Loreto Garza | |
|---|---|
 Image of Loreto Garza, the former world champion of light welterweight | |
| Born | May 23, 1962 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Light welterweight |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 34 |
| Wins | 31 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
Loreto Garza (born May 23, 1962 in Sacramento, California) is an American former professional boxer and world champion at light welterweight.
Garza started boxing amateur at 18 years old and did it for three years. He won the Golden Gloves all three years, along with other big tournaments and was also on the U.S. boxing team.
Garza turned pro in 1982 at the age of 21. Working his way up the ranks, he got his opportunity. In 1988, Garza won the WBC Americas light welterweight championship with a spectacular first-round knockout of former world champion Harry Arroyo. Arroyo was knocked down three times in the fight. Later on that year, Garza knocked out former world champion Charlie Brown (other wise known as "Choo Choo" Brown) in four rounds.
In 1989, Garza, with a single right hand in the 7th round, knocked out former world champion Joe Manley. Manley was out cold. A couple of months later on August 12, 1989, Garza won a unanimous decision in a 12-round war to win the USBA championship over #1 ranked contender Frankie Warren; Garza fought the last five rounds with his left eye swelled shut. Many boxing annals argue that Garza vs. Warren should have been the fight of the year.[ citation needed ]
On August 17, 1990, with only two weeks notice, Garza flew to Nice, France, and won the WBA light welterweight world title by majority decision over the reigning three-time world champion Juan Coggi. Garza looked sharp with a beautiful display of counter punching. He came back to his hometown of Sacramento and defended his world title against former five-time world champion Vinny Pazienza. Garza out-smarted and out-boxed Pazienza and had his face bloody and battered. Pazienza was frustrated throughout the fight and in the 11th round, Pazienza picked up Garza and tried to slam him in the ring, so the referee disqualified Pazienza. [1] The following year, Garza lost the belt to Edwin Rosario via 3rd round TKO. Garza was down twice the first and twice in the third round. [2]
Garza had three more fights after that and won them by knockout, and was promised another world title shot, but it seemed like all the world champions would duck when it came to Garza. He retired in 1993.
As a main event fighter, Garza also headlined two pay-per-view fights.
| 34 fights | 31 wins | 2 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 26 | 2 |
| By decision | 4 | 0 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Win | 31–2–1 | Gilberto Flores | TKO | 8 (10) | 1993-03-25 | Radisson Hotel, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 33 | Win | 30–2–1 | Tony Contreras | KO | 2 (10) | 1992-09-30 | Radisson Hotel, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 29–2–1 | Alberto Castro | KO | 7 (10) | 1991-11-15 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 31 | Loss | 28–2–1 | Edwin Rosario | TKO | 3 (12) | 1991-06-14 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | Lost WBA super lightweight title |
| 30 | Win | 28–1–1 | Vinny Pazienza | DQ | 11 (12) | 1990-12-01 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | Retained WBA super lightweight title |
| 29 | Win | 27–1–1 | Juan Martin Coggi | MD | 12 (12) | 1990-08-17 | Palais des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France | Won WBA super lightweight title |
| 28 | Win | 26–1–1 | Rosenberg Rosas | KO | 5 (10) | 1990-02-05 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 25–1–1 | Frankie Warren | UD | 12 (12) | 1989-08-12 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 24–1–1 | Francisco Tomas da Cruz | TKO | 4 (10) | 1989-05-15 | Radisson Hotel, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 23–1–1 | Manuel Nery | KO | 2 (10) | 1989-03-05 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 22–1–1 | Joe Manley | KO | 7 (10) | 1989-01-25 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 21–1–1 | Stewart Baynes | TKO | 9 (10) | 1988-07-23 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 20–1–1 | Harry Arroyo | TKO | 1 (12) | 1988-04-22 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | Won WBC Continental Americas super lightweight title |
| 21 | Win | 19–1–1 | Charlie Brown | TKO | 4 (10) | 1988-02-12 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 18–1–1 | Javier Juarez | TKO | 1 (10) | 1987-09-25 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 17–1–1 | Amy Pacana | KO | 1 (10) | 1987-09-01 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 16–1–1 | Gary Williams | TKO | 1 (10) | 1987-07-01 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 15–1–1 | Willie Montana | TKO | 6 (10) | 1987-05-21 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 14–1–1 | Mauricio Nava | KO | 1 (6) | 1987-03-09 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 13–1–1 | Roberto Garcia | KO | 7 (8) | 1986-09-27 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 12–1–1 | Roberto Garcia | TKO | 2 (6) | 1986-07-20 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 11–1–1 | Erwin Brown | KO | 3 (8) | 1986-06-05 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 10–1–1 | Chauncey Hayes | UD | 8 (8) | 1986-02-23 | Auditorium, Richmond, California, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 9–1–1 | Rene Hedman | TKO | 1 (6) | 1985-08-15 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 10 | Draw | 8–1–1 | Ernie Landeros | PTS | 6 (6) | 1985-06-18 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Mario Lopez | TKO | 2 (6) | 1984-07-03 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Jerry Lewis | KO | 3 (6) | 1984-04-03 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Peter Cunningham | SD | 6 (6) | 1984-03-06 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 6 | Loss | 5–1 | Francisco Tomas da Cruz | TKO | 4 (6) | 1983-11-15 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Jose Resendez | KO | 3 (5) | 1983-10-25 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Howard Smith | KO | 4 (?) | 1983-10-21 | Vallejo, California, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Francisco Estrella | KO | 1 (6) | 1983-06-21 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | James Sowell | KO | 2 (6) | 1983-04-05 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Don Canada | KO | 2 (5) | 1983-02-01 | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. |
Roberto Durán Samaniego is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: Lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight. Duran also reigned as the undisputed and lineal lightweight champion and the lineal welterweight champion. He is also the second boxer to have competed over a span of five decades, the first being Jack Johnson. Durán was known as a versatile, technical brawler and pressure fighter, which earned him the nickname "Manos de Piedra" for his formidable punching power and excellent defense.
Julio César Chávez González, also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was listed by The Ring magazine as the world's best boxer, pound for pound, from 1990 to 1993. During his career he held the WBC super featherweight title from 1984 to 1987, the WBA and WBC lightweight titles between 1987 and 1989, the WBC light welterweight title twice between 1989 and 1996, and the IBF light welterweight title from 1990 to 1991. He also held the Ring magazine and lineal lightweight titles from 1988 to 1989, and the lineal light welterweight title twice between 1990 and 1996. Chávez was named Fighter of the Year for 1987 and 1990 by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring respectively.
Edwin "Chapo" Rosario Rivera was a Puerto Rican professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 1997. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC lightweight title from 1983 to 1984, the WBA lightweight title twice between 1986 and 1990, and the WBA super lightweight title from 1991 to 1992. Known for his exceptional boxing skills, dynamite right hand and rock solid chin Rosario's final record stands at 47-6
Vinny Paz, formerly Vinny Pazienza, is an American former professional boxer who held world titles at lightweight and light middleweight. The 2016 film Bleed for This is based on his comeback from a spinal injury. In 2022, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.
Konstantin Borisovich "Kostya" Tszyu is a Russian-Australian former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2005. He held multiple light-welterweight world championships, including the undisputed and lineal titles between 2001 and 2005. Tszyu was an exceptional all-around boxer-puncher who relied heavily on accuracy, timing, and carried formidable punching power; he is often regarded as one of the hardest-punching light-welterweights in the division's history.
José Ángel Nápoles was a Cuban-born Mexican professional boxer. He was a two-time undisputed welterweight champion, having held the WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles between 1969 and 1975. He is frequently ranked as one of the greatest fighters of all time in that division and is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. His record of the most wins in unified championship bouts in boxing history, shared with Muhammad Ali, was unbeaten for 40 years. After debuting professionally in Cuba, he fought out of Mexico and became a Mexican citizen.
Antonio Cervantes is a Colombian boxing trainer and former professional boxer who competed from 1961 to 1983. He held the WBA and The Ring light welterweight title twice between 1972 and 1980.
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.
During the 1960s, boxing, like mostly everything else around the world, went through changing times. Notable was the emergence of a young boxer named Cassius Clay, who would, in his own words shock the world, declare himself against war, and change his name to Muhammad Ali.
Bruce Curry, is an American former professional boxer. He was the WBC Super Lightweight Champion from 1983 to 1984.
Sharmba David Mitchell is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2006. He held the WBA light welterweight title from 1998 to 2001, and the IBF interim light welterweight title in 2004.
Juan Martin Coggi is a former boxer from Argentina. A native of Santa Fe Province, which was also the birthplace of Carlos Monzón, Coggi was a three-time world light welterweight champion. He had 75 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws, with 44 wins by knockout. He never lost a fight by knockout.
Francisco Javier Castillejo Rodríguez, commonly known as Javier Castillejo, is a Spanish former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2009. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC and lineal light-middleweight titles from 1999 to 2001, the WBC light-middleweight title again in 2005, and the WBA middleweight title from 2006 to 2007. At regional level he held the European light-middleweight title twice between 1994 and 1998, and the European Union middleweight title in 2002.
Randall Bailey is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2016. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBO light welterweight title from 1999 to 2000, and the IBF welterweight title in 2012. Additionally, he held the WBA interim light welterweight title in 2002. Nicknamed "The Knock-Out King" for his exceptional knockout power, Bailey is considered to be one of the hardest punchers in boxing history.
Akinobu Hiranaka is a former world champion boxer in the Light welterweight division. He won the WBA Junior Welterweight championship of the world in 1992, and competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Aaron Pryor was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1990. He was a two-time light welterweight world champion, having held the WBA title from 1980 to 1983, and the IBF title from 1984 to 1985. Additionally, he held the Ring magazine title from 1980 to 1983, and the lineal title from 1983 to 1986.
Boxing in the 2020s is a list of notable fights and events in boxing during the decade from the year 2020 to 2029.
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.