How Mexicans came to dominate the sport of Boxing- A brief history

Ask anyone in the United States, what is Mexico’s most popular sport? Odds are that the majority of folks will answer: Soccer. They might be surprised to learn that boxing has gained the country the most achievements on the world stage. Mexico has given birth to over 200 world champions, that’s more than any country worldwide (depending on who does the counting). This is because many Mexican-American fighters either claim a Mexican nationality or have literally applied for dual citizenship. Conservatively one could say over 200 Mexican born nationals have captured professional titles, while over 30 can be claimed by both the US and Mexico: Oscar De La Hoya and Andy Ruiz being among the few). The sport has a long and glorious history in Mexico, (including the US-Mexico border region) one that not many people know.

In the late 19th century, when boxing was mostly an amatuer and prizefighters’ sport, it was held in low regard. The sport was called barbaric and “a game for children,” in a newspaper from the time – it was said that only thieves, drunks and ne’er-do-wells practiced it. Amateur boxing at the time was popular in the Gulf ports, in particular Tampico, where historians say sailors fought each other for drinking money, with napkins wrapped around their hands in lieu of gloves.

By 1921 the first Mexican boxing commission was set up, inserting some rules into the world of boxing and making it a bit more respectable in the eyes of society. There was still a gaping divide between how people felt about amateurs or prizefighters and professional boxers.

The first professional Mexican boxer was Miguel ángel Febles, who spent time in?Cuba?training at the gym of Chilean fighter (known as the father of Chilean boxing) John Budinich. Febles returned to Mexico in 1915 and started to set up professional fights across the country for money. He would fight in a different town every night and he was a world champ in four weight categories. In 1932, at the LA summer Olympics, Francisco Caba?as Pardo won Mexico its first Olympic?medal in boxing.

During the 1930s, boxing had its first Golden Age in Mexico, especially in Mexico City – boxing made its way to the U.S. via waves of immigrants who left Mexico following the Mexican revolution. In the 1960s, representatives from across the boxing world (Latin America, Europe, Asia and United States) came together to form the World Boxing Council, boxing’s first global ruling body. As a clue to Mexico’s influence at the time, one of the organization’s stated goals was protecting Mexican boxers from promoters and managers in the United States.

The 1980s was a second Golden Age for Mexican boxing and had a lot to do with boxing star?Julio César Chávez. From 1980 to 2005, the boxing world was enthralled as Chávez, Mexico’s greatest boxer and one of the greatest boxers of all time, fought his way to 107 victories, at one point with an 87-fight winning streak (before receiving his first DRAW!). The “Mexican style” of boxing didn’t start with him, but it is often associated with him – a very offensive style with a focus on body punches with defense being secondary with a strong focus on hip and head movement. Aficionados to this day reference this style of fighting as it is action packed and as hall of fame announcer Lupe Contreras would put it "mas macho".

Since then you don't ever have to look far to find a notable name of Mexican origin. Ricardo “Finito” López won his first world title in 1990 and defended it a record 21 times without a loss. He’s one of only a handful of boxing champs to retire without a loss. Salvador Sánchez was the WBC and lineal featherweight champion from 1980 to 1982 and many believe, had he not died suddenly, he would have been the best featherweight boxer of all time. Juan Manuel Márquez who fought in the 90s and 2000s, was a world champion in four different weight categories and became a highlight legend after his four fight series with Manny Pacquiao ended in an explosive knockout.

These days, while boxing has lost some of its following in white middle-class U.S., the fervor for ringside action is as strong as ever for Mexicans. Saul ”Canelo” Alvarez, one of Mexico’s current phenoms in the sport, has won multiple world championships and was ranked the world’s best active boxer, pound for pound, by BoxRec, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB),ESPN, the world boxing organization, world boxing council and the world boxing association. The boxing world is shifting demographics and Latinos in the U.S. market find themselves in a majority, a luxury they have in no other industry. This is particularly noteworthy as the highest grossing ppv events are boxing bouts and more often then not a Mexican or Latino is in the main event.