Enrique "Rickin" Sánchez Betancourt (June 5, 1935-January 17, 2023) was a Puerto Rican wrestling, boxing, and baseball television broadcaster, as well as a boxing promoter and television producer. He was the main broadcaster and producer used by
Capitol Sports Promotions when that company's shows, mainly the one named "Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre" ("Wrestling Superstars"), were broadcast island-wide in
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 ...
on
Canal 4, then known as WAPA-TV. He left the company in 1984 after a dispute with part owner of WWC
Victor Jovica
Victor Jovica (born November 26, 1945) is a Croatian-born Puerto Rican semi-retired professional wrestler, and promoter. Along with Carlos Colón, he is the co-founder and promoter of Capitol Sports Promotions, now known as the World Wrestling Co ...
. He was substituted by
Hugo Savinovich. He briefly ran a wrestling promotion in 1985.
Sánchez studied surveying at the
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) in Spanish (also referred to as Colegio and CAAM in allusion to its former name), is a public land-grant university in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. UPRM ...
. He was also a boxing executive, being one of the organizers of the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission, alongside
Héctor Cardona
Héctor Francisco Cardona González (April 19, 1936 – June 16, 2017) was a Puerto Rican sports executive who served as the longtime President of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee (COPUR) from 1991 until 2008, as well as the executive vice-presi ...
, Manolo Rodríguez, Tomás Ramos Librán and the famous singer,
Felipe Rodriguez. He was a native of
the northern city of Canovanas, where in 2016, he was the object of a municipal dedication.
Sánchez was also formerly a radio show host, as he began his career hosting a show named "Tablero de los Deportes" ("Sports' Scoreboard"), where he joined to substitute the legendary Puerto Rican basketball player,
Fufi Santori
José Santori Coll (May 7, 1932 – April 2, 2018) was a Puerto Rican basketball player and coach. Santori was also, for a short period late in his life, a bachata singer; he recorded an album, named ''El Sentimiento de Fufi'' (''Fufi's Feelin ...
.
Television channel founder
Sánchez was the founder of a popular but short-lived television channel in Puerto Rico, named "Videomax", based at
WRFB channel 52.
Personal life and death
in 2016 Sánchez was inducted to the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez Sports Hall of Fame. He was married to Blanche Vidal. His son,
Rickin Sánchez, Jr., who was born from his marriage to Vidal, was also a television producer and a television director, who died in 2007.
Sánchez died on January 17, 2023. He was interred at the New Canóvanas Municipal Cemetery
Canóvanas, Puerto Rico.
Awards and accomplishments
*
World Wrestling League
La Liga Wrestling (formerly World Wrestling League or Liga Mundial de Lucha), was a wrestling promotion company based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2012 by businessman Richard Negrín with the cooperation of established wrestling figur ...
**''Salón de los Inmortales'' (class of 2015)
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
References
20th-century births
Year of birth missing
2023 deaths
American mass media owners
Boxing promoters
People from Canóvanas, Puerto Rico
Professional wrestling promoters
Professional wrestling announcers
Puerto Rican sports executives and administrators
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez people
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