The Bloody Battle of Bayamon
Encyclopedia
The Bloody Battle of Bayamón was a boxing
fight held on January 28, 1978 at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium
in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
, between defending WBC
world Jr. Lightweight champion Alfredo Escalera
, and former WBA
world Featherweight champion Alexis Argüello
of Nicaragua
. It would be the first of two fights the two men would have against each other.
by a thirteenth round knockout in Los Angeles
. Because he defended his Featherweight crown successfully each time he was challenged for the title, Arguello became a mainstream star both in Latin America and the United States.
Escalera is a native of Carolina
. Much like Arguello, he learned since he was a child to box and he was a member of a group of boxers from the area, like Wilfred Benítez
, Wilfredo Gómez
and Esteban De Jesús
, to reach international fame status. He was crowned WBC world Jr. Lightweight champion on July 5, 1975 when he knocked Kuniaki Shibata
out in the second round in Japan. Escalera proceeded to make ten title defenses before facing Arguello.
When the fight was announced, boxing magazines in the United States, Europe and Latin America began speculating the fight's outcome. As a consequence, boxing fans beyond Nicaragua and Puerto Rico became interested as well, and television networks from several countries bought the rights to broadcast the bout.
During a press conference before the fight, Bayamón mayor Ramon Luis Rivera
presented both fighters with the symbolic key to the city of Bayamón.
and took a snake wrapped around his neck to the ring.
Arguello started off quickly, dropping Escalera in round two. The champion got up and started answering Arguello's onslaughts with combinations of his own. Arguello felt that he needed to be extra aggressive, fearing that if the fight was a close one, Escalera would be given a points verdict should it go the fifteen round distance because Escalera was fighting in his home country. Unknown to him, he was actually building a points lead on the three judges' scorecards.
Escalera, meanwhile, felt that this was a fight he could win. He had been in difficult fights before, and he had prevailed on those. While Arguello's punches were taking a toll on Escalera's skin, he kept pressing and connecting strong punches on Arguello's body. By the eighth round, however, Escalera had suffered various injuries, such as a broken nose, ear, and teeth, a closed eye and a cut on his tongue.
By round ten, the crowd seemed to feel that Escalera's chances of winning the bout were slipping away. Escalera rebounded, however, and rocked Arguello during the following three rounds, being on the verge of knocking the Nicaraguan out in the tweltfh round. Escalera was apparently reinvigorated with the crowd cheering him on again.
In round thirteen, Arguello made one final effort, pounding Escalera with a variety of punches. Escalera began to bleed profusely once again from his different injuries, and referee Arthur Mercante
stopped the fight, with Arguello winning the WBC world Jr. Lightweight title by a thirteenth round knockout.
Escalera and Arguello had a rematch in Rimini
, Italy on February 2, 1979. Arguello prevailed by a 13th round knockout
, finishing Escalera with a left hook.
Escalera became a wrestler
before returning to boxing, and had a strong comeback as a Lightweight, beating men like Maurice Watkins
and Gene Hatcher
before suffering a detached retina
and retiring from boxing for good in 1983. He currently lives comfortably in Puerto Rico off the money he made as a fighter, and, despite losing his sight for some time due to his retinal problems, he was able to recover it after a successful eye surgery.
Alexis Argüello won the WBC Lightweight title in 1981 by defeating Jim Watt in London, England, becoming only the sixth boxer in history, and the second Hispanic
one, to hold world titles in three different divisions. On November 12, 1982, he challenged Aaron Pryor
for the WBA world Jr. Welterweight title. Trying to make boxing history by becoming boxing's first four division world champion, Arguello was stopped in round fourteen
of that fight. A rematch was held, in September 1983, and Pryor once again prevailed, by a tenth round knockout. Arguello then joined the Contra
movement in Nicaragua and was involved in civil war for a few months. He attempted boxing comebacks twice, his last fight being held in 1995. He faced drug problems, which were widely publicized by the press.
Arguello became vice-mayor of the city of Managua and has expressed interest in running for President of Nicaragua. He was kidnapped at one point during his tenure as vice-mayor, but he was rescued alive.
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...
fight held on January 28, 1978 at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium
Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium
The Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium is a 12,500 seat stadium at Route 2 and Route 5, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The stadium has easy access with one metro station on premises.-Early life:...
in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
, between 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...
world Jr. Lightweight champion Alfredo Escalera
Alfredo Escalera
Alfredo Escalera is a Puerto Rican who was a world champion boxer. A native of Carolina, his nickname was "Salsero" because he was a fan of Salsa music.-Early boxing career:...
, and former 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...
world Featherweight champion Alexis Argüello
Alexis Argüello
Alexis Argüello , also known by the stage name El Flaco Explosivo , was a Nicaraguan professional boxer and politician...
of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. It would be the first of two fights the two men would have against each other.
Pre-fight
Alexis Argüello was born and raised in Managua. He had to fight on the streets as a child to earn money, and became the WBA world Featherweight champion by defeating Rubén OlivaresRubén Olivares
Rubén Olivares is a former Mexican boxer and current member of the Boxing Hall of Fame. A native of Mexico City, Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champion of all time. He was very popular among Mexicans, many of whom considered him...
by a thirteenth round knockout in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Because he defended his Featherweight crown successfully each time he was challenged for the title, Arguello became a mainstream star both in Latin America and the United States.
Escalera is a native of Carolina
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
. Much like Arguello, he learned since he was a child to box and he was a member of a group of boxers from the area, like Wilfred Benítez
Wilfred Benitez
Wilfred Benítez , is a Puerto Rican boxer. He is remembered best as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities who won world championships in three separate weight divisions, and was the youngest world champion in boxing history at the age of 17...
, Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...
and Esteban De Jesús
Esteban De Jesús
Esteban De Jesús was a Puerto Rican world lightweight champion boxer whose life was full of controversy, problems and scandals. De Jesus, a native of the town of Carolina, Puerto Rico, was a gymmate of Wilfred Benítez and an acquaintance of Benitez's mother, Clara Benítez. He was trained by...
, to reach international fame status. He was crowned WBC world Jr. Lightweight champion on July 5, 1975 when he knocked Kuniaki Shibata
Kuniaki Shibata
Kuniaki Shibata is a former Japanese professional boxer. He is a former WBC and WBA super featherweight champion.- Biography :...
out in the second round in Japan. Escalera proceeded to make ten title defenses before facing Arguello.
When the fight was announced, boxing magazines in the United States, Europe and Latin America began speculating the fight's outcome. As a consequence, boxing fans beyond Nicaragua and Puerto Rico became interested as well, and television networks from several countries bought the rights to broadcast the bout.
During a press conference before the fight, Bayamón mayor Ramon Luis Rivera
Ramón Luis Rivera
Ramón Luis Rivera is a Puerto Rican politician affiliated with the New Progressive Party. He was Mayor of Bayamón from 1977 until 2000. He is considered by many, public and political critics alike, to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest mayors in history, as well as Bayamón's greatest.Rivera became...
presented both fighters with the symbolic key to the city of Bayamón.
The Fight
As the challenger, Arguello entered the ring first. Escalera, as was typical of him, made his entrance to the sounds of salsa musicSalsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
and took a snake wrapped around his neck to the ring.
Arguello started off quickly, dropping Escalera in round two. The champion got up and started answering Arguello's onslaughts with combinations of his own. Arguello felt that he needed to be extra aggressive, fearing that if the fight was a close one, Escalera would be given a points verdict should it go the fifteen round distance because Escalera was fighting in his home country. Unknown to him, he was actually building a points lead on the three judges' scorecards.
Escalera, meanwhile, felt that this was a fight he could win. He had been in difficult fights before, and he had prevailed on those. While Arguello's punches were taking a toll on Escalera's skin, he kept pressing and connecting strong punches on Arguello's body. By the eighth round, however, Escalera had suffered various injuries, such as a broken nose, ear, and teeth, a closed eye and a cut on his tongue.
By round ten, the crowd seemed to feel that Escalera's chances of winning the bout were slipping away. Escalera rebounded, however, and rocked Arguello during the following three rounds, being on the verge of knocking the Nicaraguan out in the tweltfh round. Escalera was apparently reinvigorated with the crowd cheering him on again.
In round thirteen, Arguello made one final effort, pounding Escalera with a variety of punches. Escalera began to bleed profusely once again from his different injuries, and referee Arthur Mercante
Arthur Mercante
Arthur Mercante Sr. was an international boxing referee. His career lasted from the 1960s until 2001. Mercante's son also became a noted referee. In his youth, Arthur Mercante Sr. was a member of the Merchant Marines....
stopped the fight, with Arguello winning the WBC world Jr. Lightweight title by a thirteenth round knockout.
Aftermatch
Escalera was immediately hospitalized for his injuries after the bout.Escalera and Arguello had a rematch in Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
, Italy on February 2, 1979. Arguello prevailed by a 13th round 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...
, finishing Escalera with a left hook.
Escalera became a wrestler
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
before returning to boxing, and had a strong comeback as a Lightweight, beating men like Maurice Watkins
Maurice Watkins
Maurice Watkins is a former boxer from Houston, Texas. Nicknamed Termite, he was born into a family that was in the insect killing business, and he is a professional fumigator.-Professional Boxing Career:...
and Gene Hatcher
Gene Hatcher
Ronald Hatcher Jr. , better known as "Gene Hatcher," is a former boxer who was world light welterweight champion. His nickname was "Mad Dog."-Amateur career:Hatcher was a United States Amateur Champion...
before suffering a detached retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
and retiring from boxing for good in 1983. He currently lives comfortably in Puerto Rico off the money he made as a fighter, and, despite losing his sight for some time due to his retinal problems, he was able to recover it after a successful eye surgery.
Alexis Argüello won the WBC Lightweight title in 1981 by defeating Jim Watt in London, England, becoming only the sixth boxer in history, and the second Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
one, to hold world titles in three different divisions. On November 12, 1982, he challenged Aaron Pryor
Aaron Pryor
Aaron Pryor is a former boxer from Cincinnati, Ohio, and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He is the former world Junior Welterweight champion, and regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the weight class.-Amateur career:Pryor, nicknamed The Hawk, had a record of...
for the WBA world Jr. Welterweight title. Trying to make boxing history by becoming boxing's first four division world champion, Arguello was stopped in round fourteen
The Battle of the Champions
The Battle of the Champions, was a term used by promoter Bob Arum regarding the November 12, 1982 boxing match between Aaron Pryor and Alexis Argüello.-The Fighters:...
of that fight. A rematch was held, in September 1983, and Pryor once again prevailed, by a tenth round knockout. Arguello then joined the Contra
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
movement in Nicaragua and was involved in civil war for a few months. He attempted boxing comebacks twice, his last fight being held in 1995. He faced drug problems, which were widely publicized by the press.
Arguello became vice-mayor of the city of Managua and has expressed interest in running for President of Nicaragua. He was kidnapped at one point during his tenure as vice-mayor, but he was rescued alive.