I had to leave this out because of space restrictions:


Boxing

The first boxing match in Puerto Rico was held on January 15, 1899, and the first Puerto Rican to win a world title was the great Hall of Famer, Sixto “El Gallito” Escobar, who beat Baby Cassanova in 1934 to win bantamweight belt. Sixto was never knocked out or even taken off his feet during his career. He was inducted into the Hall’s Old Timer section in 2002. His career spanned the period 1930-1940. Much has been written about his life, but I’ll leave that most interesting story to be told by other boxing historians. Suffice it to say he remains a beloved figure in Puerto Rico and after his death in 1979, the town of Barceloneta honored his memory by a statue.

But when one discusses boxing in Puerto Rico these days, certain names always come to the fore,. Names that remind us of the espléndido y magn*fico tradition of Puerto Rican boxing. See above