As soon as Castro took over the island of Cuba in 1961, he banned skilled boxing, so just a few, like 3-time Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medalists Teofilo Stevenson, 108-12, and Felix Savon, 258-10, in 1992, 1996, and 2000, by no means obtained the1972, 1976, and 1980 alternative
to show skilled.
Three who finally left the island and have become world champions within the skilled ranks had been two-time WBA and WBC World Welterweight champion Jose ‘Mantequilla’ Napoles, 81-7 with 54 stoppages, who fled Cuba and began preventing out of Mexico. He was both 113-1 or 114-1 within the amateurs.
Napoles was 19-1 as a professional in Cuba when he fled to Mexico. He was 59-4 when he gained the
WBA and WBC world titles in April of 1969, stopping champion Curtis Cokes, 55-9-3, who couldn’t reply the bell for the fourteenth spherical within the Inglewood Discussion board in California.
Within the rematch, he stopped Cokes in ten rounds in Mexico. Then defeated the previous champion Emile Griffith, 60-10, and Ernie ‘Indian Purple’ Lopez, 39-5-1, each in Inglewood.
Then, after two non-title wins, he misplaced to the nephew of former world champion Carmen On account of a foul reduce, Basilio, Billy Backus, 29-10-4, in Syracuse, New York. It appears he didn’t convey his reduce man with him, and he felt he didn’t want him—huge mistake.
Napoles regained the title two fights later, stopping Backus in eight rounds in Inglewood. He defended his title seven occasions earlier than making an attempt to win the WBC and WBA middleweight titles from Argentina’s Carlos Monzon, 81-3-9, being stopped in 6 rounds. He would go on to defend his title in his subsequent
4 fights, all in Mexico, over Hedgemon Lewis, 51-4, Horacio Saldano, 51-4-9, twice over
Armando Muniz, 36-8-1, earlier than dropping his last bout to UK’s John H. Stracey, 42-3-1, on cuts in Mexico.
One other who escaped Cuba was a two-time WBC Featherweight champion, Jose ‘Pocket Cassius Clay’ Legra, 129-11-4, who moved to Spain. He gained the title in July 1968, stopping Howard Winstone, 61-5, in 5 rounds in Wales.
Legra misplaced his title to Johnny Famechon, 47-4-6, within the UK in December 1962. He regained it in December 1972, stopping Clemente Sanchez, 39-8-2, in Mexico.
Then, in his subsequent struggle in Brazil, he misplaced to Eder Jofre, 61-2-4, by majority determination. The third Cuban to depart the island and win a world title was Joel ‘El Cepillo’ Casamayor, 38-6-1. He was 363-30 within the amateurs. In 1992, he gained the Gold medal within the Barcelona Olympics. He fought out of Miramar, Florida, after leaving Cuba. In September of 1986, he turned professional in Florida.
Casamayor gained the WBA interim world tremendous featherweight title, defeating Antonio Hernandez, 50-22, in June of 1999, bettering to 18-0. In Might of 2000, he gained the WBA
World Tremendous Featherweight title, stopping Jong Kwon Baek, 21-0-1, in 5 rounds in Kansas
Metropolis, MO.
Casamayor defended his title 4 occasions earlier than dropping to WBO World champion Acelino Freitas, 30-0, in Las Vegas, NV, in January 2002. He misplaced twice making an attempt to regain the world
title to WBO tremendous featherweight champion Diego Corrales, 37-2, by break up determination in March of 2004, and to WBC light-weight champion Jose Luis Castillo, 50-6-1, by break up determination.
In October 2006, Casamayor gained the WBC world light-weight title from Corrales by break up determination. Then, for some motive, in his subsequent struggle, he defends the WBC interim title by break up determination over Jose Santa Cruz, 25-2, wins the WBO interim title, stopping Michael Katsidis, 23-0, then dropping to Juan Manuel Marquez, 48- 4-1, and goes 2-2 earlier than retiring.
