Is it just a boxing rivalry? By M.DeTyrone

Is it just a boxing rivalry?

By M.DeTyrone

What is the Puerto Rico vs. Mexico boxing rivalry? The Puerto Rican vs. México boxing rivalry is a war of two cultures competing for supremacy. Puerto Ricans are up against a large ethnic population supported by the media and corrupt boxing business with its interest. Some may not like or appreciate the description but throughout the decades, many have seen the facts.

In Castilian (Spanish) language the definition of the word Rivalidad (from Latin. rivalitas, -atis) is the enmity produced by emulation or very live competitions. Sports rivalries are baseball, fútbol, or hockey teams that represent their cities within their respected leagues. By contrast, the Puerto Rico vs. México boxing rivalry is a one promoted by the boxing business and media with strong nationalist themes and undertones. As a result, the rivalry transcends boxing and since the 1970s, it’s become a war of cultures. Fought by two boxers that represent their traditions, culture, nation, ethnicity, and their boxing school fighting it’s a war between two opponents with the objective to gain superiority over the other. Numerous times, it’s been under unfavorable and unfair circumstances…

It’s a rivalry Puerto Rico is a small island with a population of just 3.548 million its rival is a nation of 122.3 million with 33.7 million in the USA. This rivalry goes back to Sixto Escobar defeating Rodolfo “Baby” Casanovas by KO 9 for the Montreal Athletic Commission World Bantamweight title in 1934. Then in 1960s Carlos Ortiz KOs Raymundo “Battling” Torres in 10 to win the world light welterweight Title. Nonetheless, the rivalry doesn’t really take shape until the 1970s when the boxers, Wilfredo Gomez TKO’d Raul Tirado in five rounds to win the WBC World Super Bantamweight title in 1977. Esteban De Jesus TKOs Vicente Mijares Saldivar in 11 rounds to WBC world Lightweight title in 1977, and then Alfredo Escalera KO’d Carlos Becerril in eight rounds to win the WBC World Super Featherweight title in 1977. In the 1970s, the Puerto Rico boxers went 9-3 with (7 KO) vs. the best Mexico and Mexican-Americans could offer…

The main Puerto Rican boxer in this rivalry during that time was Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez who held the Mexican based non-profit institution WBC World Super Bantamweight title and defended it by knocking out every single Mexican and Mex-American boxer that the Mexican based WBC could find. In 1981, Gomez decides to move up in weight and challenge Salvador Sanchez for the WBC World Featherweight title. Gomez was defeated via an eighth round TKO and since then the Mexican and Mex-American fans look at that fight as this great symbolic victory in the rivalry. In the large, part due to the media exaggeration… Yet they forget Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez continued knocking out Mexican and Mex-American boxers in world title fights finishing with record of 9-1 (9KOs) in world title fights vs. Mexican and Mex-American boxers. Nevertheless, you won’t hear that mentioned by the boxing media.

The boxing business and media can’t promote an event based on nationalistic themes and think that there will be no bias, hate, or existing resentment etc… between two very different cultures due to various reasons other than the sport of boxing. Unlike what many think in the USA, Puerto Ricans have a culture, Spanish dialect, and ancestry very different from the Mexican and Mex-American culture. In addition, Puerto Ricans have a different political status with the USA since the 1900s this has created resentment, hate, and envy mainly from a section of the Mexicans and Mex-Americans community, which has been part of the number one Latino group immigrating into the USA. Thus, when a there’s a Puerto Rico vs. Mexico boxing rivalry event this is strongly reflected in the comments social media sites and pages etc.

What many people don’t understand is that the boxing business and boxing media favors Mexican and Mex-American boxers due to the Mexican population of 123 million and 33.7 million in the USA compared to other Latinos in the USA like the Cubans, Argentines, Venezuelans, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans.

One example is ESPN Deportes, which has various programs dedicated to boxing, Mexican or Mexican-Americans are the host of all, and once in a blue they will bring an ex- Puerto Rican boxer, referee, or someone from another culture. Their analysis and promotion heavily slants towards Mexican and Mex-American boxers. It seems that there is no Puerto Rican, Cuban, or another Latino, which is able to commentate about boxing on ESPN Deportes.

In these fights, there is also the mention of the word War that is the state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism and the continuation of politics where one must secure one’s self-interests. Puerto Rican and Puerto Rican boxing fans are fooling themselves if they think that what are a Mexican promotional companies and the WBC (a non-profit institution based in México) won’t protect their self-interests, which is the promotion of Mexican and Mexican-American boxers. It’s a well-known and documented fact that the WBC has favored Mexican and Mex-American boxers in their rankings and many North American boxers, which helped them, promote their brand within the USA. Their claim is that all boxers want their “green belt,” which is a myth and based on good self-promotion. Since the late 1980s, the WBC has been bias towards Puerto Rican boxers unlike the historic WBA that has given opportunities to all Latin Americans boxers from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

Among all of other alphabet organizations, it’s been within the World Boxing Association (WBA) where Puerto Ricans boxers have won the most titles compared to the WBO, WBC, and IBF. A total of 32 times a Puerto Rican boxer has won a WBA title and among them 7 Boxing Hall of Famers. Going back to the first Puerto Rican boxing world champion Sixto Escobar winning the NBA World Bantamweight title in 1935, then Carlos Ortiz who was the WBA World Lightweight Champion 1962-1965 /1965-1968, and Jose Torres the WBA World Light Heavyweight Champion 1965-1966.

If any Puerto Rican boxer thinks, they will find fairness with the WBC involved against a Mexican or Mex-American boxers they are fooling themselves. I would advise all Puerto Rican boxers to vacate or boycott the WBC I would go as far as to ban the WBC from conducting any business in Puerto Rico.