Rebel
12-17-2003, 06:06 PM
This great fighter is seldom mentioned when discussing the featherweight greats of the past. Marty Mulcahey wrote a great article on Saldivar awhile back. I thought I'd post it for those interested in learning more about him.
Forgotten Champ - Vicente Salvidar
by Marty Mulcahey (December 19, 2001)
When great featherweight boxers of the past are discussed, or ranked, one name always seems conspicuously absent. Seemingly, not many fans recall the exciting reign of Vincente Saldivar. Even among his Mexican countrymen, Saldivar is relegated to a second tier of almost greats, despite triumphs that should merit some reverence for him. A shame really, when you consider that in a three year time-span between 1964 and 1967 (in which he made eight title defenses, five by knockout) Saldivar was considered practically unbeatable.
Prior to his first retirement Saldivar lost only once, which was avenged by knockout, and that came on a disputed foul. Saldivar certainly fit the mold of a Mexican idol inside the ring. He was the prototypical Mexican brawler, with a dash of counterpuncher thrown in. Away from the ring Saldivar did not have a outgoing personality, and he talked very little. Nor did he have a particularly macho demeanor. He was a quiet family man who did not like to show off, or want to be seen in bars drinking at all hours. Because of this Saldivar, while respected, was never idolized by the Mexican public the way Ruben Olivares, Salvador Sanchez and Julio Cesar Chavez were.
Anyone wanting to get a clearer picture of what Vincente Saldivar was like in the ring, need only envision a left handed Julio Cesar Chavez in his prime. Saldivar could bang with the best. A stocky 5-3 man with broad shoulders, he possessed the strength of a welterweight. The bodywork of Salidvar was great. His left hook to the bodysoftened opponents up for a inevitable mid round rally, followed by a late round charge the exceptionally fit Saldivar always made. The terrific stamina of Saldivar was attributed to his being born with a unusually slow heart and pulse rate. This allowed him to recover from strenuous activities very rapidly.
But Saldivar was not all brawn. His stout package concealed his technique, which encompassed the use of angles and a solid jab, which were generally overlooked.
Vincente Samuel Saldivar Garcia, was born in the poor quarters of Mexico City, as one of seven children. He had a successful amateur career that was crowned by a Mexican Golden Gloves title at bantamweight. After defeating the best amateurs he turned pro in 1961, at the age of 17. By the end of his first year as a pro, Vincente had already made himself into a main event boxer with a win over veteran Jose Mora.
The next year saw Saldivar established as a contender within Mexico with nine more wins and one disputed loss by disqualification. In his third year, Saldivar was tagged with star potential by the fans when he defeated well regarded Luis Hernandez, Dwight Hawkins, and Felix Guitierrez.
Saldivar had won 19 of 23 bouts by knockout, but was the underdog when he challenged world ranked Juan Ramirez for the Mexican National Featherweight title. He stunned the capital city crowd with a impressive two round destruction of Ramirez.
Saldivar next made noise on the international level, scoring the second upset of his career by taking an easy 10 round decision from future titlist Ismael Laguna. The win earned Saldivar a number two world ranking, and a title shot at ferocious punching Sugar Ramos of Cuba.
Ramos, at 23, near the peak of his abilities, was thought to have a long reign ahead of him. The 21-year-old, and still developing, Saldivar was not given much of a chance to win. Saldivar proved the experts wrong by fighting an intelligent bout. For a change Saldivar came out strong early, outboxing Ramos, darting in and out while avoiding his foe's bombs. Behind the cheers of his countrymen Saldivar took the fight over in the eighth round, after he sensed Ramos was weakening. From that point on, Saldivar gave Ramos a beating, knocking him down in the 10th round. Ramos was saved by the bell, but had nothing left. The champion was not allowed to continue by his corner after one more round of getting battered.
Saldivar was a active champion in his four year reign. Three months after winning the title he defended it against Fino Rosales in the first all Mexican world championship fight. Saldivar next traveled to the USA where he successfully retained his title with a fifteenth round kayo over Raul Rojas.
The reign of Saldivar was highlighted by a trilogy of fights with European champion Howard Winstone. It is one of boxing's most underrated trilogies, probably because Saldivar won all three fights, even if they were, by the slightest of margins. Going into the first Winstone bout, Saldivar had won 21 of his 26 fights by knockout. Winstone, a stylish boxer with superb footwork, would be a different task for Saldivar. But Winstone played against his strong suit by slugging with the more powerful Salidvar, which seemed to work until the late rounds. Again, the stamina of Saldivar proved to be his savior. Saldivar came on strong after eight rounds, this time behind lead right hands that cut Winstone over both eyes. After 15 rounds of great action, Saldivar was awarded a narrow decision win.
The quality of the fight meant a rematch was inevitable. Before the rematch Saldivar traveled home, and defended his title three times in Mexico City. Once against Floyd Robertson (some considered Robertson the 'uncrowned champion') of Ghana by second round knockout. The other two victories came against resilient Mistunori Seki of Japan via 15 round decision, and a seventh round knockout.
Saldivar agreed to a rematch with Winstone in June 1967. A crowd of 30,000 was hoping Winstone would box this time out, even chanting "Don't fight, don 't fight" before the action began. For ten rounds Winstone did well to avoid the charging Saldivar, but never looked in total control. Saldivar soon began to find holes in the tiring Welshman, rocking him with straight right hands. The tenth through fifteenth rounds were full of classic give and take exchanges. It was hard to imagine what kept Winstone up in the 14th round, where he took a significant battering, and was down for a eight count. At the end of the 15 rounds the referee made Saldivar the winner by just half a point.
The epic trio was completed four months later in Mexico City. It was the most one sided of the fights, but still had drama. In this fight Winstone used a stiff jab to control the early rounds. Again, Winstone faded latefrom a combination of body punching and altitude that wore on the proud Welshman. Finally in the twelfth round the corner of Winstone threw in towel. The two combatants became good friends after the three bouts, in spite of a language barrier. During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Winstone was the guest of Saldivar, and they later visited each other's homes.
After the third fight with Winstone, Saldivar shocked the audience by announcing his retirement. Why would a prime Saldivar, who was only 24, retire at the height of his skills? Part of it was that he had just married Mexico's biggest film star, but his dislike for the spotlight also played a role. Those close to him claim he never got over the fact that he was not accepted in the hearts of Mexican fans.
Saldivar's next appearance at a boxing match had him cheering for Howard Winstone when he won the world featherweight title against Mitsunori Seki. Just as surprising as his retirement, was the announcement that Saldivar would make a comeback.
After 21 months away from boxing, Saldivar did not waste time. He challenged, and defeated, Jose Legra who had just held the featherweight title a year earlier. Vincente beat Legra the same way he had others before his retirement. He worked the body early, before stepping up the pace and outworking his foe. Six months later he got a title shot against Johnny Famechon. The young Australian had just defeated the celebrated Fighting Harada, which established Saldivar the underdog once again. But it was as if he had never left boxing. Saldivar proved everyone wrong by beating the champion to the punch early, then knocking Famechon down in the eighth round. Famechon rallied late, but the puffy eyed Saldivar did enough to win unanimously.
What should have been a easy title defense against the ordinary Kuniaki Shibata, turned into a nightmare when Saldivar suffered a fractured cheekbone. Saldivar struggled from the start, battling through a bad cut over his eye before the referee stopped the bout to prevent Salidvar from further punishment.
A 30-year-old Saldivar took an offer to fight legendary Eder Jofre after being inactive for over two years. This time it was obvious that Saldivar had not been in the ring for a long time, as the ring rust was evident from the outset. Except for a 40 second period in the second round, Jofre dominated. In the fourth round the Brazilian tore into the lethargic Saldivar with precise power shots. A big left uppercut ended the fight. Saldivar fell to the canvas, and was counted out for the only time in his career.
After his active boxing days in the ring, Saldivar worked at a gym, becoming a successful trainer. Shockingly, Saldivar died of a heart attack at the age of 42.
Vicente Saldivar
Born: May 3, 1943 Mexico City
Died: July 18, 1985 Mexico
Fought between: 1961-1973
Career Record: 37-3 (26 KO)
1961
Feb 18 Baby Palacios Oaxaca, Mexico KO 1
Mar 22 Frijol Gonzalez Oaxaca, Mexico KO 4
Apr 16 Eduardo Meza Oaxaca, Mexico KO 3
May 20 Babe Lopez Leon, Mexico KO 3
Oct 14 Jose Luis Mora Huachinango, Mexico W 10
Dec 3 Juan Rodriguez Leon, Mexico KO 6
1962
Jan 6 Ernesto Beltran Acapulco, Mexico KO 6
Feb 8 Rosendo Martinez Huachinango, Mexico KO 5
Mar 18 Juan Zavala Tuxtla, Mexico KO 10
Apr 4 Jorge Salazar Matamoros, Mexico KO 4
May 2 Gennaro Gonzalez Mexico City WDQ 8
Jun 27 Indio Fernandez Mexico City KO 6
Aug 22 Alberto Soto Mexico City KO 2
Oct 11 Luis Hernandez Los Mochis, Mexioco KO 1
Nov 17 Jose Lopez Monterrey, Mexico W 10
Dec 16 Jorge Salazar Matamoros, Mexico KO 5
Dec 29 Emiro Durgel Mexico City LDQ 7
1963
Mar 16 Luis Hernandez Los Mochis, Mexico KO 2
Apr 19 Dwight Hawkins Monterrey, Mexico KO 5
Jun 12 Emiro Durgel Mexico City KO 8
Jul 13 Eloy Sanchez Mexico City KO 1
Sep 21 Beresford Francis Mexico City KO 2
Dec 16 Felix Gutierrez Cuernavaca, Mexico KO 3
1964
Feb 8 Juan Ramirez Mexico City KO 2
(Wins Mexican Featherweight Title)
Apr 4 Eduardo Guerrero Mexico City W 12
(Retains Mexican Featherweight Title)
Jun 1 Ismael Laguna Tijuana W 10
Sep 26 Sugar Ramos Mexico City KO 12
(Wins World Featherweight Title)
Dec 6 Delfino Rosales Mexico City KO 11
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
1965
May 7 Raul Rojas Los Angeles KO 15
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Sep 7 Howard Winstone London W 15
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
1966
Feb 12 Floyd Robertson Mexico City KO 2
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Aug 7 Mitsunori Seki Mexico City W 15
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
1967
Jan 29 Mitsunori Seki Mexico City KO 7
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Jun 15 Howard Winstone Cardiff, Wales W 15
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Oct 14 Howard Winstone Mexico City KO 12
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Oct 14 Announces Retirement
1968
Inactive
1969
Nov 17 Jose Legra Inglewood, CA W 10
1970
May 9 Johnny Famechon Rome W 15
(Wins WBC, Retains World Featherweight Title)
Dec 11 Kuniaki Shibata Tijuana KO by 14
(Loses World Featherweight Title)
1971
Jul 15 Frankie Crawford Los Angeles W 10
1972
Inactive
1973
Oct 20 Eder Jofre Salvador, Brazil KO by 4
(For WBC and World Featherweight Titles)
[ December 17, 2003, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: Rebel ]
Forgotten Champ - Vicente Salvidar
by Marty Mulcahey (December 19, 2001)
When great featherweight boxers of the past are discussed, or ranked, one name always seems conspicuously absent. Seemingly, not many fans recall the exciting reign of Vincente Saldivar. Even among his Mexican countrymen, Saldivar is relegated to a second tier of almost greats, despite triumphs that should merit some reverence for him. A shame really, when you consider that in a three year time-span between 1964 and 1967 (in which he made eight title defenses, five by knockout) Saldivar was considered practically unbeatable.
Prior to his first retirement Saldivar lost only once, which was avenged by knockout, and that came on a disputed foul. Saldivar certainly fit the mold of a Mexican idol inside the ring. He was the prototypical Mexican brawler, with a dash of counterpuncher thrown in. Away from the ring Saldivar did not have a outgoing personality, and he talked very little. Nor did he have a particularly macho demeanor. He was a quiet family man who did not like to show off, or want to be seen in bars drinking at all hours. Because of this Saldivar, while respected, was never idolized by the Mexican public the way Ruben Olivares, Salvador Sanchez and Julio Cesar Chavez were.
Anyone wanting to get a clearer picture of what Vincente Saldivar was like in the ring, need only envision a left handed Julio Cesar Chavez in his prime. Saldivar could bang with the best. A stocky 5-3 man with broad shoulders, he possessed the strength of a welterweight. The bodywork of Salidvar was great. His left hook to the bodysoftened opponents up for a inevitable mid round rally, followed by a late round charge the exceptionally fit Saldivar always made. The terrific stamina of Saldivar was attributed to his being born with a unusually slow heart and pulse rate. This allowed him to recover from strenuous activities very rapidly.
But Saldivar was not all brawn. His stout package concealed his technique, which encompassed the use of angles and a solid jab, which were generally overlooked.
Vincente Samuel Saldivar Garcia, was born in the poor quarters of Mexico City, as one of seven children. He had a successful amateur career that was crowned by a Mexican Golden Gloves title at bantamweight. After defeating the best amateurs he turned pro in 1961, at the age of 17. By the end of his first year as a pro, Vincente had already made himself into a main event boxer with a win over veteran Jose Mora.
The next year saw Saldivar established as a contender within Mexico with nine more wins and one disputed loss by disqualification. In his third year, Saldivar was tagged with star potential by the fans when he defeated well regarded Luis Hernandez, Dwight Hawkins, and Felix Guitierrez.
Saldivar had won 19 of 23 bouts by knockout, but was the underdog when he challenged world ranked Juan Ramirez for the Mexican National Featherweight title. He stunned the capital city crowd with a impressive two round destruction of Ramirez.
Saldivar next made noise on the international level, scoring the second upset of his career by taking an easy 10 round decision from future titlist Ismael Laguna. The win earned Saldivar a number two world ranking, and a title shot at ferocious punching Sugar Ramos of Cuba.
Ramos, at 23, near the peak of his abilities, was thought to have a long reign ahead of him. The 21-year-old, and still developing, Saldivar was not given much of a chance to win. Saldivar proved the experts wrong by fighting an intelligent bout. For a change Saldivar came out strong early, outboxing Ramos, darting in and out while avoiding his foe's bombs. Behind the cheers of his countrymen Saldivar took the fight over in the eighth round, after he sensed Ramos was weakening. From that point on, Saldivar gave Ramos a beating, knocking him down in the 10th round. Ramos was saved by the bell, but had nothing left. The champion was not allowed to continue by his corner after one more round of getting battered.
Saldivar was a active champion in his four year reign. Three months after winning the title he defended it against Fino Rosales in the first all Mexican world championship fight. Saldivar next traveled to the USA where he successfully retained his title with a fifteenth round kayo over Raul Rojas.
The reign of Saldivar was highlighted by a trilogy of fights with European champion Howard Winstone. It is one of boxing's most underrated trilogies, probably because Saldivar won all three fights, even if they were, by the slightest of margins. Going into the first Winstone bout, Saldivar had won 21 of his 26 fights by knockout. Winstone, a stylish boxer with superb footwork, would be a different task for Saldivar. But Winstone played against his strong suit by slugging with the more powerful Salidvar, which seemed to work until the late rounds. Again, the stamina of Saldivar proved to be his savior. Saldivar came on strong after eight rounds, this time behind lead right hands that cut Winstone over both eyes. After 15 rounds of great action, Saldivar was awarded a narrow decision win.
The quality of the fight meant a rematch was inevitable. Before the rematch Saldivar traveled home, and defended his title three times in Mexico City. Once against Floyd Robertson (some considered Robertson the 'uncrowned champion') of Ghana by second round knockout. The other two victories came against resilient Mistunori Seki of Japan via 15 round decision, and a seventh round knockout.
Saldivar agreed to a rematch with Winstone in June 1967. A crowd of 30,000 was hoping Winstone would box this time out, even chanting "Don't fight, don 't fight" before the action began. For ten rounds Winstone did well to avoid the charging Saldivar, but never looked in total control. Saldivar soon began to find holes in the tiring Welshman, rocking him with straight right hands. The tenth through fifteenth rounds were full of classic give and take exchanges. It was hard to imagine what kept Winstone up in the 14th round, where he took a significant battering, and was down for a eight count. At the end of the 15 rounds the referee made Saldivar the winner by just half a point.
The epic trio was completed four months later in Mexico City. It was the most one sided of the fights, but still had drama. In this fight Winstone used a stiff jab to control the early rounds. Again, Winstone faded latefrom a combination of body punching and altitude that wore on the proud Welshman. Finally in the twelfth round the corner of Winstone threw in towel. The two combatants became good friends after the three bouts, in spite of a language barrier. During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Winstone was the guest of Saldivar, and they later visited each other's homes.
After the third fight with Winstone, Saldivar shocked the audience by announcing his retirement. Why would a prime Saldivar, who was only 24, retire at the height of his skills? Part of it was that he had just married Mexico's biggest film star, but his dislike for the spotlight also played a role. Those close to him claim he never got over the fact that he was not accepted in the hearts of Mexican fans.
Saldivar's next appearance at a boxing match had him cheering for Howard Winstone when he won the world featherweight title against Mitsunori Seki. Just as surprising as his retirement, was the announcement that Saldivar would make a comeback.
After 21 months away from boxing, Saldivar did not waste time. He challenged, and defeated, Jose Legra who had just held the featherweight title a year earlier. Vincente beat Legra the same way he had others before his retirement. He worked the body early, before stepping up the pace and outworking his foe. Six months later he got a title shot against Johnny Famechon. The young Australian had just defeated the celebrated Fighting Harada, which established Saldivar the underdog once again. But it was as if he had never left boxing. Saldivar proved everyone wrong by beating the champion to the punch early, then knocking Famechon down in the eighth round. Famechon rallied late, but the puffy eyed Saldivar did enough to win unanimously.
What should have been a easy title defense against the ordinary Kuniaki Shibata, turned into a nightmare when Saldivar suffered a fractured cheekbone. Saldivar struggled from the start, battling through a bad cut over his eye before the referee stopped the bout to prevent Salidvar from further punishment.
A 30-year-old Saldivar took an offer to fight legendary Eder Jofre after being inactive for over two years. This time it was obvious that Saldivar had not been in the ring for a long time, as the ring rust was evident from the outset. Except for a 40 second period in the second round, Jofre dominated. In the fourth round the Brazilian tore into the lethargic Saldivar with precise power shots. A big left uppercut ended the fight. Saldivar fell to the canvas, and was counted out for the only time in his career.
After his active boxing days in the ring, Saldivar worked at a gym, becoming a successful trainer. Shockingly, Saldivar died of a heart attack at the age of 42.
Vicente Saldivar
Born: May 3, 1943 Mexico City
Died: July 18, 1985 Mexico
Fought between: 1961-1973
Career Record: 37-3 (26 KO)
1961
Feb 18 Baby Palacios Oaxaca, Mexico KO 1
Mar 22 Frijol Gonzalez Oaxaca, Mexico KO 4
Apr 16 Eduardo Meza Oaxaca, Mexico KO 3
May 20 Babe Lopez Leon, Mexico KO 3
Oct 14 Jose Luis Mora Huachinango, Mexico W 10
Dec 3 Juan Rodriguez Leon, Mexico KO 6
1962
Jan 6 Ernesto Beltran Acapulco, Mexico KO 6
Feb 8 Rosendo Martinez Huachinango, Mexico KO 5
Mar 18 Juan Zavala Tuxtla, Mexico KO 10
Apr 4 Jorge Salazar Matamoros, Mexico KO 4
May 2 Gennaro Gonzalez Mexico City WDQ 8
Jun 27 Indio Fernandez Mexico City KO 6
Aug 22 Alberto Soto Mexico City KO 2
Oct 11 Luis Hernandez Los Mochis, Mexioco KO 1
Nov 17 Jose Lopez Monterrey, Mexico W 10
Dec 16 Jorge Salazar Matamoros, Mexico KO 5
Dec 29 Emiro Durgel Mexico City LDQ 7
1963
Mar 16 Luis Hernandez Los Mochis, Mexico KO 2
Apr 19 Dwight Hawkins Monterrey, Mexico KO 5
Jun 12 Emiro Durgel Mexico City KO 8
Jul 13 Eloy Sanchez Mexico City KO 1
Sep 21 Beresford Francis Mexico City KO 2
Dec 16 Felix Gutierrez Cuernavaca, Mexico KO 3
1964
Feb 8 Juan Ramirez Mexico City KO 2
(Wins Mexican Featherweight Title)
Apr 4 Eduardo Guerrero Mexico City W 12
(Retains Mexican Featherweight Title)
Jun 1 Ismael Laguna Tijuana W 10
Sep 26 Sugar Ramos Mexico City KO 12
(Wins World Featherweight Title)
Dec 6 Delfino Rosales Mexico City KO 11
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
1965
May 7 Raul Rojas Los Angeles KO 15
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Sep 7 Howard Winstone London W 15
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
1966
Feb 12 Floyd Robertson Mexico City KO 2
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Aug 7 Mitsunori Seki Mexico City W 15
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
1967
Jan 29 Mitsunori Seki Mexico City KO 7
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Jun 15 Howard Winstone Cardiff, Wales W 15
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Oct 14 Howard Winstone Mexico City KO 12
(Retains World Featherweight Title)
Oct 14 Announces Retirement
1968
Inactive
1969
Nov 17 Jose Legra Inglewood, CA W 10
1970
May 9 Johnny Famechon Rome W 15
(Wins WBC, Retains World Featherweight Title)
Dec 11 Kuniaki Shibata Tijuana KO by 14
(Loses World Featherweight Title)
1971
Jul 15 Frankie Crawford Los Angeles W 10
1972
Inactive
1973
Oct 20 Eder Jofre Salvador, Brazil KO by 4
(For WBC and World Featherweight Titles)
[ December 17, 2003, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: Rebel ]