Once upon a time, there was a period in the junior lightweight division where virtually every fight was a classic in the making. Alexis Arguello of the WBC was the most widely recognized king of the division, with WBA kingdom?s royal duties held by Samuel Serrano and their not so loyal subjects looking to ascend to the thrones being guys like Cornelius Boza Edwards, former WBC Champion Alfredo Escalera, former WBC Featherweight Champion Bobby Chacon, Benedicto Villablanca, Diego Alcala, Apollo Yoshio, Leonel Hernandez, Rafael Limon, WBC Featherweight Champion Salvador Sanchez, Yasutsune Uehara and Rolando Navarrete. Arturo Gatti lit up the junior lightweight division in the 1990?s, but he was mainly a one man show, whereas these guys from that era a quarter of a century ago complimented each other like a professional sports? dance team. They were right next to each other and you couldn?t miss those dazzling movements put on every time they met in front of legions of adoring fans.
Rolando Navarrete stands by himself as a curious case when one speaks about Filipino greats in boxing. Unlike Jesus Salud, Flash Elorde, Manny Pacquiao and Luisito Espinosa, he was never allowed to stand by himself in his division. He still arose above them guys and for a period, became Champion of the Junior Lightweights, at least the WBC Champion. Born in 1957, the Bad Boy from Dadiangas proved to be a good boy for boxing. Yet another product of a country that whether we accept it or not is another country among those where Hispanic blood exists and that has excelled in boxing, like Mexico, Argentina and Puerto Rico.
To look at Navarrete?s career we must go back 34 years to 1973, when he made his professional debut against Eddie C. Lementos on February 17 at General Santos City. He beat Lementos by a four round decision and then faced Quirino Peligro. It was rather appropriate that Navarette fought a guy named that, because peligro means danger in Spanish and Navarrete never backed away from danger. He beat him with a six round decision. Navarrete was undefeated for his first nine bouts, with seven wins and two draws, two of those wins coming by knockout. When he faced debutante Roberto Cinco, however, he was upset by the newcomer, who handled Navarrete his first career loss, by a ten round decision.
Navarrete was no quitter and within a few fights he lifted the Philippines? Junior Lightweight Title with a twelve round decision over Conrado Vasquez, on February 15, 1975. His championship lasted for a very short time however, being handed a twelve round decision loss at the hands of Fernando Cabanella at Quezon City on October 1, 1975, thus Navarrete losing the national belt in his very first defense. Over the next three fights, Navarrete would face two tough fighters in Bernabe Villacampo and Paul Ferreri, who lasted twelve rounds against the murderous punching Carlos Zarate for the WBC Bantamweight Title in his very next fight. Navarrete beat Villacampo but lost to Ferreri by a ten round decision.
From there on, Navarrete only saw solid competition, including Johnny Sato, Ric Quijano, Rey Tam, Frankie Duarte and Jerome Artis. It was his victory over Artis, a seventh round knockout, which alerted boxing observers about this hurricane from the Pacific and sent him into a title fight against Nicaragua?s Arguello. Navarrete was way too much over his head and, on top of that, probably overwhelmed by the natural backing that the Nicaraguan got from the fans when they met on April 27, 1980 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is way much closer to Managua than it is to Manila. Despite traveling thousands of miles to duel the cowboy resembling, mustache wearing Explosive Thin Man, Navarrete did do relatively good until being stopped in round five.
Again, Navarrete wasted no time and he got back to the mix of things, fighting Hector Cortez, Refugio Rojas, Arturo Leon, Johnny Sato again and Blaine Dickson before challenging Cornelius Boza Edwards for the WBC Title that Edwards had won from Rafael Limon. On August 29 at Via Reggio?s Stadio de Pini in Italy, Navarrete produced one of the most spectacular knockouts in Junior Lightweight history when he froze Boza Edwards in round five to become champion, becoming an instant national hero back home. True to his own senses, Navarrete returned to the ring by defending his title against Chung II Choi on January 16, 1982 in Manila. In what was arguably the greatest fight year in boxing history, Navarrete and Choi began the fireworks by putting on a display of unequivocal war with gloves, with Rolando down in round five. He was saved by the bell and Choi?s corner protested that the bell was rung in benefit of the Champion, but Navarrete regained his thoughts and was able to stop the game challenger in round eleven, after sending him to the canvas in the tenth.
Ahead on points against Limon on May 29 at the Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas, Navarrete went in for the finish and hit Limon with everything he had, but Limon was a master of absorbing punishment and Navarrete found what it was like to be George Foreman that night when, spent and left with little else but heart and guts, he was stopped in round twelve by the Mexican to lose the WBC Junior Lightweight Championship.
Navarrete?s career stalled after that. He gained so much importance, however, that, in a domino effect like it was typical of the early 1980?s Junior Lightweight division, after he lost to Mario Martinez by a fifth round knockout on June 23, 1984, Martinez became favored to win the vacant WBC Belt in his next fight. Never mind that Martinez?s opponent was Julio Cesar Chavez SR., Martinez had beaten a great former champion in Navarrete and that made him look the part.
Navarrete did avenge the loss to Limon by beating him with a ten round decision on December 23, 1988 in Manila for a nice Christmas present both for him and his fans back home, but by then, both fighters were so off their championship days it was too late to consider them seriously for a run at the day?s Champions anyways. Rolando Navarrete ended up losing his last three fights in a row from 1990 to 1991, leaving boxing with a record of 54-15, 31 KO?s.
He also left us with a ton of memories, great respect and admiration for the man who was called Bad Boy but who did a lot of real good things for boxing.
The next time you drink a San Miguel beer down in Manila, do it in the name of Rolando Navarrete, WBC Junior Lightweight Champion from 1981 to 1982.
Rolando Navarrete (Lightweight) Professional Record: 72 fights; 54+ (30 KO?s), 3=, 15-
1975: Philippines Bantamweight 1981: North America Junior lightweight 1981-1982: W.B.C. Junior lightweight
– 1973 –
+ (Feb-17-1973, General Santos City) Eddie Lementos 4 + (Mar-24-1973, General Santos City) Quirino Peligro 6 + (Apr-14-1973, General Santos City) Cris Espinosa 4 + (Jun-23-1973, General Santos City) Abdel Maratan 8 + (Oct-13-1973, General Santos City) Cris Espinosa 8 = (Nov-10-1973, General Santos City) Jimmy Verongue 8 + (Nov-21-1973, General Santos City) Fime Sun ko 2 + (Dec-22-1973, Glen) Mar Belimar ko 6
– 1974 –
= (Jun-12-1974, Korondal) Julius Gonzaga 10 – (Jul-10-1974, General Santos City) Roberto Cinco 10 + (Oct-18-1974, Rizal) Willie Abenir 10 + (Nov-29-1974, Davao City) Dobo Quilario 10
– 1975 –
+ (Jan-24-1975, Rizal) Rene Cruz ko 10 + (Feb-15-1975, General Santos City) Courado Boy Vasquez 12 (Philippines, Bantamweight) + (Aug-1-1975, Manille) Go Mifune ko 2 + (Aug-31-1975, General Santos City) Danny Reyes ko 8 – (Oct-1-1975, Manille) Fernando Cabanella 12 (Philippines, Bantamweight)
– 1976 –
+ (Jan-20-1976, Cebu City) Bernabe VILLACAMPO ko 2 + (May-15-1976, Cebu City) Dommy Mardona 10 – (Jun-26-1976, Sydney) Paul FERRERI 10 + (Jul-31-1976, Cebu City) San Sacristan ko 7 + (Aug-21-1976, De Oro City) Pol Ladeza ko 1 + (Sep-25-1976, Cebu City) Rey Paulino 10 + (Nov-13-1976, Cebu City) Yung-Shik Kim ko 7
– 1977 –
+ (Jan-29-1977, Cebu City) Mario Odias 10 – (Jun-17-1977, Munkwa) Yung-Shik Kim 12 (Orient, Bantamweight) + (Aug-12-1977, Davao City) Ric Quijano 10 – (Sep-12-1977, Rizal) Thanomchit Sukhothai ko 9 – (Dec-31-1977, De Oro City) Johnny Sato ko 8
– 1978 –
+ (May-28-1978, Cebu City) Tony Jumoaos ko 4 + (Jul-15-1978, General Santos City) Nene Jun 12 + (Aug-19-1978, General Santos City) Fernando Cabanella 12 + (Sep-30-1978, Davao City) Nene Jun 12
– 1979 –
+ (Jan-7-1979, Cebu City) Pete Alferez ko 2 + (Feb-2-1979, Manille) Rey Tam ko 4 = (Mar-18-1979, Cebu City) Thanomchit Sukhothai 10 + (Jun-19-1979, Honolulu) Frankie Duarte 10 + (Jul-24-1979, Honolulu) Jose Torres 10 + (Aug-28-1979, Honolulu) Miguel Meza kot 7 + (Oct-9-1979, Honolulu) Junichi Okubo kot 3 + (Dec-18-1979, Honolulu) Abdul Bey kot 7
– 1980 –
+ (Jan-18-1980, Manille) Frank Ahumada 10 + (Apr-1-1980, Honolulu) Jerome ARTIS ko 7 – (Apr-29-1980, San Juan) Alexis Arguello kot 5 (W.B.C., Juniorlightweight)
– 1981 –
+ (Jan-20-1981, Honolulu) Rosendo Ramon kot 8 – (Mar-10-1981, Honolulu) Hector Cortez 10 + (Apr-7-1981, Honolulu) Refugio Rojas 10 + (Apr-18-1981, Honolulu) Arturo Leon 10 + (May-19-1981, Honolulu) Johnny Sato 12 (North America, Juniorlightweight) + (Jul-21-1981, Honolulu) Blaine Dickson 10 + (Aug-29-1981, Viareggio) Cornelius BOZA-EDWARDS ko 5 (W.B.C., Juniorlightweight)
– 1982 –
+ (Jan-16-1982, Manille) Chung-Il Choi ko 11 (W.B.C., Juniorlightweight) – (May-29-1982, Las Vegas) Rafael LIMON kot 12 (W.B.C., Juniorlightweight) + (Sep-10-1982, Manille) Yang-Sae Oh kot 8
– 1983 –
+ (Jan-28-1983, Manille) Saul Mayren kot 6 + (Jul-28-1983, Honolulu) Ignacio Jimenez kot 6 + (Aug-12-1983, Manille) Dennis Talbot ko 2
– 1984 –
– (Jun-23-1984, Los Angeles) Mario MARTINEZ kot 5
– 1985-1987: inactive –
– 1988 –
+ (May-6-1988, Manille) Elmer Leonardo ko 2 + (Jul-22-1988, Manille) Muhammad Juhari 10 + (Sep-16-1988, Manille) Bisenti Santoso kot 2 + (Nov-5-1988, Manille) Jin-Shik Choi kot 6 + (Dec-23-1988, Manille) Rafael LIMON 10
– 1989 –
+ (Feb-18-1989, Manille) Dawthong Chuvatana kot 1 + (Apr-22-1989, Manille) Ken Carter kot 1 + (Jul-12-1989, Manille) Thongbern Vongianyai ko 3 – (Oct-13-1989, Quezon City) Tae-Jin Moon ko 6
– 1990 –
– (Feb-17-1990, Mexico City) Ramon MARCHENA injury 5 + (May-18-1990, Manille) Ayuthaya Sithafakam ko 7 – (Jul-20-1990, Manille) Tae-Jin Moon ko 9
– 1991 –
– (Jun-8-1991, Baguio City) Bernabe Aliping 10 – (Jul-31-1991, Quezon City) William MAGAHIN kot 6
