THE LATIN AMERICAN IMMORTALS: Part I By M. DeTyrone

Carlos Monzon 87-3-9 (56KO) Argentina: BHOF & WBHOF; WBA Middleweight Champion 1970-1977; WBC Middleweight Champion 1970-1974; WBC Middleweight Champion 1976-1977; World Middleweight Champion; Victories over Nino Benvenuti, Emile Griffith, Bennie Briscoe, Jose Napoles, Rodrigo Valdes, and Jean Claude Bouttier; A total of 14 successful Middleweight title defenses and unbeaten in 13 years with over 81 career fights.

Gerardo Gonzalez aka Kid Gavilan 108-30-5 (28KO) Cuba: IBHOF & WBHOF; Lost twice to Sugar Ray Robinson; NYSAC & NBA Welterweight Champion; Within the Top 5 Welterweights of all time; Victories over Billy Graham, Ike Williams, Beau Jack, and Carmen Basilio.

Carlos Ortiz 61-7-1 (30KO) Puerto Rico: IBHOF; World Jr. Welterweight champion; WBA Lightweight World Champion 1962 – 1965; WBA World Lightweight Champion 1965 – 1968; Faced seven futures Hall of Famers in title fights; Victories over Kenny Lane, Sugar Ramos, Flash Elorde, Duilio Loi, Battling Torres, and Joe Brown.

Roberto Duran 103-16 (70KO) Panama: World Lightweight Champion, WBC Welterweight Champion, WBA Junior Middleweight Champion, and WBC Middleweight Champion; Victories over Sugar Ray Leonard, Ken Buchanan, Esteban de Jesus, Davey Moore, and Iran Barkley; Was defeated by Esteban De Jesus, Quits vs. Sugar Ray Leonard, Wilfred Benitez, KO in 2 by Thomas Hearns, and Hector Camacho.

Eligio Sardinas Montalvo aka Kid Chocolate 135-10-6 (51KO)- Cuba: World Featherweight Champion; World Junior Lightweight; Victories over Benny Bass, Lew Feldman, Al Singer and Fidel LaBarba; Defeats to Tony Canzoneri and Jackie “Kid” Berg.

Luis “El Feo” Manuel Rodriguez 107-13 (49KO)- Cuba:  IBHOF; Welterweight Champion; defeated Benny “Kid” Paret, Vigil Atkins, Emile Griffith, Isaac Logart, Bennie Briscoe, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Vicente Rondon, Jose Gonzalez, Jimmy Lester, and Tom Bethea .

Louis  “Cocoa Kid”  Hardwick Arroyo 176-56 (48 KO) -Puerto Rico: IBHOF ;Colored Welterweight Champion in June 11, 1937; Colored Middleweight Champion; Only Hispanic of the elite boxing’s Black Murderer’s Row; Sugar Ray Robison and Henry Armstrong backed off  fights versus him.

Ricardo Lopez 50-0-1 (37KO) - Mexico: A 3 division world Champion; WBC Strawweight Champion; WBA Minimumweight Champion; IBF Junior Flyweight Champion; Victories over Rosendo Alvarez, Hideyuki Ohashi, Saman Sorjaturong, and Alex Sanchez.

Eder Jofre 72-2-4 (50KO) -Brazil: IBHOF; World Bantamweight, WBC Featherweight Champion; Victories over Vicente Saldivar, Eloy Sanchez, Johnny Caldwell, Jose Legra, and Fighting Harada.

Wilfredo “The Bible of Boxing” Benitez 53-8-1 (31KO) - Puerto Rico: IBHOF & WBHOF; A 3 Division World Champion; In 1981 became the 1st boxer in 43 years to have won a world title in three weight divisions , a 3 division world champion by the age of 22, wins world title at the age of 17; WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1976, WBC Welterweight Champion 1979, World Light Middleweight Champion 1981-1982,  World Jr. Welterweight champion 1976 – 1977, World Jr. Welterweight champion, World Welterweight champion; Victories over Antonio Cervantes (IBHOF &WBHOF)was 106-12-4 Benitez was 17 years old , Maurice Hope, Carlos Palomino (IBHOF& WBHOF), and Roberto Duran (IBHOF); Defeats to Sugar Ray Leonard (IBHOF), Davey Moore, and Thomas Hearns (IBHOF).