Sixto Escobar
Sixto Escobar | |
---|---|
Puerto Rican | |
Other names | El Gallito |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Bantamweight |
Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 66 |
Wins | 39 |
Wins by KO | 17 |
Losses | 23 |
Draws | 4 |
No contests | 0 |
Sixto Escobar (March 23, 1913 – November 17, 1979) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he became Puerto Rico's first world champion.[1]
Escobar was born in
Early life and amateur career
Escobar was born in La Boca in Barrio Palmas Altas, a sector of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, to Jacinto Escobar and Adela Vargas.
Professional career
Escobar turned professional on September 1, 1930, in a
Escobar's manager, Lou Brix and his trainer recognized that Escobar could be close to a championship fight once the incumbent, Panamian
Undisputed world bantamweight title
On August 8, 1934, he defeated Eugene Hart by points in a non-title match organized in Canada. This was the first time in his career that Escobar completed a 15-round contest. After this event, he stayed in Montreal expecting to fight against the winner of a matchup between
On August 7, 1935, Escobar defeated
This outcome made it possible to organize a fight against Louis Salica, it was the first time that Escobar fought a title fight in Puerto Rico.
Retirement, death and legacy
After his military service, Escobar confronted problems to meet the bantamweight's limit and retired.[11] He became a spokesman for a liquor brand and relocated to New York temporally, with his family. Subsequently, he returned to Puerto Rico where he worked selling liquor in bars. In May 1947, Escobar and Jiménez Sicardó co-promoted a fight with the intention of bringing fans back to boxing.[12] In the main event, Diego Sosa was matched against Francisco Colón García. Escobar was inducted into the Madison Square Garden's Boxing Hall of Fame in 1950.[12] Escobar continued in his job as a liquor salesperson, during which it was common for liquor salesmen to drink a little bit of the product which they sold in front of potential customers. This contributed to the development of Escobar's alcoholic tendencies.[12] His alcoholism would later combine with his diabetes and contribute to his death when he was 66 years old. Weeks before his death, Escobar participated in his last ceremony, where Diego Suárez, president of V. Suárez & Company. gave him a recognition.[12]
After his death, the town of Barceloneta honored his memory by a statue. His remains are interred at Cementerio Municipal Viejo in Barceloneta, according to a memorial written to honor his life. Escobar became the first world boxing champion in history to have a statue in his honor.[12] On June 9, 2002, Escobar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.[13] He became the fourth Puerto Rican to receive this distinction and the first to be included in the "Old Timers" section.[12] In March 2005, a second statue of Estobar was unveiled at the Estadio Sixto Escobar in San Juan.[12] Among the celebrities that attended the ceremony were former boxing world champions Julian Solís and Alfredo Escalera. This statue's location served as a remembrance tribute during the 94th anniversary of Escobar's birth, when a flower crown was placed at its feet.[14] During this date, an activity was presented by Puerto Rico's House of Boxing in the library of the Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño.[14] Among those who attended the ceremony were Solís, Escalera and Iván Calderón.[14] On this date, People Inc. presented a documentary covering his life, which was donated to the venue.[14] Several buildings and streets were named after Escobar posthumously, including the Auditorio Sixto Escobar. The house where he lived was later turned into a library and museum bearing his name.[10]
In 2019 Sixto Escobar was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.[15]
Professional boxing record
66 fights | 39 wins | 23 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 17 | 0 |
By decision | 22 | 23 |
Draws | 4 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
66 | Loss | 39–23–4 | Harry Jeffra | PTS | 10 | Dec 2, 1940 | Carlin's Park, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
65 | Draw | 39–22–4 | Simon Chavez | PTS | 10 | Apr 6, 1940 | Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela | |
64 | Loss | 39–22–3 | Frankie Covelli | SD | 10 | Dec 11, 1939 | Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
63 | Loss | 39–21–3 | Tony Olivera | PTS | 10 | Oct 4, 1939 | Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S. | |
62 | Loss | 39–20–3 | Jimmy Perrin | UD | 10 | Aug 14, 1939 | Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | |
61 | Loss | 39–19–3 | Frankie Bove | PTS | 8 | Jul 25, 1939 | Belmont Park, Garfield, New Jersey, U.S. | |
60 | Win | 39–18–3 | Young Johnny Buff | PTS | 8 | Jul 7, 1939 | Morris County Arena, Mount Freedom, New Jersey, U.S. | |
59 | Win | 38–18–3 | K.O. Morgan | UD | 15 | Apr 2, 1939 | Escambron Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
58 | Loss | 37–18–3 | Al Mancini | UD | 10 | Dec 19, 1938 | Turner's Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
57 | Loss | 37–17–3 | Henry Hook | PTS | 10 | Nov 1, 1938 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
56 | Win | 37–16–3 | Lou Transparenti | UD | 10 | Sep 5, 1938 | Carlin's Park, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
55 | Loss | 36–16–3 | Nat Litfin | SD | 10 | May 4, 1938 | Hippodrome, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
54 | Loss | 36–15–3 | K.O. Morgan | UD | 10 | Apr 19, 1938 | Arena Gardens, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
53 | Win | 36–14–3 | Harry Jeffra | UD | 15 | Feb 20, 1938 | Escambron Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
52 | Draw | 35–14–3 | Johnny DeFoe | PTS | 8 | Nov 13, 1937 | Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
51 | Loss | 35–14–2 | Harry Jeffra | UD | 15 | Sep 23, 1937 | Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S. | Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
50 | Win | 35–13–2 | Eddie Reed | KO | 8 (10) | Sep 1, 1937 | South Park Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. | |
49 | Win | 34–13–2 | Georgie Holmes | TKO | 3 (8) | Jul 21, 1937 | Dyckman Oval, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
48 | Win | 33–13–2 | Pat Robertson | TKO | 8 (10) | Jun 21, 1937 | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
47 | Win | 32–13–2 | Nicky Jerome | TKO | 2 (10) | May 12, 1937 | Hippodrome, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
46 | Win | 31–13–2 | Lou Salica | UD | 15 | Feb 21, 1937 | Escambron Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
45 | Loss | 30–13–2 | Harry Jeffra | MD | 10 | Dec 9, 1936 | Hippodrome, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
44 | Win | 30–12–2 | Indian Quintana | KO | 1 (15) | Nov 13, 1936 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles |
43 | Loss | 29–12–2 | Harry Jeffra | SD | 10 | Oct 5, 1936 | Carlin's Park, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
42 | Win | 29–11–2 | Tony Marino | TKO | 13 (15) | Aug 31, 1936 | Dyckman Oval, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained NYSAC and NBA bantamweight titles; Won The Ring bantamweight title |
41 | Loss | 28–11–2 | Indian Quintana | UD | 10 | Jul 15, 1936 | Queensboro Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
40 | Win | 28–10–2 | Al Gillette | TKO | 5 (10) | Feb 5, 1936 | Escambron Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
39 | Win | 27–10–2 | Lou Salica | UD | 15 | Nov 15, 1935 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Won NYSAC and NBA bantamweight titles |
38 | Loss | 26–10–2 | Lou Salica | MD | 15 | Aug 26, 1935 | Dyckman Oval, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | Lost NBA bantamweight title For vacant NYSAC bantamweight title |
37 | Win | 26–9–2 | Pete Sanstol | UD | 12 | Aug 7, 1935 | Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Won vacant NBA bantamweight title |
36 | Win | 25–9–2 | Johnny Bang | KO | 5 (10) | Jun 21, 1935 | Luna Park Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
35 | Win | 24–9–2 | Joey Archibald | TKO | 6 (8) | May 28, 1935 | Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
34 | Loss | 23–9–2 | Juan Zurita | PTS | 10 | Mar 31, 1935 | El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | |
33 | Win | 23–8–2 | Eugène Huat | UD | 15 | Aug 8, 1934 | Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Retained Montreal Athletic Commission bantamweight title |
32 | Win | 22–8–2 | Rodolfo Casanova | KO | 9 (15) | Jun 26, 1934 | Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Won vacant Montreal Athletic Commission bantamweight title |
31 | Win | 21–8–2 | Bobby Leitham | TKO | 5 (10) | Jun 6, 1934 | Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
30 | Win | 20–8–2 | Joey Archibald | UD | 10 | May 21, 1934 | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
29 | Win | 19–8–2 | Bobby Leitham | TKO | 7 (10) | May 7, 1934 | Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
28 | Draw | 18–8–2 | Felipe Andrade | PTS | 10 (?) | Sep 15, 1933 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
27 | Win | 18–8–1 | Vicente Abadia | PTS | 8 | Aug 27, 1933 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
26 | Win | 17–8–1 | Ray Lulolo | PTS | 8 | Aug 13, 1933 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
25 | Win | 16–8–1 | KO Tiger | TKO | 2 (8) | Jun 23, 1933 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
24 | Loss | 15–8–1 | Ely Arriaga | PTS | 8 | May 27, 1933 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
23 | Win | 15–7–1 | Pedro Ruiz | PTS | 10 | May 12, 1933 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
22 | Win | 14–7–1 | KO Tiger | PTS | 8 | Apr 8, 1933 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
21 | Loss | 13–7–1 | Enrique Chaffardet | PTS | 10 | Feb 11, 1933 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
20 | Draw | 13–6–1 | Enrique Chaffardet | PTS | 10 | Jan 9, 1933 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
19 | Loss | 13–6 | Simon Chavez | PTS | 10 | Jul 31, 1932 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
18 | Win | 13–5 | Enrique Mendoza | PTS | 8 | Jun 26, 1932 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
17 | Win | 12–5 | Sindulfo Diaz | PTS | 10 | Jun 4, 1932 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
16 | Loss | 11–5 | Jose Lago | PTS | 8 | Apr 23, 1932 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
15 | Loss | 11–4 | Firpo Zuliano | PTS | 12 | Mar 19, 1932 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
14 | Loss | 11–3 | Enrique Chaffardet | PTS | 10 | Nov 15, 1931 | Caracas, Venezuela | For Venezuelan featherweight title |
13 | Win | 11–2 | Phil Tobias | PTS | 10 | Sep 13, 1931 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
12 | Win | 10–2 | Abeol Alvarez | KO | 5 (10) | Aug 9, 1931 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
11 | Win | 9–2 | Firpo Zuliano | PTS | 10 | Jul 18, 1931 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
10 | Win | 8–2 | Simon Chavez | PTS | 10 | Jun 28, 1931 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
9 | Win | 7–2 | Rafael Morales | KO | 2 (8) | May 17, 1931 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
8 | Win | 6–2 | Isidoro Gonzalez | KO | 5 (8) | May 3, 1931 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
7 | Win | 5–2 | Rafael Morales | PTS | 10 | Feb 1, 1931 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
6 | Win | 4–2 | Ramon Rodriquez | PTS | 4 | Jan 16, 1931 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
5 | Loss | 3–2 | Rafael Morales | PTS | 8 | Jan 1, 1931 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
4 | Win | 3–1 | Ramon Rodriquez | PTS | 6 | Oct 5, 1930 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
3 | Loss | 2–1 | Luis Emilio Perez | PTS | 4 | Sep 12, 1930 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Luis Emilio Perez | PTS | 4 | Aug 29, 1930 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Luis Emilio Perez | TKO | 2 (4) | Jul 17, 1930 | Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Puerto Ricans in the International Boxing Hall of Fame |
Number | Name | Year inducted | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Carlos Ortíz
|
1991 | World Jr. Welterweight Champion 1959 June 12- 1960, September 1, WBA Lightweight Champion 1962 Apr 21 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1963 Apr 7 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1965 Nov 13 – 1968 Jun 29. |
2 | Wilfred Benítez | 1994 | The youngest world champion in boxing history. WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1976 Mar 6 – 1977, WBC Welterweight Champion 1979 Jan 14 – 1979 Nov 30, WBC Light Middleweight Champion. |
3 | Wilfredo Gómez | 1995 | WBC Super Bantamweight Champion 1977 May 21 – 1983, WBC Featherweight Champion 1984 Mar 31 – 1984 Dec 8, WBA Super Featherweight Champion 1985 May 19 – 1986 May 24. |
4 | José "Chegui" Torres | 1997 | Won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games. Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion 1965 Mar 30 – 1966 Dec 16 |
5 | Sixto Escobar | 2002 | Puerto Rico's first boxing champion. World Bantamweight Champion 15 Nov 1935– 23 Sep 1937, World Bantamweight Champion 20 Feb 1938– Oct 1939 |
6 | Edwin Rosario | 2006 | Ranks #36 on the list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time." according to Ring Magazine. WBC Lightweight Champion 1983 May 1 – 1984 Nov 3, WBA Lightweight Champion 1986 Sep 26 – 1987 Nov 21, WBA Lightweight Champion 199 Jul 9 – 1990 Apr 4, WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1991 Jun 14 – 1992 Apr 10. |
7 | Pedro Montañez | 2007 | 92 wins out of 103 fights. Never held a title. |
8 | Joe Cortez | 2011 | The first Puerto Rican boxing referee to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame |
9 | Herbert "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick | 2012 | Member of boxing's "Black Murderers' Row". World Colored Welterweight Championship - June 11, 1937 to August 22, 1938; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 11, 1940 until the title went extinct in the 1940s; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 15, 1943 until the title went extinct in the 1940s |
10 | Félix "Tito" Trinidad | 2014 | Captured the IBF welterweight crown in his 20th pro bout. Won the WBA light middleweight title from David Reid in March 2000 and later that year unified titles with a 12th-round knockout against IBF champ Fernando Vargas. In 2001 became a three-division champion. |
11 | Héctor "Macho" Camacho | 2016 | First boxer to be recognized as a septuple champion in history (counting championships from minor sanctioning bodies). WBC Super Featherweight Championship - August 7, 1983 – 1984, WBC Lightweight Championship - August 10, 1985 – 1987, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - March 6, 1989 – February 23, 1991, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - May 18, 1991–1992. |
12 | Mario Rivera Martino
|
2019 | First Puerto Rican boxing sports writer to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He served Puerto Rican boxing for more than 50 years as a writer and eventual commissioner. |
13 | Miguel Cotto | 2022 | He is a multiple-time world champion, and the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four weight classes, from light welterweight to middleweight. In 2007 and 2009, |
= Indicates the person is no longer alive
See also
- List of bantamweight boxing champions
- List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
- Sports in Puerto Rico
- Undisputed Champion
References
- ^ "The Lineal Bantamweight Champions". Cyber Boxing Zone.
- ^ "Boxers of Yesteryears Sixto Escobar". Maltaboxing.
- ^ a b c d e f Fonseca et al., p.21
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fonseca et al., p.22
- ^ a b c d e f Fonseca et al., p.23
- ^ a b c Fonseca et al., p.26
- ^ a b c d e Fonseca et al., p.24
- ^ a b c d e f g h Fonseca et al., p.27
- ^ a b c Fonseca et al., p.28
- ^ a b c d e Fonseca et al., p.29
- ^ Fonseca et al., p.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fonseca et al., p.30
- ^ "Sixto Escobar". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Carlos González (March 24, 2007). "Viva la figura de Escobar". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
- ^ "Salón de la Fama".
Sources
- Marvin Fonseca Barahona (2007). Puerto Rico: Cuna de Campeones (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Puerto Rico. ISBN 978-1-60643-254-9.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
External links
- Boxing record for Sixto Escobar from BoxRec (registration required)
- Sixto Escobar – CBZ Profile
- https://titlehistories.com/boxing/wba/wba-world-b.html
- https://titlehistories.com/boxing/na/usa/ny/nysac-b.html
- https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine%27s_Annual_Ratings:_Bantamweight--1930s