Jesus "José" Becerra (15 April 1936 – 6 August 2016) was a Mexican

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 fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

. He became the Undisputed Bantamweight World Champion in 1959. He was known as the Guadalajara Cobra. Becerra was born in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, the youngest of the five children. His parents were Maria Covarrubias and Jesus Becerra. At age 12, in the 5th grade, Becerra quit school to work in a carriage repair shop.

Professional career

Becerra received his first public notice in the Mexican sports world by scoring an upset over the vastly more experienced

Manuel Armenteros Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

. After some ups and downs, Becerra earned a top 10 ranking by knocking out former world champion Mario D'Agata. A short time later, Becerra won the Undisputed World Bantamweight Championship with a knockout over

Alphonse Halimi Alphonse Halimi (February 18, 1932 – November 12, 2006) was a French boxer. He took the Undisputed World Bantamweight Championship on April 1, 1957, in Paris, and the European Bantamweight Championship five years later. Early life He was bor ...

. After two successful title defenses, Becerra lost a stunning upset, being knocked out by club-fighter Eloy Sanchez in a non-title fight. Becerra was so dejected by the defeat that he announced his retirement at age 24. In 1962, Mexican club fighter, Rudy Coronado was seriously injured in a fight. On a special benefit show for Coronado and his family, Becerra returned to the ring and won a 6-round decision over Alberto Martinez. Becerra donated his fight-purse to the injured boxer's family. Becerra never fought again.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

* NYSAC

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

champion (118 lbs) * NBA (WBA) bantamweight champion (118 lbs)

''The Ring'' magazine titles

* ''The Ring'' bantamweight champion (118 lbs)

Undisputed titles

* Undisputed bantamweight champion

Exhibition Tour

As world champion, Becerra went on a successful exhibition tour which drew big crowds. The tour was as follows: *1959: Sept. 1-Sandy Garcia, Fresno, CA......Exch. 4 rounds *1959: Date ?-Joe Vargas, Stockton, CA.......Exch. TKO 3 rounds *1959: Sept.8- Willie Sanchez, San Jose, CA..Exch. 2 rounds *1959: Sept.8-Cy Ruiz, San Jose, CA,.........Exch. 2 rounds *1959: Sept.9-Eduardo Santos, El Paso, TX....Exch. 4 rounds *1959: Sept.?-Jessie Leija, San Antonio, TX..Exch. 4 rounds *1959: Sept.14-Henry Miramontes, Dallas, TX..Exch. 4 rounds

References

External links

*Dan Cuoc
Bio Article
*

1936 births Bantamweight boxers Boxers from Guadalajara, Jalisco 2016 deaths Mexican male boxers 20th-century Mexican sportsmen {{Mexico-boxing-bio-stub