WBC
WBC may stand for:
Business
*Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, a former large India broadcaster now folded into CBS
*Westpac (New Delhi Exchange code: WBC), a multinational Financial services company
*Wholesale Broadband Connect, BT Wholesale's ...
and ''The Ring featherweight champion from 1980 to 1982. Many of his contemporaries as well as boxing writers believe that had it not been for his premature death, Sánchez could have gone on to become the greatest featherweight boxer of all time. Sánchez died on August 12, 1982 in a car accident from Querétaro to San Luis Potosí. He is also the uncle of
Salvador Sánchez II
Salvador Sánchez Castro (born 20 September 1985) is a Mexican professional boxer and nephew of boxing legend Salvador Sánchez.
Professional career
His first two fights were losses to undefeated boxers but has won 30 of his next 38 since then, ...
Fighter of the Year
'' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928, which this list covers. The award, selected by the magazine editors, is based on a boxer's performance in the ring.Associated Press.
Early life
Sánchez was born to father Felipe Sánchez and to mother María Luisa Narváez.
Professional career
Sánchez started his professional career at the age of 16, as a teenager (after a brief amateur career consisting of reportedly 4 amateur bouts) he started piling up wins against tough Mexican opposition. His first fight of note came in his 19th professional fight against the Mexican bantamweight champion Antonio Becerra. Becerra proved too experienced for the young Sánchez, the bout ended in a split decision defeat for Sánchez.
Sánchez kept on fighting and moved to the Featherweight division. Soon he had beaten people like the Puerto Rican featherweight champion
Felix Trinidad Sr.
Felix Trinidad Sr. is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer and prominent boxing trainer. Mostly remembered for training his son, International Boxing Hall of Fame member Félix Trinidad, Felix Trinidad Sr. nevertheless was a Featherweight boxe ...
, on his way to securing a title shot at world champion Danny "Little Red" Lopez, a popular TV fighter of the late 1970s who was an impressive fighter and had won some spectacular fights against the likes of former world champion
David Kotei
David Kotey (originating from the Kotei family; born 7 December 1950), popularly called "D.K. Poison", is a former world featherweight boxing champion between 1975 and 1976. He is the first Ghanaian professional boxer to win a world title.
Ama ...
(twice), Juan Malvares and Mike Ayala. Confident and hard to beat, Lopez was beaten by the 21-year-old Sánchez, who knocked out the defending champion in 13 rounds in Phoenix, Arizona, United States on February 2, 1980. Sánchez defended his title for the first time with a 15-round unanimous decision against Ruben Castillo (47–1). Thinking it was just a case of '
beginner's luck
Beginner's luck refers to the supposed phenomenon of novices experiencing disproportionate frequency of success or succeeding against an expert in a given activity. One would expect experts to outperform novices - when the opposite happens it is co ...
' (as it was Sánchez's first world title fight ever), Lopez looked for a rematch and this he got, in Las Vegas. This time Sánchez defeated Lopez by 14th-round TKO. In his next fight, he defeated Patrick Ford (15–0) .
On December 13, 1980, Sánchez defeated future champion Juan Laporteby unanimous decision. Sánchez then defended his title against Roberto Castanon (43–1–0) and scored a win over Nicky Perez (50–3–0). Then undefeated World Jr Featherweight champion Wilfredo Gómez (32–0–1) went up in weight and challenged Sánchez. Sánchez retained the crown by a knockout in round eight on August 21, 1981, in Las Vegas, and Gómez had to return to the Jr. Featherweight division.
With that victory, Salvador was an unknown to the casual boxing fan no more. He became a household name all over the United States that night.
In his next fight, he defeated Olympic medalist Pat Cowdell by split decision. His defense vs unheralded Jorge "Rocky" Garcia was the second fight featuring two featherweights ever to be televised by
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, the first having been his contest with Cowdell. He beat Garcia punch after punch, but the challenger gave honor to his nickname, an unknown fighter who lasts the distance with the world champion.
On July 21, 1982, Sánchez faced future champion Azumah Nelson at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
. Nelson, a late substitute for
mandatory challenger In professional boxing and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight or be forced to vacate their title as champion. A mandatory defence is the opposite of a voluntary defence, where the champi ...
Mario Miranda, was unknown at the time however, and was expected to only go a few rounds with the champ. It was an intense battle, with Sánchez managing to drop his young charge in the 7th round. After that they engaged in violent exchange after violent exchange. In the 15th, Sánchez broke out finally, connecting with a serious combination that dropped the challenger almost outside the ring. Referee Tony Perez had to stop the fight seconds later. Azumah Nelson went on to have a glittering career and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Sánchez proved a dominant featherweight champion. He held title defense victories over the next three fighters (LaPorte, Gomez, and Nelson) who won the WBC title after his death. He went 4-0, all by knockout, against fellow members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (Danny Lopez twice-KO 13, KO 14-Wilfredo Gomez-KO 8-and Azumah Nelson-KO 15) and defeated four future or former world champions (Lopez, Gomez, LaPorte and Nelson).
Death
Three weeks after his victory over Nelson, as he was training for a rematch with Laporte set for September, Sanchez crashed on the early morning of August 12, 1982, while driving his
Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 is a luxury grand tourer produced by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 until 1995. Originally intended to replace the company's iconic 911, the 928 combined the power, poise, and handling of a sports car with the refinement, comfort ...
sports car along the federal highway from
Querétaro
Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
to
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...
, dying instantly. At the time of his death, there were talks about a bout with Colombian Mario Miranda, a rematch with Gómez or a challenge of world lightweight champion Alexis Argüello. The latter was already off the table. There had been negotiations between the Sánchez and Argüello camps but they broke off when Argüello chose to campaign as a junior welterweight.
Salvador Sánchez finished his career 44-1-1.
Sánchez was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.
Acting
Sánchez appeared as himself, albeit as a Junior Lightweight world champion, in the 1983 film '' The Last Fight'', released after his death. The movie was dedicated to him. In it, Sánchez shared scenes with Ruben Blades, who played a challenger to Sánchez's title.
Félix Trinidad Sr.
Felix Trinidad Sr. is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer and prominent boxing trainer. Mostly remembered for training his son, International Boxing Hall of Fame member Félix Trinidad, Felix Trinidad Sr. nevertheless was a Featherweight boxe ...
, TKO
, 5 (10)
, Aug 7, 1979
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 32
, Win
, 30–1–1
, align=left, Rosalio Muro
, KO
, 3 (10)
, Jul 22, 1979
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 31
, Win
, 29–1–1
, align=left, Fel Clemente
, UD
, 12
, Jun 17, 1979
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 30
, Win
, 28–1–1
, align=left, Salvador Torres
, TKO
, 7 (10)
, May 19, 1979
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 29
, Win
, 27–1–1
, align=left, James Martinez
, UD
, 10
, Mar 13, 1979
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 28
, Win
, 26–1–1
, align=left, Carlos Mimila
, KO
, 3 (10)
, Feb 3, 1979
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 27
, Win
, 25–1–1
, align=left, José Santana
, TKO
, 2 (10)
, Dec 16, 1978
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 26
, Win
, 24–1–1
, align=left, Edwin Alarcon
, TKO
, 9 (10)
, Nov 21, 1978
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 25
, Win
, 23–1–1
, align=left, Francisco Ponce
, KO
, 2 (10)
, Sep 26, 1978
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 24
, Win
, 22–1–1
, align=left, Hector Cortez
, TKO
, 7 (10)
, Aug 13, 1978
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 23
, Win
, 21–1–1
, align=left, José Sánchez
, UD
, 10
, Jul 1, 1978
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 22
, Draw
, 20–1–1
, align=left, Juan Escobar
, MD
, 10
, Mar 15, 1978
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 21
, Win
, 20–1
, align=left, Eliseo Cosme
, PTS
, 10
, Dec 5, 1977
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 20
, Win
, 19–1
, align=left, José Luis Soto
, PTS
, 10
, Nov 11, 1977
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 19
, Loss
, 18–1
, align=left, Antonio Becerra
, SD
, 12
, Sep 9, 1977
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 18
, Win
, 18–0
, align=left, Rosalio Badillo
, TKO
, 5 (10)
, May 21, 1977
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 17
, Win
, 17–0
, align=left, Daniel Felizardo
, KO
, 5 (10)
, Mar 12, 1977
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 16
, Win
, 16–0
, align=left, Raúl López
, TKO
, 10 (10)
, Feb 5, 1977
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 15
, Win
, 15–0
, align=left, Antonio Leon
, TKO
, 10 (10)
, Dec 25, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 14
, Win
, 14–0
, align=left, Saul Montana
, TKO
, 9 (10)
, Oct 31, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 13
, Win
, 13–0
, align=left, Joel Valdez
, TKO
, 9 (10)
, Aug 11, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 12
, Win
, 12–0
, align=left, Pedro Sandoval
, TKO
, 9 (10)
, Jul 5, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 11
, Win
, 11–0
, align=left, Fidel Trejo
, KO
, 6 (10)
, May 26, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 10
, Win
, 10–0
, align=left, Jose Chavez
, TKO
, 7 (10)
, Apr 24, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 9
, Win
, 9–0
, align=left, Serafin Isidro Pacheco
, TKO
, 4 (8)
, Mar 31, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 8
, Win
, 8–0
, align=left, Javier Solis
, TKO
, 7 (8)
, Feb 25, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 7
, Win
, 7–0
, align=left, Juan Granados
, TKO
, 3 (8)
, Jan 24, 1976
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 6
, Win
, 6–0
, align=left, Fidel Trejo
, UD
, 8
, Dec 11, 1975
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 5
, Win
, 5–0
, align=left, Candido Sandoval
, TKO
, 7 (8)
, Nov 25, 1975
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 4
, Win
, 4–0
, align=left, Cesar Lopez
, KO
, 4 (6)
, Oct 19, 1975
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 3
, Win
, 3–0
, align=left, Victor Martinez
, KO
, 2 (6)
, Aug 10, 1975
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 2
, Win
, 2–0
, align=left, Miguel Ortiz
, KO
, 3 (4)
, May 25, 1975
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
, 1
, Win
, 1–0
, align=left, Al Gardeno
, KO
, 3 (4)
, May 4, 1975
, align=left,
, align=left,
, -align=center
Ben Campbell Benjamin or Ben Campbell may refer to:
* Ben Nighthorse Campbell, former U.S. Senator from Colorado
* Ben Campbell (musician) (New Zealand), bassist for rock bands Atlas and Zed
* Benjamin Campbell, founder of Campbell, California
* Ben Campbell, a ...
, played by Jim Sturgess, introduces himself to a girl as Salvador Sánchez.
Folk Rock band
Sun Kil Moon
Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist M ...
recorded an eponymous song about Sanchez on their 2003 album ''
Ghosts of the Great Highway
''Ghosts of the Great Highway'' is the debut studio album by San Francisco quartet Sun Kil Moon, led by Red House Painters' founder Mark Kozelek, who composed all of the lyrics and music on this album. The other members are Anthony Koutsos (forme ...
''.
See also
*
Notable boxing families
Notability is the property
of being worthy of notice, having fame, or being considered to be of a high degree of interest, significance, or distinction. It also refers to the capacity to be such. Persons who are notable due to public responsibi ...
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 ...