National rivalries are one of boxing’s oldest and most reliable drawing cards because it feeds into our natural territorial instincts. When “our” side wins, we feel good about ourselves even though others did all the work. Conversely, when “we” lose, the pangs of sorrow are just as powerful. Crowds don’t cheer for teams per se, they really root for themselves. If athletes representing their nation or culture are successful, it reflects well on them as a group and gives them bragging rights on the world stage. That’s why many countries reward their sports heroes with lifetime pensions and fans grant them their undying devotion.
Some of boxing’s most storied rivalries include Mexico vs. Puerto Rico, South Korea vs. Japan and just about everyone vs. the United States. Some of these matchups are rooted in geography while others are fueled by politics. But pride is the most powerful motivator of all – if your guys win, you’re a winner as well.
One would think that Mexico vs. the Philippines lacks the punch of other rivalries but that isn’t necessarily the case. The first title fight involving the two nations took place March 21, 1963 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles as part of a supercard featuring three world title bouts. Roberto Cruz of Mexico knocked out Filipino Battling Torres for the WBA junior welterweight title vacated by the retiring Duilio Loi, while the two other title tilts saw Luis Rodriguez dethrone welterweight king Emile Griffith and Ultiminio “Sugar” Ramos take Davey Moore’s featherweight crown. The Cruz-Torres fight lasted just 127 seconds, but the tentacles of that night have extended more than four decades and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
In 29 fights involving WBA, WBC and IBF titles, Mexico holds a 19-9-1 lead over the Philippines. But make no mistake, Mexico had to work hard to get that edge. One of the best examples of that took place last March 19 when Erik Morales decisioned Manny Pacquiao in a fight that pitted two of the best their nations could offer. It was a fight so good that it had to be made again, even after Morales dropped a comprehensive decision to Zahir Raheem last September 10. Saturday night’s rematch offers an opportunity to reflect on outstanding battles between Mexico and the Philippines and their place in history. Not all of the fights on this list qualify as great, but all are notable just the same.
10. March 25, 1991 – Melchor Cob Castro KO 10 Rolando Pascua: Pascua was defending the WBC junior flyweight title for the first time against No. 9 contender Cob Castro, who was largely unknown in the U.S. because most of his fights took place in Mexico. But Pascua was a champion defending his belt at the Great Western Forum, which at the time billed itself as “The House of Upsets.” Pascua pressed the fight throughout while Cob Castro stayed on the outside and looked for potshots. After a tentative first two rounds, Cob Castro hurt fellow southpaw Pascua twice in the third with sharp lefts to the jaw, but with only 13 knockouts in 28 victories Cob Castro chose not to press his advantage. Pascua was stunned again in the seventh with a right hook to the chin and in the ninth with a left-right to the head. The effects of the ninth carried over to the 10th as an exhausted Pascua turned away and surrendered the fight – and the championship.
9. September 4, 2004 — Jorge Arce W 12 Juanito Rubillar II: Arce and Rubillar fought three years before for the vacant interim WBC junior flyweight belt, with Arce earning the decision. This time, they fought for the “full” belt and the fight was certainly full of interesting, if not always compelling, action. Arce won the first three rounds with superior aggression, but in the fourth Rubillar began to offer stiffer resistance. Arce hurt Rubillar late in the fifth, and from there the two exchanged powerful blows on the inside with Arce always a step ahead.
Early in the ninth, Rubillar landed a low left followed by three rabbit punches that forced Arce to take a knee and the referee to take a point. With anger boiling up in both men, the action escalated – both in the ring and in the stands. With 1:50 left in the final round, Rubillar grabbed Arce around the waist and bulled him through the ropes and onto the ring apron. While Rubillar was the one coming forward most of the time, Arce was doing more of the scoring as he peppered the Filipino’s head and body en route to a second decision win.
8. December 11, 1995 – Luisito Espinosa W 12 Manuel Medina I: This was Medina’s first defense of his second reign as a featherweight titlist. Espinosa, a former WBA bantamweight champion, earned this WBC title shot by knocking out, among others, former WBC king Alejandro “Cobrita” Gonzalez in two rounds and onetime WBC bantamweight champion Raul Perez in one round.
Medina started quickly, taking the early rounds by forcing the action with his bustling attack. Espinosa opened a cut over Medina’s right eye in the third round and by the fifth the eye was slammed shut. Though Medina didn’t fight in the typical Mexican style, he exhibited a true Mexican’s heart by pressing forward despite taking dozens of whistling shots coming in. The fight never had a slow moment as the two boxers worked hard to establish dominance. By the time the fight was over, Medina’s face was a mess while the unmarked Espinoza captured his second divisional title via close but unanimous decision (115-113, 115-113 and 116-112). The two would fight again 18 months later, with Espinosa prevailing by eight-round technical decision after an accidental butt opened a cut over the Filipino’s left eyebrow. Espinosa led 78-73 on two cards and 77-75 on the third.
7. May 15, 1999 – Cesar Soto W 12 Luisito Espinosa II: Espinosa won his title from a Mexican and he would lose it to a Mexican. Espinosa was coming off a high-profile two-round KO win over Kennedy McKinney and was in line to take on Naseem Hamed in a megabucks unification fight. All he had to do was get past Soto, a man he decisioned nearly three years before. Soto forgot to read the script as he charged out of his corner and stunned the champion twice in the first round, first with an overhand right then with a hook. The Filipino fought well on the retreat, catching Soto coming in with blistering combinations. Soto’s consistent aggression kept Espinosa on his back foot throughout the fight, and his heavier punches carried the day as he won a unanimous decision – and the fight with Hamed.
6. November 26, 1993 – Julio Cesar Borboa KO 5 Rolando Pascua: Sonora’s Borboa was making the third defense of the IBF title he won from Robert Quiroga against Pascua, a former WBC junior flyweight champion who was fighting for only the third time at 115 pounds. His 36-8 (14 KOs) record was hardly intimidating, but all boxers know that anyone can present problems given the right circumstances. After a cautious first half of round one, Borboa began nailing Pascua with sharp punches to the head and body. Pascua quickly discovered he couldn’t fight Borboa at long range, so he initiated several exchanges on the inside. With 1:05 left in the second round, Pascua decked the champ with a right hook to the jaw. Borboa recovered quickly, hurting Pascua late in the round. From then on, the two exchanged fiercely on the inside until Borboa’s left hook to the ear sent Pascua to the canvas late in the fifth. The Filipino got up, but a follow-up flurry prompted referee Jose Medina Solares to step in at the 2:58 mark.
5. December 6, 1975 – Alfonso Zamora KO 2 Socrates Batoto: The power punching Zamora entered the Mexico City ring sporting a perfect record – 23 fights, 23 wins and 23 knockouts. Only six of those fights lasted longer than three rounds, and Batoto figured to be just another notch in Zamora’s ever-growing list of victims. In his only other title shot, Batoto was stopped in four rounds by WBA flyweight champion Betulio Gonzalez, and his 12-3 (5 KOs) record was nothing special. Zamora won a quiet first round handily, nailing Batoto with a left hook to the ear and a right to the jaw. The second round, however, was hardly quiet as the lanky Batoto floored Zamora with a hook to the jaw. Embarrassed, Zamora went to work, nailing Batoto with a searing right to the face and decking the Filipino with a right to the ribs. Up at eight, Zamora finished the job with an overhand right to the ear.
4. March 19, 2005 – Erik Morales W 12 Manny Pacquiao I: Though no titles were involved, Morales-Pacquiao I had the feeling of a championship fight. After all, this match pitted two of the very best Mexico and the Philippines could offer, so one can fairly say this was the highest-profile Mexican-Filipino showdown ever.
Both men’s predatory instincts guaranteed an all-action brawl and nobody was disappointed. Though Pacquiao threw more punches in the fight, Morales landed more and assumed an edge in the fight. An accidental butt opened a massive vertical cut over Pacquiao’s left eye and the blood flowed freely for the rest of the bout. Pacquiao offered stiff resistance, but by the 12th round Morales had scored enough points to secure a decision. Yet Morales risked it all in the final round not only by duking it out with Pacquiao but doing so from a southpaw stance. It was a macho fight all the way, and Saturday’s rematch promises more of the same.
3. December 19, 1990 – Rolando Pascua KO 6 Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez: By the time Gonzalez fought against Pascua, he was already considered one of boxing’s little giants, with good reason. Gonzalez possessed such prodigious power that one magazine crowned him boxing’s hardest puncher in an era that included Mike Tyson, Julian Jackson and Nigel Benn. He was 29-0 (23 KOs) and making his sixth defense of the title he won from Yoo Wul Lee 18 months before. A megabucks unification showdown with IBF champion Michael Carbajal was on the horizon, and all Chiquita needed to do was keep winning.
Pascua, the WBC’s number four contender, had other ideas. He trained three months for this opportunity of a lifetime and he was in prime shape. He won the first two rounds by keeping Gonzalez off-balance with his southpaw style and quick combinations. In the third, Pascua put more mustard behind his punches and Gonzalez was growing more frustrated. Gonzalez roared out of his corner at the start of the fourth and forced a slugfest, and surprisingly Pascua more than held his own. An accidental headbutt opened a deep cut over Gonzalez’s left eye and heightened an already desperate situation. Gonzalez did everything he could to polish off Pascua, but the Filipino seemed impervious to the blows that had obliterated past foes and he fired back with gusto.
With one minute remaining in the sixth, Pascua hurt Gonzalez badly with a short left to the jaw and put Gonzalez on his back with a right hook to the ear. When referee Marty Sammon tolled “10,” Chiquita was still flat on his back. The superfight with Carbajal was pushed back more than two years and Pascua exited the Great Western Forum with the biggest upset the Mexican-Filipino series has yet known.
2. May 8, 2004 – Manny Pacquiao D 12 Juan Manuel Marquez: In this era of divided championships, a fight that unifies the belt is a welcome sight. But when a unification match brings two aggressors together, the probability that the fight will become part of the sport’s lore increases tremendously. Fighting before an electric crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, IBF champion Pacquiao scored three knockdowns with a trio of classic straight lefts to the jaw. But the three-knockdown rule was not in effect, and luckily for Marquez and fight fans everywhere, the WBA champion was allowed to fight on.
Fighting with blood all over his face from a broken nose, Marquez bravely soldiered on against the Filipino whirlwind. Marquez spent most of his time on the outside, snapping jabs, firing lead rights and getting inside just long enough to land a body shot or two before nipping back out. Marquez methodically chipped away at the huge lead Pacquiao established in the first round. Marquez stunned Pacquiao in the sixth and speared “Pac Man” repeatedly in the seventh. After a close eighth and ninth, Pacquiao staggered Marquez in the 10th with a series of left crosses. Marquez closed the scoring gap in the 11th by landing lead rights to the chin, and after a tightly fought 12th, the fight ended with both men raising their arms. The officials agreed as they saw it a split decision draw.
1. May 29, 1982 – Rafael “Bazooka” Limon KO 12 Rolando Navarette I: In terms of sustained action, few fights can top Limon-Navarette I as the two warriors traded power shots without pause. Navarette was making his second defense of the WBC junior lightweight title he won from Cornelius Boza-Edwards by upset fifth round KO. Normally an aggressor, Navarette controlled the fight through the first seven rounds by landing sharp, powerful counters as Limon whaled away with hard body shots. Not did they nail each other with punches, they also swapped taunts as each sought to gain a psychological edge.
The fight turned Limon’s way in the eighth when a chopping left to the temple stunned Navarette, but the Filipino weathered the storm not by holding but by firing back even harder. Navarette eventually regained his bearings and by the 12th he led by three and four points on two scorecards while trailing by two on the third. With 14 seconds remaining in the round, Limon landed a left uppercut that caught the ducking Navarette on the point of the jaw. A follow-up flurry capped by a neck-snapping uppercut put Navarette on his back, and the Filipino champion was unable to beat Joey Curtis’ count.
So how will Morales-Pacquiao II stack up? The answer to that question lies, quite literally, in the fighters’ hands.
