stripped of the WBC title after this fight for failure to defend against

Rodolfo Martinez Rodolfo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Rodolfo (footballer, born 1992), Brazilian footballer Rodolfo José da Silva Bardella * Rodolfo Albano III, Filipino politician * Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (1928-2012), Filipino actor ...

. Herrera fought Martinez for the vacant WBC bantamweight title the following year and won by TKO, a fight in which Martinez down four times (twice in 4th, twice in 11th), and Herrera was down in the 8th. He defended the title twice before losing it in 1974 in a rematch with Martinez. The outcome of the bout was controversial, as Herrera was on his feet at the count of 7 after being knocked down and was asked by the referee if he could continue. Herrera nodded "yes" but a split second later the referee raised Martinez' hand and declared him the winner. Herrera lurched forward but the referee contained him. The ensuing conversation between Herrera and the referee was heard on the national TV broadcast.

Professional boxing record

Personal life

Born into a large working-class family, Herrera originally wanted to be a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

. In 1971 he married Leticia, his longtime wife with whom he had two daughters.

References

External links

*
Rafael Herrera - CBZ Profile
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Rafael 1945 births Living people Boxers from Jalisco Mexican male boxers Bantamweight boxers World bantamweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions The Ring (magazine) champions

Professional career

Professional boxing record

Personal life

See also

References

External links