Carlos Zarate
Encyclopedia
Carlos Zárate Serna is a former Mexican
boxer
, who was better known in the world of boxing
as Carlos Zarate. He has the distinction of being the only boxer
in history to put together two streaks of 20 or more knockout
wins in a row. He was ranked #21 on The Ring's
list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. He is also the father of undeafeated Light Welterweight
prospect Carlos Zárate, Jr.
prospect Carlos Zárate, Jr.
His nephew also challenged for a world titles and was the former WBO Latino
Super Flyweight
champion, Mexican
Joel Luna Zárate
.
to be among the better punchers of the lighter divisions, had an amateur record of 33 wins and 3 losses, with 30 knockout wins, and he won the Mexican
Golden Gloves, or Guantes De Oro, in 1969.
. That marked the beginning of a 23 fight knockout winning streak. The only boxers to get past the third round during that streak were Al Torres and Antonio Cataneda, who lasted 5 and 9 rounds respectively, both at Tijuana
. Victor Ramirez
became the first boxer to last the distance with Zarate when Zarate beat him on points in January 1974 in Mexico City
over ten rounds. Next began his second 20 plus knockout wins in a row streak, when none of his next 28 opponents heard the final bell on their feet.
to end 1975, the WBC
made Zarate their number one challenger at the Bantamweight division. So, after beating Cesar Desiga by a knockout in four on March 29, 1976 in Monterrey, Zarate was faced on the night of May 8 of that year with defending WBC
Bantamweight
Champion Rodolfo Martínez
in Los Angeles
. Zarate became a world Bantamweight champion by knocking his countryman out in the eighth round. Zarate next won two fights by a knockout in the second and then defended it against Paul Ferreri, who lost by knockout in 12 in Los Angeles too. He finished '76 with a four round knockout over Waruinge Nakayama in a title defense held at Culiacán
.
's Fernando Cabanela in Mexico City, Mexican boxing fans started talking about a possible unification bout between him and fellow Mexican
Alfonso Zamora
, the WBA
's world Bantamweight champion. Nicknamed by the American boxing press as The Z Boys, the two did square off, but not before much hassle and hurdle putting by both the WBC and WBA, who wanted both boxers to pay a large amount of money before sanctioning the bout. So, the California
state boxing commission decided to sanction it as a ten round, non title bout instead. Fans didn't seem to care that no world title belt would be involved that afternoon, and they packed the fight venue when Zarate and Zamora met in the LA suburb of nglewood, California], at the Fabulous Forum on April 23 of '77. Zarate made the tactical mistake of going toe to toe with a shorter but harder hitting puncher. Zarate got tagged repeatedly and then a man wearing gray hooded sweat shirt and sweat pants entered the ring. The fight was stopped and thereafter, Zarate managed to stay away from Zamora. The fight was stopped, it took the police minutes to evict the intruder. After a first round, Zarate the better boxer, with a reach advantage stayed away and outboxed Zamora wearing him down then knocking him out in four to gain recognition by most boxing fans as the undisputed world champion of the Bantamweights. Then, he retained the WBC title with a knockout in six over Danilo Batista, and finished 1976 with a trip to Spain, where he retained the belt against challenger Juan Rodriguez
, beaten in five.
In 1978, Zarate started out by meeting future world champion Alberto Davila
, whom he knocked out in eight at Los Angeles to retain his belt. Then, in April of that year, he made his first of two trips to Puerto Rico
that year, to fight challenger Andres Hernandez, who lasted until the 13th. round at San Juan
's Roberto Clemente
coliseum.
by a knockout in four and winning a non title bout, Zarate announced he was moving up in weight and challenging the WBC
Super Bantamweight
champion, Wilfredo Gómez
. According to many experts and the Ring Magazine book The Ring: Boxing In The 20th Century, Gómez and Zárate had the highest knockout win percentage of any two boxers paired inside a ring in history: When Gómez and Zarate met on October 28, also at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, the challenger and still world Bantamweight champion Zarate was 55-0 with 54 knockouts, while defending world Super Bantamweight champion Gómez was 21-0-1 with 21 knockouts. Zarate went to the floor four times and tasted the sour taste of defeat for the first time in his career when he was beaten by a knockout in five rounds.
, Zarate met gym-mate Lupe Pintor
in Las Vegas and lost a close 15 round decision. Enraged by losing a decision he thought he deserved, he announced his retirement from boxing and vowed never to fight as a professional again.
And so, on October 1987, he travelled to Australia to meet the man boxing fans consider to be the greatest Australian world champion of all time: Jeff Fenech
. In a fight contested for Fenech's world Super Bantamweight title, Zarate lost by a four round technical decision. After Fenech vacated the title soon after to pursue the world Featherweight crown, Zarate and countryman Daniel Zaragoza
met for the vacant world championship belt, but Zarate came back on the losing end once again, being knocked out in the tenth round and finally announcing his retirement for good.
During the 1990s he also became a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame
, and recently, he and Gómez met at a boxing undercard in Puerto Rico to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their boxing bout.
He had a record of 66 wins and 4 losses as a professional boxer, with 63 wins by knockout.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
boxer
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 was better known in the world of boxing
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...
as Carlos Zarate. He has the distinction of being the only boxer
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...
in history to put together two streaks of 20 or more 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...
wins in a row. He was ranked #21 on The Ring's
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. He is also the father of undeafeated Light Welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
prospect Carlos Zárate, Jr.
Carlos Zárate, Jr.
Carlos Jesus Zárate Scott is an undefeated Mexican professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division. He's also the son of former World boxing Champion Carlos Zárate.-Professional career:...
Personal life
Carlos Zárate has family members who have followed him into boxing, his son is the undeafeated Light WelterweightLight welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
prospect Carlos Zárate, Jr.
Carlos Zárate, Jr.
Carlos Jesus Zárate Scott is an undefeated Mexican professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division. He's also the son of former World boxing Champion Carlos Zárate.-Professional career:...
His nephew also challenged for a world titles and was the former WBO Latino
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
Super Flyweight
Super Flyweight
Super flyweight is a weight division in professional boxing. It is alternatively referred to as junior bantamweight and light bantamweight...
champion, Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
Joel Luna Zárate
Joel Luna Zárate
Joel Luna Zárate was a Mexican professional boxer in the Super Flyweight division...
.
Amateur career
Zarate, considered along with rival Wilfredo GómezWilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...
to be among the better punchers of the lighter divisions, had an amateur record of 33 wins and 3 losses, with 30 knockout wins, and he won the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Golden Gloves, or Guantes De Oro, in 1969.
Professional career
In 1970, Carlos made his professional debut with a 2 round knockout win over Luis Castaneda in CuernavacaCuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
. That marked the beginning of a 23 fight knockout winning streak. The only boxers to get past the third round during that streak were Al Torres and Antonio Cataneda, who lasted 5 and 9 rounds respectively, both at Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
. Victor Ramirez
Víctor Ramírez
Víctor Ramírez is a Salvadoran soccer player who last played for Real Maryland Monarchs in the USL Second Division.-Professional:...
became the first boxer to last the distance with Zarate when Zarate beat him on points in January 1974 in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
over ten rounds. Next began his second 20 plus knockout wins in a row streak, when none of his next 28 opponents heard the final bell on their feet.
WBC Bantamweight championship
After knocking out former world title challenger Nestor Jimenez in two rounds at MexicaliMexicali
Mexicali is the capital of the State of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 936,826.The city...
to end 1975, 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...
made Zarate their number one challenger at the Bantamweight division. So, after beating Cesar Desiga by a knockout in four on March 29, 1976 in Monterrey, Zarate was faced on the night of May 8 of that year with defending 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...
Bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
Champion Rodolfo Martínez
Rodolfo Martínez
Rodolfo Martínez was a Mexican boxer in the Super Featherweight division. He is a former NABF Super Bantamweight, Bantamweight and the WBC Bantamweight Champion.-Early life:...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Zarate became a world Bantamweight champion by knocking his countryman out in the eighth round. Zarate next won two fights by a knockout in the second and then defended it against Paul Ferreri, who lost by knockout in 12 in Los Angeles too. He finished '76 with a four round knockout over Waruinge Nakayama in a title defense held at Culiacán
Culiacán
Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
.
WBA Bantamweight championship
After beginning 1977 with a third round knockout win over ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
's Fernando Cabanela in Mexico City, Mexican boxing fans started talking about a possible unification bout between him and fellow Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
Alfonso Zamora
Alfonso Zamora
Alfonso Zamora Quiroz is a former Mexican boxer who fought from 1973 to 1980. Zamora was the silver medalist at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He enjoyed a meteoric rise in his professional career...
, 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 world Bantamweight champion. Nicknamed by the American boxing press as The Z Boys, the two did square off, but not before much hassle and hurdle putting by both the WBC and WBA, who wanted both boxers to pay a large amount of money before sanctioning the bout. So, the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state boxing commission decided to sanction it as a ten round, non title bout instead. Fans didn't seem to care that no world title belt would be involved that afternoon, and they packed the fight venue when Zarate and Zamora met in the LA suburb of nglewood, California], at the Fabulous Forum on April 23 of '77. Zarate made the tactical mistake of going toe to toe with a shorter but harder hitting puncher. Zarate got tagged repeatedly and then a man wearing gray hooded sweat shirt and sweat pants entered the ring. The fight was stopped and thereafter, Zarate managed to stay away from Zamora. The fight was stopped, it took the police minutes to evict the intruder. After a first round, Zarate the better boxer, with a reach advantage stayed away and outboxed Zamora wearing him down then knocking him out in four to gain recognition by most boxing fans as the undisputed world champion of the Bantamweights. Then, he retained the WBC title with a knockout in six over Danilo Batista, and finished 1976 with a trip to Spain, where he retained the belt against challenger Juan Rodriguez
Juan Rodríguez
Juan Rodríguez may refer to:* Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara del Padrón , Spanish writer* Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca , Spanish religious leader & government administrator...
, beaten in five.
In 1978, Zarate started out by meeting future world champion Alberto Davila
Alberto Davila
Albert "Alberto" Dávila is a Mexican-American boxer who boxed during the 1970s and 1980s in the bantamweight division. During parts of 1983 and 1984, he held the World Boxing Council championship. Dávila lost world bantamweight championships matches three times, and temporarily left the sport...
, whom he knocked out in eight at Los Angeles to retain his belt. Then, in April of that year, he made his first of two trips to 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...
that year, to fight challenger Andres Hernandez, who lasted until the 13th. round 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...
's Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
coliseum.
Zárate vs. Gómez
After retaining the title against Emilio HernandezEmilio Hernández
Emilio Exequiel Hernández Hernández is a Chilean footballer. He currently plays for Argentinos Juniors.- Career :...
by a knockout in four and winning a non title bout, Zarate announced he was moving up in weight and challenging 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...
Super Bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
champion, Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...
. According to many experts and the Ring Magazine book The Ring: Boxing In The 20th Century, Gómez and Zárate had the highest knockout win percentage of any two boxers paired inside a ring in history: When Gómez and Zarate met on October 28, also at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, the challenger and still world Bantamweight champion Zarate was 55-0 with 54 knockouts, while defending world Super Bantamweight champion Gómez was 21-0-1 with 21 knockouts. Zarate went to the floor four times and tasted the sour taste of defeat for the first time in his career when he was beaten by a knockout in five rounds.
Return to Bantamweight
In 1979, Zarate made what would turn out to be his last successful defense, with a third round knockout win over Mensah Kpalongo in Los Angeles. After winning a non title bout against Celso Chavez by a knockout in five in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Zarate met gym-mate Lupe Pintor
Lupe Pintor
Jose Guadalupe Pintor Guzman , better known as Lupe Pintor, is a former world boxing champion from Cuajimalpa, Mexico. Nicknamed El Indio De Cuajimalpa or The Indian From Cuajimalpa, he started boxing professionally in 1974...
in Las Vegas and lost a close 15 round decision. Enraged by losing a decision he thought he deserved, he announced his retirement from boxing and vowed never to fight as a professional again.
Five year retirement
Zarate spent five years in retirement, but the temptation of the public adulation boxers receive when they become champions and the aroma of the boxing ring led him back into competition when he won a return bout in 1986 against Adam Garcia, winning a four round decision. 11 more victories in a row, all by knockout, including one over then number one world Super Bantamweight challenger Richard Savage (knocked out by Zarate in five in Mexico City), made him the WBC's number one challenger at the Super Bantamweight division once again.And so, on October 1987, he travelled to Australia to meet the man boxing fans consider to be the greatest Australian world champion of all time: Jeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech is a retired Australian boxer and a three-time world champion who is now a boxing trainer.-Boxing career:...
. In a fight contested for Fenech's world Super Bantamweight title, Zarate lost by a four round technical decision. After Fenech vacated the title soon after to pursue the world Featherweight crown, Zarate and countryman Daniel Zaragoza
Daniel Zaragoza
Daniel Zaragoza was a Mexican professional boxer. Known as "The Mouse," Zaragoza a popular champion in the Super Bantamweight division throughout the 1980s and 1990s.-Amateur career:...
met for the vacant world championship belt, but Zarate came back on the losing end once again, being knocked out in the tenth round and finally announcing his retirement for good.
During the 1990s he also became a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
, and recently, he and Gómez met at a boxing undercard in Puerto Rico to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their boxing bout.
He had a record of 66 wins and 4 losses as a professional boxer, with 63 wins by knockout.
See also
- Notable boxing families
- List of WBC world champions
- The Battle of the Z BoysThe Battle of the Z BoysThe Battle of the Z Boys was a boxing fight between Mexicans Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora, who were, respectively, the WBC and WBA World Bantamweight titleholders. Held in Inglewood, California on April 23, 1977, the bout was not recognized as a unification fight by either of the sanctioning...