The Rivalry: Mexico vs. Puerto Rico

[CutMeMick]

I'm a white guy, but I grew up watching and in the gym with Mexican fighters. I still get emotional over Zarate vs Gomez...Viva Mexico!

Just wish they would have met both at 100%.

But hey no excuses, Gomez won and that's sometimes part of any sport.
An injury, sickness or whatever it may be you just gotta fight thru them somtimes.

I will say that I think Gomez got away with hitting guys while they were already down.
That I've seen and counted it's been in 5 different fights I've seen him hit guys while already down.
When I 1st noticed it was in the Zarate fight and then I did some searching got a hold of about 15 fighs of his and saw it again and again.
Of course I'm not saying Gomez career evolved around this so don't even go there just merely pointing out something I did some research on.
I think I did a thread on the subject of how referees handle something like this in the heat of a fight.

All in all though I have mad love and respect for PR fighters.
For those who have not seen some of these olders fights they are a must see for any boxing fan. Also you gotta check out Bazooka: The battles of Wilfredo Gomez a great documentary.

[greynotsoold]

I'm a white guy, but I grew up watching and in the gym with Mexican fighters. I still get emotional over Zarate vs Gomez...Viva Mexico!

Just wish they would have met both at 100%.

But hey no excuses, Gomez won and that's sometimes part of any sport.
An injury, sickness or whatever it may be you just gotta fight thru them somtimes.

I will say that I think Gomez got away with hitting guys while they were already down.
That I've seen and counted it's been in 5 different fights I've seen him hit guys while already down.
When I 1st noticed it was in the Zarate fight and then I did some searching got a hold of about 15 fighs of his and saw it again and again.
Of course I'm not saying Gomez career evolved around this so don't even go there just merely pointing out something I did some research on.
I think I did a thread on the subject of how referees handle something like this in the heat of a fight.

All in all though I have mad love and respect for PR fighters.
For those who have not seen some of these olders fights they are a must see for any boxing fan. Also you gotta check out Bazooka: The battles of Wilfredo Gomez a great documentary.

Gomez was like Little Red Lopez- once you had them hurt, they became very dangerous. And Gomez had NO respect for the rules of boxing- as in the Pintor fight. Low blows, blatant elbows...but Pintor hurt him and it cost him.

[IamInuit]

It really is something else this rivalry. Theirs nothing in boxing even remotely close. Its actually unbelievable that a country of 3 million could be as dominant as they were/are throughout boxing history.
Have to wonder what the face of boxing today would have looked like if Cuba was in the mix through the mid to late 20th century. A country of about 10 million and an incredible boxing program also.

The rivalry is unparalleled. Here is a paste from a stat page. None of the comments are mine and I'm merely reflecting the rivalry.

Mexico wins:
• Azteca-Kid 2
o The first fight was a draw in the rematch Kid Azteca beat Cocoa Kid by 10 round decision.
• Azteca-Kid 3
o In the third fight Kid Azteca beat Cocoa Kid by 10 round decision.
• Nápoles-Melendez
o Nápoles knocks out David Melendez in the 5th round.
• Chávez-Camacho
o Chávez retains his world Jr. Welterweight title with a 12 round decision. This is Camacho's first real loss. Scorecards 117-111, 119-110, 120-107.
• Chávez-LaPorte
o Chávez retains his WBC Super featherweight title with a unanimous Decision. Scorecards 117-112, 115-114, 114-113.
• Chávez-Rosario
o Chávez wins the world Lightweight title with an 11th round knockout.
• Cuevas-Espada 1
o Cuevas beats Espada for the world Welterweight title,by TKO in the 2nd round
• Cuevas-Espada 2
o Pipino Cuevas knocks out Espada in the 12 Round
• Cuevas-Espada 3
o Cuevas Knocks him out in the 10th Round
• De la Hoya-Camacho
o De la Hoya beats Camacho by unanimous decision to retain the world welterweight title. Scorecards 118-108, 120-106, 120-105.
• Margarito-Cintron 1
o Margarito defends his WBO world Welterweight title against Cintron via a 5th round knockout.
• Margarito-Cintron 2
o In 2008, the two faced off in a rematch this time with Margarito as the challenger Cintron loses his IBF Welterweight title after suffering a 6th round knockout.
• Margarito-Cotto
o Margarito defeats previously undefeated Miguel Cotto via an 11th round knockout to win the WBA welterweight title.(*win is suspect after Margarito got caught with loaded gloves six months later.)
• Lopez-Sanchez
o Ricardo López unifies the WBC and WBO Minimumweight titles by defeating WBO title holder Alex Sanchez via a 5th round knockout. Sanchez was undefeated.
• Rosario-Ramirez 2
o In their rematch Ramirez wins the world title with a 4th round knockout.
• Sánchez-Gómez
o Salvador Sánchez inflicts what many consider the greatest defeat in Puerto Rican boxing history, knocking Gómez out in the 8th round to retain the world Featherweight title.
• Sánchez-LaPorte
o Sanchez defends his WBC Featherweight title against Juan Laporte by unanimous decision. Scorecards 148-142, 146-139, 147-140. The two were scheduled for a rematch but Sanchez was killed in a car accident before the bout took place. LaPorte would go on to win the vacant WBC title shortly after.
• Barrera-Fernandez
o Barrera knocks out Orlando Fernandez in the 7th round defending hes WBO Super Bantamweight Title.
• Corrales-Manfredy
o Corrales knocks out Angel Manfredy in the 3rd Round.
• Lopez-Fuentes
o José Luis López knocks him down in the first round then knocks Sammy Fuentas out in the 2nd.
• Zurita-Escobar
o Juan Zurtia outpoints Sixto Escabar to win a 10 round decision.
• Pérez-Vázquez 1
o Raúl Pérez outpoints Wilfredo Vazquez to win a 10 round decision. Scorecards 91-98, 93-98, 93-96
• Alvarez-Cotto
o Saul Alvarez TKO's Jose Miguel Cotto in the 9th round.
• Segura-Calderon
o Giovanni Segura stops Ivan Calderon in the 8th round.
• Segura-Calderon 2
o Giovanni Segura stops Ivan Calderon in the 3rd round.
• Salido-JuanMa
o Orlando Salido stops Juan Manuel López in the 8th round.

Puerto Rico wins:
• Ortiz-Ramos 1
o WBC declared title vacant pending a rematch, asserting that Conn was favoring Ortiz, giving him the benefit of a long count in the 2d and improperly stopping the match in the 5th round because of a cut to Ramos in the first fight the controversy caused a riot where the ring was torn down, guns were fired and Ortiz had to leave the ring with a bucket over his head.
• Ortiz-Ramos 2
o In the rematch he stopped Ramos in the 4th round.
• Benítez-Palomino
o Benitez wins the world Welterweight title with a 15th round split decision. Scorecards 142-145, 146-143, 146-142.
• Camacho-Limón
o Camacho conquers the world Jr. Lightweight title with a 5th round knockout.
• Camacho-Ramírez
o Camacho conquers the world Lightweight title with a 12 round decision. Scorecards 118-111, 119-109, 119-112.
• Escobar-Casanova
o Escobar becomes the first Puerto Rican world champion, winning the world Bantamweight title over Rodolfo Chango Casanova by 9th round knockout, in the first world title fight between a Puerto Rican and a Mexican.
• Gómez-Zarate
o Gómez retains his world Jr. Featherweight title by 5th round knockout.
• Gómez-Pintor
o Gómez retains the world Jr. Featherweight title with a 14th round knockout in what was described by The Ring as the fight of the 80s at the Jr. Featherweight division.
• Rosario-Ramirez 1
o In their first fight, Rosario conquers the vacant world Lightweight title with a unanimous decision. Scorecards 115-113, 115-113, 115-113.
• Trinidad-Yori Boy Campas
o Trinidad defeats Campas via 4th round knockout. Campas was in his prime at the time with record of 56 wins(50 KO) 0 losses 0 draws.
• Cotto-Gomez
o Cotto defeats Gomez by technical decision in the 5th round.
• Calderon - Cazares 1
o Calderon defeats Cazares via unanimous decision. Scorecards 111-116, 115-112, 115-112.
• Calderon - Cazares 2
o The two fought again which Calderon also won by 7th round Technical decision due to a accidental headbutt. The Scorecards at the time of the stoppage were 67-66, 68-65, 68-65.
• Lopez - Ponce De Leon
o Lopez defeats Ponce de Leon via 1st round knockout.
• Lopez - Luevano
o Lopez defeats Luevano via 7th round knockout.
• Cintron - Angulo
o Cintron gets a 12 round unanimous decision.Scorecards 116-112, 116-112, 116-112.
• Santos - Margarito 2
o Stop due to a cut and Santos gets a 10th round Technical decision.Scorecards 84-87, 85-86, 86-85.

[TitoFan]

It really is something else this rivalry. Theirs nothing in boxing even remotely close. You are 100% correct, bro. The PR-Mexico boxing rivalry is unequaled in the world of sports. Passionate like all hell, too.Its actually unbelievable that a country of 3 million could be as dominant as they were/are throughout boxing history. It's actually closer to 5 million now, but the point is well taken. I did some research a while back and posted some interesting numbers, comparing numbers of world champions and dividing by the country's population, to get an even measuring stick for boxing prowess.
Have to wonder what the face of boxing today would have looked like if Cuba was in the mix through the mid to late 20th century. A country of about 10 million and an incredible boxing program also.

The rivalry is unparalleled. Here is a paste from a stat page. None of the comments are mine and I'm merely reflecting the rivalry.

Mexico wins:
• Azteca-Kid 2
o The first fight was a draw in the rematch Kid Azteca beat Cocoa Kid by 10 round decision.
• Azteca-Kid 3
o In the third fight Kid Azteca beat Cocoa Kid by 10 round decision.
• Nápoles-Melendez
o Nápoles knocks out David Melendez in the 5th round.
• Chávez-Camacho
o Chávez retains his world Jr. Welterweight title with a 12 round decision. This is Camacho's first real loss. Scorecards 117-111, 119-110, 120-107.
• Chávez-LaPorte
o Chávez retains his WBC Super featherweight title with a unanimous Decision. Scorecards 117-112, 115-114, 114-113.
• Chávez-Rosario
o Chávez wins the world Lightweight title with an 11th round knockout.
• Cuevas-Espada 1
o Cuevas beats Espada for the world Welterweight title,by TKO in the 2nd round
• Cuevas-Espada 2
o Pipino Cuevas knocks out Espada in the 12 Round
• Cuevas-Espada 3
o Cuevas Knocks him out in the 10th Round
• De la Hoya-Camacho
o De la Hoya beats Camacho by unanimous decision to retain the world welterweight title. Scorecards 118-108, 120-106, 120-105.
• Margarito-Cintron 1
o Margarito defends his WBO world Welterweight title against Cintron via a 5th round knockout.
• Margarito-Cintron 2
o In 2008, the two faced off in a rematch this time with Margarito as the challenger Cintron loses his IBF Welterweight title after suffering a 6th round knockout.
• Margarito-Cotto
o Margarito defeats previously undefeated Miguel Cotto via an 11th round knockout to win the WBA welterweight title.(*win is suspect after Margarito got caught with loaded gloves six months later.)
• Lopez-Sanchez
o Ricardo López unifies the WBC and WBO Minimumweight titles by defeating WBO title holder Alex Sanchez via a 5th round knockout. Sanchez was undefeated.
• Rosario-Ramirez 2
o In their rematch Ramirez wins the world title with a 4th round knockout.
• Sánchez-Gómez
o Salvador Sánchez inflicts what many consider the greatest defeat in Puerto Rican boxing history, knocking Gómez out in the 8th round to retain the world Featherweight title.
• Sánchez-LaPorte
o Sanchez defends his WBC Featherweight title against Juan Laporte by unanimous decision. Scorecards 148-142, 146-139, 147-140. The two were scheduled for a rematch but Sanchez was killed in a car accident before the bout took place. LaPorte would go on to win the vacant WBC title shortly after.
• Barrera-Fernandez
o Barrera knocks out Orlando Fernandez in the 7th round defending hes WBO Super Bantamweight Title.
• Corrales-Manfredy
o Corrales knocks out Angel Manfredy in the 3rd Round.
• Lopez-Fuentes
o José Luis López knocks him down in the first round then knocks Sammy Fuentas out in the 2nd.
• Zurita-Escobar
o Juan Zurtia outpoints Sixto Escabar to win a 10 round decision.
• Pérez-Vázquez 1
o Raúl Pérez outpoints Wilfredo Vazquez to win a 10 round decision. Scorecards 91-98, 93-98, 93-96
• Alvarez-Cotto
o Saul Alvarez TKO's Jose Miguel Cotto in the 9th round.
• Segura-Calderon
o Giovanni Segura stops Ivan Calderon in the 8th round.
• Segura-Calderon 2
o Giovanni Segura stops Ivan Calderon in the 3rd round.
• Salido-JuanMa
o Orlando Salido stops Juan Manuel López in the 8th round.

Puerto Rico wins:
• Ortiz-Ramos 1
o WBC declared title vacant pending a rematch, asserting that Conn was favoring Ortiz, giving him the benefit of a long count in the 2d and improperly stopping the match in the 5th round because of a cut to Ramos in the first fight the controversy caused a riot where the ring was torn down, guns were fired and Ortiz had to leave the ring with a bucket over his head.
• Ortiz-Ramos 2
o In the rematch he stopped Ramos in the 4th round.
• Benítez-Palomino
o Benitez wins the world Welterweight title with a 15th round split decision. Scorecards 142-145, 146-143, 146-142.
• Camacho-Limón
o Camacho conquers the world Jr. Lightweight title with a 5th round knockout.
• Camacho-Ramírez
o Camacho conquers the world Lightweight title with a 12 round decision. Scorecards 118-111, 119-109, 119-112.
• Escobar-Casanova
o Escobar becomes the first Puerto Rican world champion, winning the world Bantamweight title over Rodolfo Chango Casanova by 9th round knockout, in the first world title fight between a Puerto Rican and a Mexican.
• Gómez-Zarate
o Gómez retains his world Jr. Featherweight title by 5th round knockout.
• Gómez-Pintor
o Gómez retains the world Jr. Featherweight title with a 14th round knockout in what was described by The Ring as the fight of the 80s at the Jr. Featherweight division.
• Rosario-Ramirez 1
o In their first fight, Rosario conquers the vacant world Lightweight title with a unanimous decision. Scorecards 115-113, 115-113, 115-113.
• Trinidad-Yori Boy Campas
o Trinidad defeats Campas via 4th round knockout. Campas was in his prime at the time with record of 56 wins(50 KO) 0 losses 0 draws.
• Cotto-Gomez
o Cotto defeats Gomez by technical decision in the 5th round.
• Calderon - Cazares 1
o Calderon defeats Cazares via unanimous decision. Scorecards 111-116, 115-112, 115-112.
• Calderon - Cazares 2
o The two fought again which Calderon also won by 7th round Technical decision due to a accidental headbutt. The Scorecards at the time of the stoppage were 67-66, 68-65, 68-65.
• Lopez - Ponce De Leon
o Lopez defeats Ponce de Leon via 1st round knockout.
• Lopez - Luevano
o Lopez defeats Luevano via 7th round knockout.
• Cintron - Angulo
o Cintron gets a 12 round unanimous decision.Scorecards 116-112, 116-112, 116-112.
• Santos - Margarito 2
o Stop due to a cut and Santos gets a 10th round Technical decision.Scorecards 84-87, 85-86, 86-85.

Tremendous post bro..... and kudos for the stats. Yes, the rivalry has a long and storied history. Few things get my heart pounding quite like a PR-Mexico championship fight.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

That is an outstanding rivalry. But why is it a rivalry?

[IamInuit]

That is an outstanding rivalry. But why is it a rivalry?

Heres a pretty decent explanation.

The Historical Roots of “The Rivalry”

by E “G” Morales-Febus/Ringside Boxing -

Before most of us were even born, let alone fight fans, the world renowned and highly respected Puerto Rico vs Mexico rivalry began in the 1930s, when Mexican hero Baby Casanova and Islander Sixto Escobar were matched for the vacant version of the World bantamweight title.

Months before, an elimination fight between had been attempted to be made but Casanova's manager insisted that the fight take place in Mexico and refused to travel to Puerto Rico or New York where Escobar had developed a fan base.. For similar reasons Escobar's manager declined the offer to go to Mexico also believing that they wouldn't be given a fair shake of the dice. He would however agree to the fight if it were moved to California but wanted to be compen$ated accordingly. Due to an increasing sense of nationalistic pride the "bad blood" began to flow to the eventual point of 'a rivalry' and with animosity building, it was sometimes actually quite entertaining, other times it was not.

One has to consider that Mexico had no other ranked contenders and Puerto Rico had only Escobar and Pedero Montanez at the time. Remember at this point in time there were only EIGHT divisions, one champion per division, imagine that now! To make a long story short, the fight eventually took place in Montreal, Canada where Escobar scored a 9th round knockout. Months later Escobar did in fact travel to Mexico to face future lightweight champ Juan Zurita and lost a close decision, adding "fuel to the fire".

It wasn't until 1960 that a major fight between the two future Boxing powers took place when newly crowned 140lb champ Carlos Ortiz travelled west to defend against Mexico's undefeated knockout artist Raymundo "Battling" Torres. The pro-Torres flag waving fans confidently cheered wildly for their hero and created a festive atmosphere. Ortiz stopped the game but overmatched Torres after 10 one sided rounds. The brave Torres humbly cried after it was all over; not for himself but he did so believing that he had let his people down. A true fighter indeed. Props to him and those alike.

Six years passed before both nations would clash again in another big fight and once again Ortiz was a partaker. Now as the world 135lb king, he would be the center of controversy when accepting the challenge to once again travel and face nationalized Mexican hero Ultimino "Sugar" Ramos. Ramos put Ortiz down in the 2nd round but Ortiz rebounded to cut Ramos and so followed plenty of action filled 'give and take' rounds. Ramos' vision had become increasingly impaired and he was beginning to get hit more and ref Billy Conn stopped the fight due the the nasty cut but amazingly the Mexican Commission over ruled Conn and ORDERED THE REF to let the fight continue. The fight resumed but Conn later stopped it anyway and feeling threatened left in a hurry as a riot broke out.

The relatively new Mexican based WBC STRIPPED Ortiz of his title. Shortly after, the Mexican boxing commission later withdrew it's recognition of Ortiz as champion as well. These actions were highly publicized and deemed 'outrageous' by the rest of the boxing world, adding more "fuel" to The Rivalry.

Due to the controversy, the rematch received much attention and also caught the interest of the true hard core boxing fans outside that of Mexico and Puerto Rico. The fight was held in Puerto Rico on the 1st of July 1967. This time Ortiz left little doubt as he stopped Ramos in four rounds. The “rivalry” was only beginning and would get BIGGER and more interesting.

To get a PROPER view of these fights one MUST try to understand that these were BIG FIGHTS of that era. There wasn't the media advantages we have today with all the created hype. These actually meant MORE because championships and champions were SCARCE!! Only TEN title belts going around for the WHOLE BOXING WORLD! Title fights were a serious matter back then, very serious. Non-title International fights between top ranking contenders of two different nations were as important then as many of today's major title fights are now.

All RIVALRIES have their individual 'roots' and these fights I mentioned pretty much are the ROOTS of this HISTORIC RIVALRY. These were the latter Gomez vs Zarate, Sanchez/Gomez, the forgotten Benitez/Palomino, Gomez/Pintor battles and the Trinidad/Campas, Chavez/Rosario, Trinidad/Oscar, Margarito/Cotto, Trinidad/Vargas... of the more recent era.

I don't have to say that Mexico is a great boxing nation. EVERYBODY knows that. You just don't CONTINUALLY pump out champions and quality fighters Mexico has like it was some coincidence. Only foolishness would say so. Mexico also has many legendary trainers. Do I need to emphasize on little Puerto Rico's large stature and contribution to the sport we love? To deny the fact that they are indeed the World's Numero Uno Champion producers per capita is like denying that wild bears s*** in the woods, that the Pope is Catholic, London has no fog, God didn't make little green apples and that it doesn’t snow in Indianapolis in the winter time.

Rivalry?? Well, in all honesty.. Mexico has MORE numbers. They have MORE to pick from. MORE chances at titles. MORE fighters getting ranked. In 2007 there were over 300 fight cards in Mexico. Puerto Rico?? I believe there were 17 or so. They, Mexico hold the 'obvious' advantages. How can anyone fairly disagree? Puerto Rico?? Well.. if we were to fairly round off things... the balance might tend to... but it all depends on how one weighs it all out, ethnically neutral or not, or "on what side off the fence' one lives on. For some it's a 'pride' thing for others it's a 'nationality' issue. And for others..... it's PERSONAL!! And there you have it.. A RIVALRY!!

[TitoFan]

That is an outstanding rivalry. But why is it a rivalry?

Heres a pretty decent explanation.

The Historical Roots of “The Rivalry”

by E “G” Morales-Febus/Ringside Boxing -

Before most of us were even born, let alone fight fans, the world renowned and highly respected Puerto Rico vs Mexico rivalry began in the 1930s, when Mexican hero Baby Casanova and Islander Sixto Escobar were matched for the vacant version of the World bantamweight title.

Months before, an elimination fight between had been attempted to be made but Casanova's manager insisted that the fight take place in Mexico and refused to travel to Puerto Rico or New York where Escobar had developed a fan base.. For similar reasons Escobar's manager declined the offer to go to Mexico also believing that they wouldn't be given a fair shake of the dice. He would however agree to the fight if it were moved to California but wanted to be compen$ated accordingly. Due to an increasing sense of nationalistic pride the "bad blood" began to flow to the eventual point of 'a rivalry' and with animosity building, it was sometimes actually quite entertaining, other times it was not.

One has to consider that Mexico had no other ranked contenders and Puerto Rico had only Escobar and Pedero Montanez at the time. Remember at this point in time there were only EIGHT divisions, one champion per division, imagine that now! To make a long story short, the fight eventually took place in Montreal, Canada where Escobar scored a 9th round knockout. Months later Escobar did in fact travel to Mexico to face future lightweight champ Juan Zurita and lost a close decision, adding "fuel to the fire".

It wasn't until 1960 that a major fight between the two future Boxing powers took place when newly crowned 140lb champ Carlos Ortiz travelled west to defend against Mexico's undefeated knockout artist Raymundo "Battling" Torres. The pro-Torres flag waving fans confidently cheered wildly for their hero and created a festive atmosphere. Ortiz stopped the game but overmatched Torres after 10 one sided rounds. The brave Torres humbly cried after it was all over; not for himself but he did so believing that he had let his people down. A true fighter indeed. Props to him and those alike.

Six years passed before both nations would clash again in another big fight and once again Ortiz was a partaker. Now as the world 135lb king, he would be the center of controversy when accepting the challenge to once again travel and face nationalized Mexican hero Ultimino "Sugar" Ramos. Ramos put Ortiz down in the 2nd round but Ortiz rebounded to cut Ramos and so followed plenty of action filled 'give and take' rounds. Ramos' vision had become increasingly impaired and he was beginning to get hit more and ref Billy Conn stopped the fight due the the nasty cut but amazingly the Mexican Commission over ruled Conn and ORDERED THE REF to let the fight continue. The fight resumed but Conn later stopped it anyway and feeling threatened left in a hurry as a riot broke out.

The relatively new Mexican based WBC STRIPPED Ortiz of his title. Shortly after, the Mexican boxing commission later withdrew it's recognition of Ortiz as champion as well. These actions were highly publicized and deemed 'outrageous' by the rest of the boxing world, adding more "fuel" to The Rivalry.

Due to the controversy, the rematch received much attention and also caught the interest of the true hard core boxing fans outside that of Mexico and Puerto Rico. The fight was held in Puerto Rico on the 1st of July 1967. This time Ortiz left little doubt as he stopped Ramos in four rounds. The “rivalry” was only beginning and would get BIGGER and more interesting.

To get a PROPER view of these fights one MUST try to understand that these were BIG FIGHTS of that era. There wasn't the media advantages we have today with all the created hype. These actually meant MORE because championships and champions were SCARCE!! Only TEN title belts going around for the WHOLE BOXING WORLD! Title fights were a serious matter back then, very serious. Non-title International fights between top ranking contenders of two different nations were as important then as many of today's major title fights are now.

All RIVALRIES have their individual 'roots' and these fights I mentioned pretty much are the ROOTS of this HISTORIC RIVALRY. These were the latter Gomez vs Zarate, Sanchez/Gomez, the forgotten Benitez/Palomino, Gomez/Pintor battles and the Trinidad/Campas, Chavez/Rosario, Trinidad/Oscar, Margarito/Cotto, Trinidad/Vargas... of the more recent era.

I don't have to say that Mexico is a great boxing nation. EVERYBODY knows that. You just don't CONTINUALLY pump out champions and quality fighters Mexico has like it was some coincidence. Only foolishness would say so. Mexico also has many legendary trainers. Do I need to emphasize on little Puerto Rico's large stature and contribution to the sport we love? To deny the fact that they are indeed the World's Numero Uno Champion producers per capita is like denying that wild bears s*** in the woods, that the Pope is Catholic, London has no fog, God didn't make little green apples and that it doesn’t snow in Indianapolis in the winter time.

Rivalry?? Well, in all honesty.. Mexico has MORE numbers. They have MORE to pick from. MORE chances at titles. MORE fighters getting ranked. In 2007 there were over 300 fight cards in Mexico. Puerto Rico?? I believe there were 17 or so. They, Mexico hold the 'obvious' advantages. How can anyone fairly disagree? Puerto Rico?? Well.. if we were to fairly round off things... the balance might tend to... but it all depends on how one weighs it all out, ethnically neutral or not, or "on what side off the fence' one lives on. For some it's a 'pride' thing for others it's a 'nationality' issue. And for others..... it's PERSONAL!! And there you have it.. A RIVALRY!!

Cool stuff, bro. Amazing that a fairly knowledgeable Puerto Rican boxing fan (me) would come to an essentially British boxing forum (albeit with a wonderful international flavor), and learn more stuff about Puerto Rican boxing history.




I did post some per capita numbers a couple of years back, and found some interesting numbers. Like the article says, purely by numbers, Mexico has produced more world champions. But you're talking about a country of over 100 million people versus a little island of barely over 5 million. Taken into context, nothing like Puerto Rico for world champions per capita.

[IamInuit]

That is an outstanding rivalry. But why is it a rivalry?

Heres a pretty decent explanation.

The Historical Roots of “The Rivalry”

by E “G” Morales-Febus/Ringside Boxing -

Before most of us were even born, let alone fight fans, the world renowned and highly respected Puerto Rico vs Mexico rivalry began in the 1930s, when Mexican hero Baby Casanova and Islander Sixto Escobar were matched for the vacant version of the World bantamweight title.

Months before, an elimination fight between had been attempted to be made but Casanova's manager insisted that the fight take place in Mexico and refused to travel to Puerto Rico or New York where Escobar had developed a fan base.. For similar reasons Escobar's manager declined the offer to go to Mexico also believing that they wouldn't be given a fair shake of the dice. He would however agree to the fight if it were moved to California but wanted to be compen$ated accordingly. Due to an increasing sense of nationalistic pride the "bad blood" began to flow to the eventual point of 'a rivalry' and with animosity building, it was sometimes actually quite entertaining, other times it was not.

One has to consider that Mexico had no other ranked contenders and Puerto Rico had only Escobar and Pedero Montanez at the time. Remember at this point in time there were only EIGHT divisions, one champion per division, imagine that now! To make a long story short, the fight eventually took place in Montreal, Canada where Escobar scored a 9th round knockout. Months later Escobar did in fact travel to Mexico to face future lightweight champ Juan Zurita and lost a close decision, adding "fuel to the fire".

It wasn't until 1960 that a major fight between the two future Boxing powers took place when newly crowned 140lb champ Carlos Ortiz travelled west to defend against Mexico's undefeated knockout artist Raymundo "Battling" Torres. The pro-Torres flag waving fans confidently cheered wildly for their hero and created a festive atmosphere. Ortiz stopped the game but overmatched Torres after 10 one sided rounds. The brave Torres humbly cried after it was all over; not for himself but he did so believing that he had let his people down. A true fighter indeed. Props to him and those alike.

Six years passed before both nations would clash again in another big fight and once again Ortiz was a partaker. Now as the world 135lb king, he would be the center of controversy when accepting the challenge to once again travel and face nationalized Mexican hero Ultimino "Sugar" Ramos. Ramos put Ortiz down in the 2nd round but Ortiz rebounded to cut Ramos and so followed plenty of action filled 'give and take' rounds. Ramos' vision had become increasingly impaired and he was beginning to get hit more and ref Billy Conn stopped the fight due the the nasty cut but amazingly the Mexican Commission over ruled Conn and ORDERED THE REF to let the fight continue. The fight resumed but Conn later stopped it anyway and feeling threatened left in a hurry as a riot broke out.

The relatively new Mexican based WBC STRIPPED Ortiz of his title. Shortly after, the Mexican boxing commission later withdrew it's recognition of Ortiz as champion as well. These actions were highly publicized and deemed 'outrageous' by the rest of the boxing world, adding more "fuel" to The Rivalry.

Due to the controversy, the rematch received much attention and also caught the interest of the true hard core boxing fans outside that of Mexico and Puerto Rico. The fight was held in Puerto Rico on the 1st of July 1967. This time Ortiz left little doubt as he stopped Ramos in four rounds. The “rivalry” was only beginning and would get BIGGER and more interesting.

To get a PROPER view of these fights one MUST try to understand that these were BIG FIGHTS of that era. There wasn't the media advantages we have today with all the created hype. These actually meant MORE because championships and champions were SCARCE!! Only TEN title belts going around for the WHOLE BOXING WORLD! Title fights were a serious matter back then, very serious. Non-title International fights between top ranking contenders of two different nations were as important then as many of today's major title fights are now.

All RIVALRIES have their individual 'roots' and these fights I mentioned pretty much are the ROOTS of this HISTORIC RIVALRY. These were the latter Gomez vs Zarate, Sanchez/Gomez, the forgotten Benitez/Palomino, Gomez/Pintor battles and the Trinidad/Campas, Chavez/Rosario, Trinidad/Oscar, Margarito/Cotto, Trinidad/Vargas... of the more recent era.

I don't have to say that Mexico is a great boxing nation. EVERYBODY knows that. You just don't CONTINUALLY pump out champions and quality fighters Mexico has like it was some coincidence. Only foolishness would say so. Mexico also has many legendary trainers. Do I need to emphasize on little Puerto Rico's large stature and contribution to the sport we love? To deny the fact that they are indeed the World's Numero Uno Champion producers per capita is like denying that wild bears s*** in the woods, that the Pope is Catholic, London has no fog, God didn't make little green apples and that it doesn’t snow in Indianapolis in the winter time.

Rivalry?? Well, in all honesty.. Mexico has MORE numbers. They have MORE to pick from. MORE chances at titles. MORE fighters getting ranked. In 2007 there were over 300 fight cards in Mexico. Puerto Rico?? I believe there were 17 or so. They, Mexico hold the 'obvious' advantages. How can anyone fairly disagree? Puerto Rico?? Well.. if we were to fairly round off things... the balance might tend to... but it all depends on how one weighs it all out, ethnically neutral or not, or "on what side off the fence' one lives on. For some it's a 'pride' thing for others it's a 'nationality' issue. And for others..... it's PERSONAL!! And there you have it.. A RIVALRY!!

Cool stuff, bro. Amazing that a fairly knowledgeable Puerto Rican boxing fan (me) would come to an essentially British boxing forum (albeit with a wonderful international flavor), and learn more stuff about Puerto Rican boxing history.




I did post some per capita numbers a couple of years back, and found some interesting numbers. Like the article says, purely by numbers, Mexico has produced more world champions. But you're talking about a country of over 100 million people versus a little island of barely over 5 million. Taken into context, nothing like Puerto Rico for world champions per capita.

Thanks bud. Based on the math which is perhaps the only absolute science I have to agree.

I'm Canadian.