Arguably one of the greatest flyweights to ever lace up gloves, Pancho Villa (Francisco Guilledo) is known as a real balanced fighter, originating from the Philippines. Villa was the 110 lb version of a classic Smokin' Joe, or an old-school Jack Dempsey with less KO power. Boxing's first "Asian star to make a name within America," Villa, had tremendous heart and practically unrivaled respect for the sport of boxing which makes him a significantly likable boxer.
The honor and pride he carried into the ring
was nothing short of admirable, on top of his performances in the ring. Weary
if his opponents were about to fall, Villa would even go to his own or neutral
corner once he had his opponent on the canvas. This fact is interesting,
because it was not an official rule in the early 1900s. You could stand
anywhere in the ring after a knockdown occurred during this era of pugilism.
The game-plan and style was pressure, yet Villa knew how to back up and
utilize generalship when needed.
The notable, yet critiqued fights here, are
with legends Jimmy Wilde and Jimmy McLarnin.
The Wilde fight would be Pancho's
"greatest" critiqued KO victory, as Jimmy decided to take another
tough fight, after a dramatic loss to Pete Herman. Wilde had close to a two
year layoff, which was out of the norm for his taste, but decided to take the
fight out of confidence, as well as to [please his fans. Jimmy had huge heart
like Pancho and was a well known legend in the ring, yet this fight proved to
be too much, as well as his last. Pancho would batter him almost as bad as
Herman and ended up dropping Wilde in the seventh round.
McLarnin - Villa is filled with
conspiracy, due to Pancho's wife releasing a certain statement decades later. Before the fight, Villa had an infected tooth extracted the morning before his
match with Jimmy McLarnin. Villa entered the ring with a badly swollen jaw to
face McLarnin, and despite this, Villa survived a bad beating and lost on
points. The conspiracy began months after this fight, when he had several
more teeth pulled from the same infection. Blood poisoning caused Pancho to
cancel his last fight, and sadly, he passed from the disease.
Pancho's wife gave birth to their son
right after his passing, and she stated his death was caused by an
intentional overdose of anesthesia. She insinuated that this was the result of a gambling conspiracy
to murder Villa for losing to McLarnin, as Villa was highly favored to win the
fight.
A Closer Look at Pancho Villa:
Height/Weight - 5'0/110 lb.
Division - Flyweight Champion
Career Record - 77 - 4 - 4 (22 KO victories) (Never been knocked out)
A Closer Look at Pancho Villa:
Height/Weight - 5'0/110 lb.
Division - Flyweight Champion
Career Record - 77 - 4 - 4 (22 KO victories) (Never been knocked out)
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