Sixto Escobar

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]

Sixto Escobar
Escobar in the 1930s
Statistics
Real nameSixto Escobar Vargas
Nickname(s)El Gallito
Weight(s)Bantamweight
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
NationalityPuerto Rican
BornMarch 23, 1913
Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
DiedNovember 17, 1979 (aged 66)
Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights66
Wins39
Wins by KO17
Losses23
Draws4
No contests0

Escobar was born in Barceloneta and raised in San Juan. There he received his primary education and took interest in boxing. After gathering a record of 21–1–1 as an amateur, Escobar debuted as a professional in 1931 defeating Luis "Kid Dominican" Pérez by knockout. Early in his career, he moved to Venezuela due to the lack of opponents in his division. There he received an opportunity for the Venezuelan Bantamweight championship, but lost by points to Enrique Chaffardet.[2] Subsequently, he moved to New York and began boxing in other states, eventually capturing the Montreal Athletic Commission World Bantamweight Title. In 1936, he defeated Tony Marino to unify this championship with the one recognized by the International Boxing Union, in the process becoming the third Latin American undisputed world boxing champion. After retiring, he worked as a spokesperson for beer companies in New York, before returning to Puerto Rico in the 1960s, where he resided until his death. He received several posthumous recognitions and his name was used in several sports venues and buildings. In 2002, Escobar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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.[3] Early in his life, he moved to Tras Talleres in Santurce, a subsection of San Juan, Puerto Rico. There he received his elementary and secondary education, up until the seventh grade, when he decided to dedicate himself full-time to his sports career.[3] In Tras Talleres, he began developing an interest in boxing and received instruction in said discipline. Although at this time, boxing was illegal in Puerto Rico; remote places such as a house's backyard or rooftops were used to organize clandestine fights without attracting attention from the local police.[3] In 1928, a Puerto Rican boxer named Ángel "Sotito" Soto moved from New York to a house near the Escobar family's residence and established a gym in his backyard. There he gave boxing classes to Escobar and several other young athletes.[3] After several months of instruction, Soto prepared a boxing card with included three-round fights, in which each round lasted two minutes. In this event, Escobar earned his first victory, defeating a pugilist identified as "Gombar" by knockout in the first round.[3] After this match, Escobar continued fighting in clandestine gyms. He met and was received by Ignacio Peñagaricano, the owner of Victoria Gym.[3] Escobar received his boxing license through Peñagaricano. On February 16, 1927, governor Horace Mann Towner legalized boxing and allowed the establishment of organized boxing matches. Professionals would fight Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays which, were considered the best days of the week, while amateurs could compete the remaining days of the week without limitations.[4] As an amateur, he fought in 23 combats, gathering a record of 21 wins, one loss and a draw.[4] His draw was against Ramón Rodríguez of San Lorenzo and his only loss was in the hands of Pedro Montañez from Cayey, in a fight that took place in March 1930.[4]

Professional career

Escobar turned professional on September 1, 1930, in a fight card organized at the Victory Garden gym in San Juan. In this event, he defeated Luis "Kid Dominican" Pérez, who entered the fight as the Dominican Republic's champion, by knockout in the third round.[4] In Puerto Rico, Escobar fought in 15 contests, before moving to Venezuela after the popularity of professional boxing declined in his home country.[4] This move was motivated by Roberto Andrade, who provided transportation to the country. In Venezuela, he fought in Caracas, competing against José Lugo, Sindulfo Díaz, Rafael "Moralito" Morales, Pica Pica and Simón Chávez among others.[4] On November 11, 1931, Escobar competed against Enrique Chaffardet for the Venezuelan Bantamweight Title, but lost by decision. After 17 fights, he returned to Puerto Rico and competed in five cards. But professional boxing suffered another decline in interest, which forced Escobar to work as an accommodator in baseball games three days of the week, generally on weekends.[4] In the meanwhile, Tony Rojas, a friend of his managers Gustavo Jiménez and Arturo Gigante, convinced them to release Escobar of the contract which bound them.[4] Since Escobar turned professional while he was still legally a minor, his father had to sign the unbinding agreement. After succeeding in this task, Rojas presented Escobar with a steam boat ticket to New York, which covered his food, clothes and hotel expenses.[4] Escobar reached New York in early 1934, intending to "obtain fame and honor" for "[his] motherland", there he was received by Rojas and professional trainer Whitey Bimstein. His first fight in the United States took place at the Valley Arena in Holyoke, Massachusetts on May 7, 1934.[5] In this contest he was paired against Canadian bantamweight titleholder Bobby Leitham, defeating him by technical knockout in the seventh round.

Escobar's manager, Lou Brix and his trainer recognized that Escobar could be close to a championship fight once the incumbent, Panamian Alfonso Teófilo Brown, refused to defend the championship against the first contender, which led to it being stripped by the National Boxing Association (NBA).[5] A rematch was then organized against Leitham. This was an eliminatory card organized by the Montreal Athletic Commission, which was to determine a contender for their vacant Bantamweight World Championship, against first contender Baby Casanova, who attended the card. After scoring three knockdowns in the fourth round, Escobar connected another punch that injured Leitham, after which Leitham's manager surrendered the fight. This marked Leitham's last fight. Following this result, the NBA immediately called for a fight between Escobar and Casanova.[5] By this time he had gained a reputation as a quick and technical boxer, capable of gathering quick knockouts with body punches if confronted by an unprepared opponent.[5] The fight took place on June 26, 1934, and it was organized in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Escobar scored a knockdown in the third round; the fight concluded in the ninth round when Casanova lost by knockout. With this win, Escobar won the Montreal Athletic Commission World Bantamweight Title, thus becoming the first Puerto Rican to win a world boxing championship title.[5] This had a significant impact on Puerto Rico, where it was constantly discussed by the general public. Songs, decimas and poetry were written about this accomplishment.[5] However, the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) and International Boxing Union (IBU) of France didn't recognize the outcome of this fight, conserving Tony Marino and Brown as their recognized champions.[6]

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 Louis Salica and Bobby Quintana, which was scheduled to take place on December of that year. However, Escobar was forced to cancel his plans after suffering a heel injury when he was hit by a car.[7] He spent a month in inactivity while recovering, and in the winter he returned to Puerto Rico.[7] The governor ordered to have all government buildings closed so that public employees could attend a welcoming ceremony.[7] The event, which took place in Old San Juan's dock, was followed by a parade.[7] Upon arriving in Barceloneta, Escobar was recognized as a "predilect son" of that municipality by the city's mayor, which was followed by a week of festivities in his name.[7] Escobar pursued a fight with Brown, but his offers were refused while the Panamanian pugilist promoted a campaign protesting the removal of his recognition as champion, demanding to be reinstated.[6]

On August 7, 1935, Escobar defeated Pete Sanstol—who once held, in 1931, the Canadian Boxing Federation and Montreal Athletic Commission (MAC) world bantamweight titles—by unanimous decision in 12 rounds.[6] However, Escobar still wasn't considered the division's Undisputed Champion because Balthazar Sangchili had defeated Panama Al Brown and was recognized by the IBU. Due to this, Sanstol sent a letter to the NYSAC noting that the fight was of eliminatory nature, even though it was recognized as a titular contest by the NBA and MAC.[8] Wanting to be recognized as such, Escobar pursued a title unification fight against Tony Marino, who had defeated Sangchili by knockout in his previous fight.[8] He won the fight by knockout in the tenth round, receiving the "undisputed world champion" distinction.[8] On November 13, 1935, Escobar became the first Puerto Rican to win a title fight in the first round, defeating "Indian" Quintana by knockout.[8]

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.[8] The card was promoted by Arturo Gigante and Gustavo Jiménez Sicardó. Escobar won the fight by unanimous decision, while Jack Dempsey served as referee.[8] He participated in Mike Jacobs's "Carnival of Champions" on September 23, 1937 and lost the title to Harry Jeffra by unanimous decision.[8] Shortly after, he recovered from this loss and he returned to the gym; he defeated Johnny Defoe in a preparatory contest.[8] On February 20, 1938, Escobar faced Jeffra in a rematch organized at the El Escambrón baseball park in Puerta de Tierra. He won the contest by unanimous decision, scoring three knockdowns.[9] This became an early example of fights that attracted the attention and criticism of boxing analysts, particularly those in New York.[9] On April 2, 1939, Escobar defeated Kayo Morgan before a sold-out crowd of 15,000 at the Estadio Sixto Escobar, which had been inaugurated three years earlier.[9] After this fight, he received The Ring Bantamweight Championship, which was presented by the magazine's editor, Nat Fleischer.[10] Later in 1939, Escobar received a draft notice from the United States Army, ordering him to take a physical exam for possible military service. He and his manager presented the issue to the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission, managing to receive a postponement of two months before surrendering his title.[10] On April 6, 1940, Escobar fought Simón Chávez for ten rounds in what ended as a draw. Escobar then fought some short non-title fights, of which he lost four, all by points.[10] On December 2, 1940, Escobar participated in his last professional fight, losing to a ten-round decision to Harry Jeffra. Throughout his career Escobar avoided being knocked down or out in any fight, all of his losses being by decision. In April 1941, he was drafted to the United States Army and participated in World War II.[10]

Retirement, death and legacy
Statue of Sixto Escobar, located in front of the Sixto Escobar Stadium in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

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]

Auditorio Sixto Escobar in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico

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]

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

References
  1. "The Lineal Bantamweight Champions". Cyber Boxing Zone.
  2. "Boxers of Yesteryears Sixto Escobar". Maltaboxing.
  3. Fonseca et al., p.21
  4. Fonseca et al., p.22
  5. Fonseca et al., p.23
  6. Fonseca et al., p.26
  7. Fonseca et al., p.24
  8. Fonseca et al., p.27
  9. Fonseca et al., p.28
  10. Fonseca et al., p.29
  11. Fonseca et al., p.
  12. Fonseca et al., p.30
  13. "Sixto Escobar". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
  14. 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.

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)
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