Benedicto Villablanca
Encyclopedia
Benedicto Villablanca is a former professional boxer
who came close to becoming Chile
's first professional boxing
world champion.
Villablanca was born in Villarrica
, Chile
. He became interested in boxing as a child. He started visiting his local boxing gym, and had a stellar amateur career.
At the age of 18, Villablanca started his career as a professional boxer, when he defeated Luis Conejeros by a decision in four rounds, on January 23, 1976, in Santiago
. Villablanca obtained his first knockout
during his second fight, beating Luis Arriagada in the second round on February 20, also in Santiago.
After two more victories, Villablanca was defeated for the first time, when he lost an eight round decision to Juan Ule Castro on April 30, 1977 in Chiloé
. He would lose his next fight, to Leopoldo Vargas, on May 7. After those two consecutive losses, Villablanca won one fight, then faced Vargas in a rematch, held on August 20, at Iquique
. Villablanca suffered his first knockout loss, being beaten by Vargas in the seventh round.
After that loss, Villablanca embarked on a four fight winning streak. The first of those bouts, held on April 7, 1978, was for the Chilean Jr. Lightweight title. Villablanca became national champion by knocking Roberto Diaz out in the first round.
On January 20, 1979, Villablanca had his first fight as a professional abroad, when he faced Victor Etchegaray for the South American Jr. Lightweight championship in Bariloche, Argentina
. Villablanca lost to Etchegaray, then a world ranked challenger, by knockout in round eight.
Back in Chile, Villablanca retained his Chilean Jr. Lightweight title with a victory over Diaz in a rematch, on March 3, 1979, by knockout in the eighth round. Like his first victory over Diaz, this represented the beginning of another four fight winning streak for Villablanca. He faced Etchegaray for the South American Jr. Lightweight title for a second time on June 8, 1980, losing by a seventh round knockout in San Juan
, Argentina.
Villablanca then embarked in an eleven fight winning streak, which included a twelve round decision over Luis Bendezu on August 7, 1981, which made him the WBA
's Fedelatin Jr. Lightweight champion. The victory over Bendezu also allowed Villablanca to become a ranked challenger in the Jr. Lightweight division. He also defeated Raul Silva, who had come off back to back losses to Eusebio Pedroza
and Wilfredo Gómez
. The win against Silva, a second round knockout, came on December 28 of '81. This was followed by a victory over Julio Hernandez, who had also lost to Gómez in a WBC
world Super Bantamweight championship try, by knockout in round three, on February 2, 1982.
After one more win, Villablanca had his first world title try. His fight against Puerto Rico
's Samuel Serrano
, it could be said, was both the defining moment of Villablanca's career and one of the most controversial championship fights of the 1980s.
On June 5 in Santiago, four months after his victory over Julio Hernandez, Villablanca challenged Serrano, for the WBA's world Jr. Lightweight title. Serrano started bleeding during round six, and the fight's referee declared that Serrano's cut was the product of a punch by Villablanca. When the fight was stopped in round eleven due to Serrano's cut, Villablanca was declared winner, and new WBA world Jr. Lightweight champion, by an eleventh round knockout.
For some period afterwards, Villablanca became a national hero among his countrymen and women, just like Martin Vargas
had. Villablanca and his compatriots thought that Villablanca had earned Chile's first world boxing championship. Serrano's team appealed the fight's result, however, claiming that the cut on Serrano's head was caused by a headbutt, not a punch. The WBA then held an emergency meeting in Panama City, Panama, to review the fight's tapes. After studying the fight, WBA officials concluded that Serrano and his team were right and the cut was produced by a headbutt. The WBA took into account the fact that Serrano was ahead on the judges' scorecards and reversed the fight's result, giving Serrano an eleventh round technical decision win. It shall be mentioned that the WBA's ruling in this case disqualified Villablanca as world champion, so Villablanca is not, officially speaking, recognized as a former world boxing champion.
After the disappointment of seeing his world champion status disappear, Villablanca returned to professional boxing with three consecutive victories, including a ten round decision over Geronimo Luque.
On August 17, 1983, Villablanca made his United States
debut, when he challenged Roger Mayweather
for the WBA world Jr. Lightweight title that Mayweather had earned by knocking Serrano out in eight rounds at San Juan
. There would be no controversy this time around, however, as Villablanca was dropped twice before the fight ended just as the bell rang to finish round one, with Mayweather retaining the title by a first round knockout.
Villablanca announced his retirement from boxing after the fight, but he returned soon afterwards. In his first comeback fight, Villablanca faced Orlando Romero
, losing a ten round decision on January 14, 1984 in Trujillo, Peru
. On May 19, he fought in Peru once again, losing in a rematch with Geronimo Luque for the WBC
Continental Americas Lightweight title in Lima, by a knockout in round seven.
Villablanca won his next four bouts, but, after losing on December 20, 1985 to Ricardo Toledo by a knockout in three rounds in Santiago, he retired from professional boxing for good.
Villablanca had a professional record of 34 wins and 11 losses in 45 fights, with 16 wins by knockout.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who came close to becoming Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
's first professional boxing
Professional Boxing
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, emerged in the early twentieth century as boxing gradually attained legitimacy and became a regulated, sanctioned sport. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse which is divided among the fighters and promoters as determined by contract...
world champion.
Villablanca was born in Villarrica
Villarrica, Chile
Villarrica is a city and commune in southern Chile located on the western shore of Villarrica Lake in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region south of Santiago and close to the Villarrica Volcano ski center to the south east. Residents of Villarrica are known as Villarriquences.Tourism, grain and...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. He became interested in boxing as a child. He started visiting his local boxing gym, and had a stellar amateur career.
At the age of 18, Villablanca started his career as a professional boxer, when he defeated Luis Conejeros by a decision in four rounds, on January 23, 1976, in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. Villablanca obtained his first knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
during his second fight, beating Luis Arriagada in the second round on February 20, also in Santiago.
After two more victories, Villablanca was defeated for the first time, when he lost an eight round decision to Juan Ule Castro on April 30, 1977 in Chiloé
Chiloé Archipelago
Chiloé Archipelago consists of several islands lying off the coast of Chile. It is separated from mainland Chile by Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and Gulf of Corcovado to the southeast. All of the archipelago except Desertores Islands, which are part of Palena...
. He would lose his next fight, to Leopoldo Vargas, on May 7. After those two consecutive losses, Villablanca won one fight, then faced Vargas in a rematch, held on August 20, at Iquique
Iquique
Iquique is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Atacama Desert and the Pampa del Tamarugal. It had a population of 216,419 as of the 2002 census...
. Villablanca suffered his first knockout loss, being beaten by Vargas in the seventh round.
After that loss, Villablanca embarked on a four fight winning streak. The first of those bouts, held on April 7, 1978, was for the Chilean Jr. Lightweight title. Villablanca became national champion by knocking Roberto Diaz out in the first round.
On January 20, 1979, Villablanca had his first fight as a professional abroad, when he faced Victor Etchegaray for the South American Jr. Lightweight championship in Bariloche, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Villablanca lost to Etchegaray, then a world ranked challenger, by knockout in round eight.
Back in Chile, Villablanca retained his Chilean Jr. Lightweight title with a victory over Diaz in a rematch, on March 3, 1979, by knockout in the eighth round. Like his first victory over Diaz, this represented the beginning of another four fight winning streak for Villablanca. He faced Etchegaray for the South American Jr. Lightweight title for a second time on June 8, 1980, losing by a seventh round knockout in San Juan
San Juan, Argentina
San Juan is the capital city of the Argentine province of San Juan in the Cuyo region, located in the Tulúm Valley, west of the San Juan River, at above mean sea level, with a population of around 112,000 as per the ....
, Argentina.
Villablanca then embarked in an eleven fight winning streak, which included a twelve round decision over Luis Bendezu on August 7, 1981, which made him the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
's Fedelatin Jr. Lightweight champion. The victory over Bendezu also allowed Villablanca to become a ranked challenger in the Jr. Lightweight division. He also defeated Raul Silva, who had come off back to back losses to Eusebio Pedroza
Eusebio Pedroza
Eusebio Pedroza is a native of Panama who holds two records in boxing: His 19 defenses as world featherweight champion are a record for that division, and his seven years as world champion non-stop are a division record too...
and Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...
. The win against Silva, a second round knockout, came on December 28 of '81. This was followed by a victory over Julio Hernandez, who had also lost to Gómez in a WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
world Super Bantamweight championship try, by knockout in round three, on February 2, 1982.
After one more win, Villablanca had his first world title try. His fight against Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's Samuel Serrano
Samuel Serrano
Samuel Serrano , nicknamed Sammy and El Torbellino, is a Puerto Rican who won boxing's world junior lightweight championship twice.-Early history:...
, it could be said, was both the defining moment of Villablanca's career and one of the most controversial championship fights of the 1980s.
On June 5 in Santiago, four months after his victory over Julio Hernandez, Villablanca challenged Serrano, for the WBA's world Jr. Lightweight title. Serrano started bleeding during round six, and the fight's referee declared that Serrano's cut was the product of a punch by Villablanca. When the fight was stopped in round eleven due to Serrano's cut, Villablanca was declared winner, and new WBA world Jr. Lightweight champion, by an eleventh round knockout.
For some period afterwards, Villablanca became a national hero among his countrymen and women, just like Martin Vargas
Martín Vargas
Martín Vargas Fuentes is a former boxer from Chile, who represented his native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. He attempted to obtain Chile's first boxing world title four times...
had. Villablanca and his compatriots thought that Villablanca had earned Chile's first world boxing championship. Serrano's team appealed the fight's result, however, claiming that the cut on Serrano's head was caused by a headbutt, not a punch. The WBA then held an emergency meeting in Panama City, Panama, to review the fight's tapes. After studying the fight, WBA officials concluded that Serrano and his team were right and the cut was produced by a headbutt. The WBA took into account the fact that Serrano was ahead on the judges' scorecards and reversed the fight's result, giving Serrano an eleventh round technical decision win. It shall be mentioned that the WBA's ruling in this case disqualified Villablanca as world champion, so Villablanca is not, officially speaking, recognized as a former world boxing champion.
After the disappointment of seeing his world champion status disappear, Villablanca returned to professional boxing with three consecutive victories, including a ten round decision over Geronimo Luque.
On August 17, 1983, Villablanca made his United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
debut, when he challenged Roger Mayweather
Roger Mayweather
Roger Mayweather is a retired professional boxer. He won two major world titles in two different weight classes. Throughout his career, Mayweather fought against many other boxing champions of the 1980s and 1990s. He is a part of the Mayweather boxing family; his brothers are former welterweight...
for the WBA world Jr. Lightweight title that Mayweather had earned by knocking Serrano out in eight rounds at San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. There would be no controversy this time around, however, as Villablanca was dropped twice before the fight ended just as the bell rang to finish round one, with Mayweather retaining the title by a first round knockout.
Villablanca announced his retirement from boxing after the fight, but he returned soon afterwards. In his first comeback fight, Villablanca faced Orlando Romero
Orlando Romero
Orlando Romero is a former boxer from Peru. Nicknamed "Romerito" he was one of South America's top ranked lightweights during the 1980s.-Professional boxing career:...
, losing a ten round decision on January 14, 1984 in Trujillo, Peru
Trujillo, Peru
Trujillo, in northwestern Peru, is the capital of the La Libertad Region, and the third largest city in Peru. The urban area has 811,979 inhabitants and is an economic hub in northern Peru...
. On May 19, he fought in Peru once again, losing in a rematch with Geronimo Luque for the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
Continental Americas Lightweight title in Lima, by a knockout in round seven.
Villablanca won his next four bouts, but, after losing on December 20, 1985 to Ricardo Toledo by a knockout in three rounds in Santiago, he retired from professional boxing for good.
Villablanca had a professional record of 34 wins and 11 losses in 45 fights, with 16 wins by knockout.