Philippines, 17 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


AUG.1: 106th BIRTHDAY OF ASIA’S FIRST WORLD BOXING CHAMP


PhilBoxing.com




HOW WOULD HE FARE VS TODAY’S FLYWEIGHTS?

ILOILO CITY – Had he lived today, would Francisco Guilledo, popularly known as “Pancho Villa”, stand a china man’s chance against the best flyweights in the world?

How would he perform if ranged against the brass-talking former IBF champion Vic “The Bull” Darchinyan who was tore to pieces by another Visayan Fil-Am Nonito “The Flash” Donaire in five rounds recently?

Given the same opportunity to fight Darchinyan today, would Villa, famous for his semi-bolo punch, pulverize the ribcracker from Australia with a single punch?

Better still, would boxing authorities today allow Villa to fight as a flyweight when he stood only 5 feet and one inch? Or would he be permitted only to fight as mini-flyweight which was still a misnomer at that time?

These are some of the common question asked by fans and townmates in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental of the great ring immortal as the Ilonggo community here celebrates his 106th birthday, August 1.

Born August 1, 1901 in Sitio Ilog, Kabankalan, Guilledo won the world flyweight crown on June 18, 1921 with a seventh round knockout win over defending champion, Welshman Jimmy Wilde at the Polo Grounds in New York.

He died ten days due to tooth infection after losing a non-title duel versus welterweight champion Jimmy McLarnin on July 4, 1923.

Villa was a former stevedore at the Muelly Loney port here. He was married to Gliceria Concepcion.

Boxing patron Frank Atas, Jr. said Villa’s “only son” once managed a small boxing gym somewhere in Jaro district here.
“He resembled his father and he also loved boxing only that the press did not recognize him then,” said Atas whose father also once owned a boxing gym.

Historian Gerlie Mini Uy, a Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) lawyer in La Carlota City, Kabankalan’s neighboring city, said Villa is still extremely popular in Negros Occidental.

“Every time people in Negros talked about boxing, they would always mention Pancho Villa’s ring exploits and heroism,” said Uy, whose neighbors are relatives of another former world champion Benjamin Gan also known as “Small Montana.”

Villa was touted as “the greatest flyweight of the century” by the Associated Press. Standing only 5 feet and one inch, Villa was also the first world champion from Asia. He was one of only four Asians enshrined into the New York-based International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994. He was also inducted to the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

He began his boxing career in 1919 and adopted the name Pancho Villa after a famous Mexican revolutionary. After his successful bids in the Philippines, he went to New York in pursuit of international bouts.

Among his most memorable fights were his losses to former Olympic champion Frankie Genaro who beat him on points two times in as many confrontations. They were penciled to meet for the third time but his untimely death dashed that dream match to pieces.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Smarts over power
    By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
    By Dong Secuya, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • 21-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
    By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
    , Mon, 15 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Crawford to defy odds?
    By Joaquin Henson, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
    By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 14 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.