Monday, July 14, 2014

Francisco Guilledo

Francisco Guilledo #boxing #flyweight >AKA #panchovilla


August 1, 1901 – July 14, 1925 more commonly known as Pancho Villa, was a Filipino professional boxer. Villa, who stood only 5 feet and 1 inch (154 cm) tall and never weighed more than 114 pounds (51 kg), rose from obscurity to win the World Flyweight Championship in 1923, earning acclaim in some quarters as the greatest Asian fighter in boxing history. He was never knocked out in his entire boxing career, which ended with his sudden death at the age of 23 from complications following a tooth extraction.

1 Early life and Philippine boxing career
2 World Flyweight Champion
3 Death
4 Family
5 Honors
6 Notable bouts
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Early life and Philippine boxing career
Guilledo was born in Ilog, Negros Occidental, the son of a cowhand who abandoned his family when Guilledo was just six months old. He grew up in the hacienda of a wealthy local, helping his mother raise goats she tended on the farm.
When Guilledo was 11, he sailed to Iloilo City to work as a bootblack. While in Iloilo, he befriended a local boxer and together they migrated to Manila, settling in Tondo. He would occasionally spar with friends and soon attracted the attention of local boxing habitués. He fought his first professional fight in 1919 against Kid Castro. Within two years, he was the Philippine Flyweight Champion, having dethroned Terrible Pondong. He nearly gave up boxing after being spurned by a woman he courted, actually returning to Negros early in 1922 to retire. The clamor of Filipino boxing fans compelled him to return to the ring.
It appears that during this period, Guilledo was under the tutelage of at least two important local boxing figures. One was the American boxing promoter based in Manila Frank E. Churchill. Another was a Filipino ice plant executive and boxing manager named Paquito Villa. The renaming of Francisco Guilledo to Pancho Villa has been attributed to both men, depending on the source. One version tags Churchill as having renamed Guilledo into Villa, taking the name from the Mexican guerrilla leader.Another version maintains that Paquito Villa had legally adopted Guilledo as early as 1918, renaming him Pancho.
World Flyweight Champion
In May, 1922, Villa received an invitation from famed boxing promoter Tex Rickard to fight in the United States. He accepted the invitation and sailed to America together with Churchill and Paquito Villa. He immediately won his first overseas fight against Abe Goldstein in Jersey City on June 7, 1922. He then fought and defeated Frankie Genaro on August 22, 1922. By this time, Villa had caught the attention of boxing aficionados and he was slated to fight against the American Flyweight Champion Johnny Buff on September 15, 1922.
Villa defeated Buff in an upset, knocking out the champion in the 11th round to win the American Flyweight Championship. At this point, Villa had been in the American phase of his career for only 4 months. Villa lost the title early the following year to Genaro, who defeated the Filipino on points in a widely criticized decision. The unpopularity of Villa's defeat on points proved fateful. Jimmy Wilde, the Welsh-born boxer and former World Flyweight Champion, had decided to end his recent retirement and seek the then vacant World Flyweight Championship in a fight to be staged in America. While Genaro, the American Champion, seemed as the logical choice to fight Wilde, Villa's growing popularity soon convinced promoters that the Filipino would prove as the better draw.
Villa did not disappoint. On June 18, 1923, at the Polo Grounds in New York, Villa was cheered on to victory over Wilde by over 20,000 fans screaming "Viva Villa!" The win came by way of a knockout in the 7th round, caused by a crashing right to Wilde's jaw. Villa was described as relentless, pummeling Wilde with both hands and causing the Welshman to also drop in the fourth and fifth rounds. Wilde never fought again.
The new World Flyweight Champion successfully defended his title several times and never relinquished it until his death just two years later. Villa returned to a hero's welcome in Manila in September 1924, feted with a parade and a reception at Malacañan Palace. He also returned to his old haunts in Iloilo and his hometown in Negros. Before returning to the United States, he fought one more bout in Manila, against Clever Sencio, on May 2, 1925. Villa prevailed. None of the thousands of fans who saw that fight at Wallace Field knew that they had just witnessed Villa's final victory and the second to the last fight of his life.

Villa returned to the United States to prepare for his next match, a non-title fight against Jimmy McLarnin scheduled for July 4, 1925, at Ewing Field in Oakland. Days leading to the fight, Villa's face became swollen due to an ulcerated tooth. According to contemporary newspaper accounts, on the morning of the fight, Villa went to a dentist to have the tooth extracted. Despite the pain and swelling, Villa insisted on going ahead with fight with McLarnin. Villa ended up spending most of the fight using one hand to protect his afflicted face. Given these circumstances, Villa naturally lost, though he managed to stay the distance. It was Villa's last fight.
Two or three days after the McLarnin fight, Villa had three more teeth extracted after an infection was discovered. Against his dentist's prescription of bed rest, Villa spent the next few days carousing with friends. Villa's condition worsened thereafter and by July 13, 1925, he had to be rushed to the hospital. It was then discovered that the infection had spread to Villa's throat, resulting in Ludwig's angina. Villa was rushed into surgery, but he lapsed into a coma while on the table and died the following day, July 14, 1925, 17 days before he became 24 years old.
Villa's remains were returned to Manila and in August 1925, Villa was buried at Manila North Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Gliceria.

His younger half-brother, Little Pancho, was also a professional boxer who compiled a record of 44–13–17 with 1 No Contest.
Honors
Villa was inducted belatedly into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994, the second Filipino boxer so honored after Gabriel "Flash" Elorde, who was born 7 years after Villa's death. 33 years earlier, in October 1961, Villa was added by Ring Magazine to its own boxing hall of fame.
Pancho Villa was ranked the 59th best fighter by the Ring Magazine's writers in 2002 on their list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.
Villa was voted as the #1 flyweight (along with Miguel Canto) of the 20th century by the Associated Press in 1999.


1919
Kid Castro Manila, Philippines W 4
-Some sources report "W 5"
Terio Pandong Manila, Philippines W 4
Kid Cortez Manila, Philippines W 4
Pedro Alberto Manila, Philippines W 4
Young Edwards Manila, Philippines W 4
Alberto Castro Manila, Philippines KO 3
Cesareo Siguion Manila, Philippines KO 2
Young Duarte Manila, Philippines W 4
Jamie Desiderio Manila, Philippines KO 2
Kid Elino Manila, Philippines W 4
Kid Moro Manila, Philippines KO 2
Jose de la Cruz Manila, Philippines W 4
Pedro Olongapo Manila, Philippines W 4
Jose Mendoza Manila, Philippines KO 2
Baguio Bearcat Manila, Philippines W 4
Baguio Bearcat Manila, Philippines W 4


1920
Pedro Capitan Manila, Philippines KO 4
Frisco Concepcion Manila, Philippines L 4
Kid Castro Manila, Philippines W 6
Salvador Santo Tomas Manila, Philippines KO 2
Big Cortez Manila, Philippines ND 6
Jose de la Cruz Manila, Philippines W 6
Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines W 6
Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines W 6
Juan Candelaria Manila, Philippines W 6
Kid Cortez Manila, Philippines W 6
Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines ND 6
Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines ND 6
Stiff Irineo Manila, Philippines W 6
1921
Jan 10 Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines D 15
Jan 23 Juan Candelaria Manila, Philippines KO 4
Feb 7 Kid Moro Manila, Philippines KO 3
Feb 21 Terio Pandong Manila, Philippines W 8
Mar 5 Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines W 10
Mar 26 Young Santos Manila, Philippines KO 7
Apr 10 Kid Garcia Manila, Philippines W 8
Apr 24 Stiff Irineo Manila, Philippines KO 2
May 8 Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines W 15
-Some sources report 5/06/21
May 22 Knockout Lewis Manila, Philippines KO 4
Jun 6 Pedro Alberto Manila, Philippines W 8
Jun 20 Leoncio Bernabe Manila, Philippines D 6
Jul 11 Young Modejar Manila, Philippines W 6
Jul 25 Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines D 15
Aug 9 Eddie Moore Manila, Philippines LF 10
Aug 23 Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines W 20
Sep 7 Syd Keenan Manila, Philippines W 8
Sep 21 Leoncio Bernabe Manila, Philippines W 8
Oct 5 Mike Ballerino Manila, Philippines W 20
Oct 19 Andres "Kid" Aguilar Manila, Philippines W 8
Nov 3 Cowboy Reyes Manila, Philippines W 15
Nov 10 Andres "Kid" Aguilar Manila, Philippines W 8
Nov 17 Kid Garcia Manila, Philippines W 8
Dec 8 George Mendies Manila, Philippines KO 3
Dec 15 Jimmy Taylor Manila, Philippines W 8
Dec 29 Battling Ongay Manila, Philippines KO 1


1922
Jan 12 Kid Abayan Manila, Philippines W 8
Feb 12 Georgie Lee Manila, Philippines W 15
Mar 19 Max Mason Iloilo, Philippines KO 4
Apr 1 Pete Sarmiento Manila, Philippines W 15
Jun 7 Abe Goldstein Jersey City, NJ ND 12
Jul 6 Frankie Genaro Jersey City, NJ ND 12
Jul 19 Frankie Murray Averne, NY W 6
Jul 29 Terry Miller Asbury Park, NJ ND 12
Aug 2 Johnny Hepburn Brooklyn, NY KO 6
Aug 15 Sammy Cohen Brooklyn, NY KO 8
Aug 22 Frankie Genaro Brooklyn, NY L 10
Sep 14 Johnny Buff Brooklyn, NY TK 11
-Flyweight Championship of America
Sep 21 Terry Smacka Newark, NJ EX 4
Oct 23 Danny Edwards Boston, Ma W 10
Oct 30 Patsy Wallace Philadelphia, Pa ND 8
Nov 16 Abe Goldstein New York, NY W 15
-Flyweight Championship of America;
Some sources report 11/17/22
Nov 27 Young Montreal Boston, Ma W 10
Dec 29 Terry Martin New York, NY W 15
-Flyweight Championship of America


1923
Jan 1 "Battling" Al Murray Philadelphia, Pa ND 8
Feb 13 Frankie Mason Boston, Ma KO 5
Feb 20 Henry "Kid" Wolfe Philadelphia, Pa KO 3
Mar 1 Frankie Genaro New York, NY L 15
-Flyweight Championship of America
Mar 19 Young Montreal Philadelphia, Pa ND 8
Mar 24 Willie Darcy Waterbury, Ct W 12
Apr 23 Clarence Rosen Detroit, Mi ND 10
May 11 "Battling" Al Murray Chicago, Il ND 10
May 24 Bobby Wolgast Philadelphia, Pa ND 8
Jun 18 Jimmy Wilde New York, NY KO 7
-Flyweight Championship of the World
Jul 20 Abe Friedman Boston, Ma W 10
Jul 31 Kid Williams Philadelphia, Pa ND 8
Aug 22 Jackie Feldman New York, NY KO 3
Sep 8 Charles "Bud" Taylor Chicago, Il ND 10
Sep 24 Tony Thomas Boston, Ma W 10
Oct 12 Benny Schwartz Baltimore, Md W 15
-Flyweight Championship of the World;
Some sources report 10/13/23
Oct 22 Jabez White Philadelphia, Pa ND 8
Nov 19 Joey Schwartz Detroit, Mi ND 10
Dec 5 Donnie Mack Toronto, Ont, Can KO 4
Dec 10 Patsy Wallace Philadelphia, Pa ND 8


1924
Jan 1 Tony Norman Pittsburgh, Pa W 10
Jan 21 Mike Moran Pittsburgh, Pa W 10
Feb 8 Georgie Marks New York, NY W 15
-Flyweight Championship of the World
Mar 6 Charles "Bud" Taylor Milwaukee, Wi ND 10
Mar 21 Georgie Lee Sacramento, Ca D 4
Mar 22 Billy Bonillas Modesto, Ca W 4
Apr 23 Eddie McKenna Cleveland, Oh ND 10
May 30 Frankie Ash Brooklyn, NY W 15
-Flyweight Championship of the World
Jun 10 Charles "Bud" Taylor Brooklyn, NY W 12
Jul 2 Henny Catena West New York, NJ KO 5
Jul 21 Willie Woods Boston, Ma W 10
Jul 28 Frankie Murray Atlantic City, NJ ND 8
Aug 18 Amos "Kid" Carlin New Orleans, La W 15


1925
Mar 9 Francisco Pilapel Iloilo, Philippines KO 8
May 1 Clever Sencio Manila, Philippines W 15
-Flyweight Championship of the World
Jul 4 Jimmy McLarnin Emeryville, Ca L 10

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