Carlos Santos | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 1, 1955 Ceiba, Puerto Rico |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Light middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (177 cm) |
| Reach | 73+1⁄2 in (187 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 43 |
| Wins | 40 |
| Wins by KO | 27 |
| Losses | 3 |
Carlos Santos (born October 1, 1955 in Ceiba, Puerto Rico) is a former boxer from Puerto Rico, who represented his native country as an amateur at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. There he was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Santos was involved both in the first and the fourth world title bouts involving two Puerto Rican boxers in history. It has been suggested that Santos was not born in Ceiba but in the San Juan area named "Santurce", but it is widely believed that Santos is a Ceiba native.
Carlos Santos debuted as a professional boxer on November 11, 1976, outpointing José Collantes over four rounds in San Juan. He obtained his first knockout victory in his third fight, when he beat Juan Polanco in the third round on May 21, 1977.
Santos' first fight abroad came on November 4 of that year, when he beat Mario Valoy by a third-round knockout in Panama City, Panama. On April 8, 1978, he knocked Collantes out in the fifth round of their rematch.
After three more wins in Puerto Rico, Santos had a fight in the Dominican Republic, where he beat Mario Ramos by a knockout in the eighth round, on April 2, 1979. On his very next fight, Santos outpointed Felix Pagan Pintor, future trainer of Wilfredo Gómez, over ten rounds.
After beating Kid Flash by a third-round knockout on December 1 of that year in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, Santos moved temporarily to Italy, seeking for attention from boxing executives as well as more celebrity than he had in Puerto Rico. On April 4, 1980, Santos made his European debut by knocking out Charles Petersen in the second round at Milan. Santos won seven fights in Italy, all of them by knockout. One curious fight happened on December 20 of 1980 in Turin: Santos was credited with beating Alfonso Hayman, a fringe contender of the era, in the first round. Hayman was under a medical suspension in Italy at the time, however, having been knocked out only eight days before Santos' fight, so his opponent that night is listed on his record as an "unknown opponent".
Carlos Santos made his United States debut on May 23, 1981, day in which Wilfred Benítez became the first Hispanic to be a three division world champion in history, when he knocked Raul Aguirre out in the fifth round as part of the Benitez-Hope fight's undercard.
Santos was 22-0 with 16 knockouts when he received his first world title shot. On November 14 of '81, he and Benitez made history by staging the first world championship bout between two Puerto Ricans, when they boxed in Las Vegas, Nevada. Benitez defeated Santos by a fifteen-round unanimous decision, retaining the WBC world Jr. Middleweight title in an HBO Boxing-televised bout.
Having lost his condition as an undefeated boxer, Santos returned to Italy, where he won four more bouts, three of them by knockout. After winning four additional fights, Santos had a second chance at becoming world champion. When he faced Mark Medal, a New York native who is also Puerto Rican, Santos became the first Puerto Rican boxer to face two Puerto Ricans in world championship fights. On November 2, 1984, at New York's Madison Square Garden and with Gómez among his fans, Santos dropped Medal in the first round, recuperated himself from a fourteenth round knockdown and became the IBF world Jr. Middleweight champion by beating Medal with a fifteen-round unanimous decision.
Santos retained the title on his first defense, outpointing Louis Acaries over 15 rounds on June 1, 1985 in Paris, France. [1] A proposed second defense against Davey Moore was within days of taking place; Moore got injured and the fight never took place. Santos had to await little more than one year for his next fight.
On June 4, 1986, Santos defended his title for the second time, against Buster Drayton in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Santos lost the title by a fifteen-round majority decision. [2]
On September 6, Santos was scheduled to meet another Jr. Middleweight. For an unknown reason, his rival did not show up,. The boxing undercard was being televised live across Puerto Rico, and a Heavyweight boxer, Melvin Epps, was brought in as a substitute. Santos, giving Epps more than 40 pounds and a considerable difference in height advantage, won the fight by a first-round knockout. On his next fight, Santos faced former world Welterweight champion Donald Curry for the USBA's regional Jr. Middleweight title at the Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. Santos was disqualified in the fifth round of his last major fight.
Santos won his last six fights, one of them in Casablanca, Morocco. On October 30, 1991, he beat Brinatty Maquilon by a ten-round decision in San Juan, announcing his retirement after that bout.
| 43 fights | 40 wins | 3 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 27 | 0 |
| By decision | 13 | 2 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | Win | 40–3 | Brinatty Maquilon | PTS | 10 (10) | 1991-10-30 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 42 | Win | 39–3 | Clinton Mack | KO | 4 (10) | 1990-12-15 | Emilio E. Huyke Coliseum, Humacao, Puerto Rico | |
| 41 | Win | 38–3 | Tony Burke | PTS | 8 (8) | 1989-06-08 | Ostia, Italy | |
| 40 | Win | 37–3 | Hugo Raul Marinangeli | PTS | 10 (10) | 1988-03-03 | Casablanca, Morocco | |
| 39 | Win | 36–3 | William Clayton | KO | 1 (10) | 1987-07-14 | Caribe Hilton Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 38 | Win | 35–3 | Charlie Allen | KO | 4 (?) | 1987-05-28 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 37 | Loss | 34–3 | Donald Curry | DQ | 5 (12) | 1987-04-04 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | For USBA light-middleweight title |
| 36 | Win | 34–2 | Melvin Epps | KO | 2 (?) | 1986-09-06 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 35 | Loss | 33–2 | Buster Drayton | MD | 15 (15) | 1986-06-04 | Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. | Lost IBF light-middleweight title |
| 34 | Win | 33–1 | Arthur Wright | KO | 2 (?) | 1986-05-03 | Guaynabo, Puerto Rico | |
| 33 | Win | 32–1 | Louis Acaries | UD | 15 (15) | 1985-06-01 | Parc des Princes, Paris, France | Retained IBF light-middleweight title |
| 32 | Win | 31–1 | Dwight Walker | MD | 10 (10) | 1985-03-27 | Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 30–1 | Mark Medal | UD | 15 (15) | 1984-11-02 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S. | Won IBF light-middleweight title |
| 30 | Win | 29–1 | Ray Izaquirre | KO | 1 (?) | 1984-07-21 | Coliseo Salvador Dijols, Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| 29 | Win | 28–1 | Reyes Escalera | TKO | 1 (?) | 1984-03-31 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 28 | Win | 27–1 | Inocencio De la Rosa | KO | 5 (?) | 1983-12-14 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 27 | Win | 26–1 | Mosimo Maeleke | TKO | 6 (?) | 1983-05-20 | Cagliari, Italy | |
| 26 | Win | 25–1 | Lomami Wa Lomami | RTD | 5 (?) | 1983-04-07 | Sassari, Italy | |
| 25 | Win | 24–1 | Mbayo Wa Mbayo | PTS | 8 (8) | 1982-11-26 | Trezzano sul Naviglio, Italy | |
| 24 | Win | 23–1 | Horace McKenzie | TKO | 6 (10) | 1982-05-07 | Bologna, Italy | |
| 23 | Loss | 22–1 | Wilfred Benítez | UD | 15 (15) | 1981-11-14 | Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | For WBC light-middleweight title |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Raul Aguirre | TKO | 5 (10) | 1981-05-23 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Peter Neal | PTS | 8 (8) | 1981-04-06 | Rome, Italy | |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Alfonso Hayman | KO | 1 (?) | 1980-12-20 | Turin, Italy | |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Steve Michalerya | TKO | 8 (?) | 1980-09-10 | Teatro Ariston, Sanremo, Italy | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Robert Taylor | TKO | 2 (?) | 1980-08-10 | Siderno, Italy | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Esperno Postl | TKO | 4 (8) | 1980-07-05 | Ostia, Italy | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Celestine Kanynda | KO | 3 (8) | 1980-05-30 | Rome, Italy | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Charlie Peterson | KO | 2 (?) | 1980-04-04 | Milan, Italy | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Kid Flash | KO | 3 (?) | 1979-12-01 | Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Gilberto Almonte | KO | 3 (?) | 1979-08-11 | Cayey, Puerto Rico | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Felix Pintor | PTS | 10 (10) | 1979-06-16 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Mario Ramos | KO | 8 (?) | 1979-04-02 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Mustapha Ali | KO | 8 (8) | 1979-01-27 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Tyrone Phelps | KO | 4 (?) | 1978-10-28 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Ricky Weigel | PTS | 8 (8) | 1978-09-09 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Feliciano Cintron | KO | 3 (?) | 1978-06-03 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Jose Collante | KO | 5 (?) | 1978-04-08 | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Mario Valoyes | KO | 4 (10) | 1977-09-03 | Arena de Colon, Colón, Panama | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Alex Poratta | PTS | 6 (6) | 1977-07-11 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Juan Polanco | KO | 3 (?) | 1977-05-21 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Alex Poratta | PTS | 4 (4) | 1977-02-12 | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Jose Collante | PTS | 4 (4) | 1976-10-11 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
During the 1980s, Santos moved to Italy for some time at the behest of manager Yamil Chade. During a ten-year stay, he also had a parallel career in modeling. Upon his return to Puerto Rico, Santos began working for Pan American Grain. He retired after 25 years in the company, to receive treatment for prostate cancer. Santos was cleared of the condition in August 2019. [3]
Wilfredo Gómez Rivera, sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer and three weight world champion. He is frequently mentioned among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time by sports journalists and analysts, along with Félix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto, Wilfred Benítez, Esteban De Jesús, Edwin Rosario, and Carlos Ortíz.
Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight divisions at the age of seventeen, he is best remembered as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities, along with his fights with Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Carlos Ortiz was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. He held world titles in lightweight and light welterweight weight divisions. Along with Félix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto, Wilfredo Gómez, Héctor Camacho, José Torres, Edwin Rosario and Wilfred Benítez, Ortiz is considered among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time by sports journalists and analysts. As of January 2018, Ortiz holds the record for the most wins in unified lightweight title bouts in boxing history at 10.
Santos Benigno Laciar, known familiarly as Santos Laciar and nicknamed Falucho, is an Argentine who was boxing's world flyweight and super flyweight champion.
Carlos De León, also known as "Sugar" De Leon, was a Puerto Rican boxer who made history by becoming the first cruiserweight to win the world title twice. Subsequently, he kept breaking his own record for the most times as cruiserweight champion by regaining the title on two further occasions.
Carlos Teo Rosario Cruz was a boxer from the Dominican Republic. Cruz was world lightweight champion from 1968 to 1969. He is the older brother of former super bantamweight world champion of boxing, Leo Cruz.
Julian Solís De Jesus is a former boxer from Puerto Rico. He was born in the San Juan area of Río Piedras, but because of the closeness of his birthplace to Caguas, he often trained at the Bairoa Gym in Caguas. His training base, however, was the Caimito Gym.
Boxing in the 1980s was filled with important fights, events and personalities that shaped the sport. Boxing in the 1980s was shaped by many different situations, such as the continuous corporate battles between the different world sanctioning organizations, the void left by Muhammad Ali as the sport's ambassador and consequent search for a new boxing hero, the continuous presence of Don King as the sport's most famous promoter, the surge of rival promoters as Bob Arum, Butch Lewis and Murad Muhammad, and major rule changes. In 1986, Mike Tyson emerged as a fresh new face in the heavyweight division, which had seen a decline in champion quality level after Ali's retirement and, later on, after longtime WBC ruler Larry Holmes' prime. In addition, the IBF and WBO began operating.
During the 1970s, boxing was characterized by dominating champions and history-making rivalries. The decade had many superstars, who also had fierce rivals. Alexis Argüello, for example, who won the world Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight titles in the '70s, had to overcome Alfredo Escalera twice before the decade was over.
Ángel Luis "Cholo" Espada Mangual is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer. He was the WBA's world Welterweight champion in 1975-76. A music lover, Espada also organized, during the late 1970s, a salsa orchestra.
Juan Meza, also known for his nickname Kid Meza, was a Mexican professional boxer who was world Super Bantamweight champion. Meza was born in Mexicali, Mexico.
Maurice Hope GCH OBE is a British former boxer, who was world junior middleweight champion. Born in Antigua, he grew up in Hackney, London. He represented Great Britain at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.
José Antonio Rivera was a Puerto Rican boxer. He was much better known as El Gallo Rivera or Tonito Rivera, and was a prominent boxer during the decade of the 1980s.
José María Flores Burlón is an Uruguayan former professional boxer. Flores Burlón had a total of 115 professional bouts. He challenged once for the WBC Cruiserweight title in 1988.
Andres "Puppy" Hernandez is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who once fought Carlos Zarate for the World Boxing Council's world bantamweight title. Earlier in his career, he was known for being able to take many punches. His boxing nickname is "Puppy".
Josué Camacho Santiago is a Puerto Rican who was a world boxing champion. He was born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. His nickname is Dickie, and he was sometimes advertised as Dickie Camacho.
Enrique "Kiko" Solis De Jesus is a former boxer from Puerto Rico, who in 1978 challenged Eusebio Pedroza of Panama for Pedroza's WBA's recognized world Featherweight championship. Solis is a member of a prolific Puerto Rican boxing family, his brothers being former WBA and Ring Magazine world Bantamweight champion Julian Solís, former WBC world Junior Lightweight title challenger Rafael Solis and Santos Solis, who once fought Wilfred Benítez as a professional and went ten rounds with him. He is from Caimito, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
Josue Marquez Acevedo was a Puerto Rican who was once a world title challenging boxer. Not known for his punching power,, Marquez nevertheless gave many of the top boxers of his era trouble and managed to defeat a number of them.
Wilfredo Rivera is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who fought three times for world titles, losing to Pernell Whitaker twice and to Oscar De La Hoya.
The history of the sport of boxing in Puerto Rico is a varied and extensive one. Boxing is a major sport in the Caribbean country, and the sport has produced many champions for the island, both in the amateur and professional ranks, and among men and women fighters.
