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LA Featherweight Wars of the 1970s

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    LA Featherweight Wars of the 1970s

    In the 1970s the featherweight wars were montly in Los Angeles. I have seen many of these fights and would have loved to have seen them live. Mexican and Chicano fighters were on fire in LA at the time and they had great fights every month or so.

    The fighters were a whos who of 1970s featherweights. Danny Lopez, Clemente Sanchez, Kuniaki Shibata, Rafael Herrara, Bobby Chacon, Jose Legra, Chucho Castillo, Ruben Olivares and Alexis Arguello to name a few and an abundance of Mexican prospects. These fighters were matched every was possible and put on some great fights. The fans were wild and would throw bottles if a non mexican got the nod over a Mexican. The atmosphere was hostile but electric.

    Below is the best I have seen but will share more when I watch more old tapes.


    vs


    For the US championship and the newly created 'City title', this was the fight everyone was waiting on. Two years in the making, the two combatants do not let the packed house down as they go at it hammer and thong. Controlling the action in mid-ring and utilizing the newly acquired body shots painfully learned in the Olivares fight, Chacon only falters in two rounds with Lopez pinning him against the ropes and letting loose with his full arsenal. Chacon weathers the attack and finally cuts loose at the beginning of the 9th finishing Lopez off at :48 seconds of the round. Could it get any better?

    #2
    Bump for the Lounge

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      #3
      Great thread Cletus,

      do you know which of the other fights I should absolutely be hunting for?

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        #4
        The 80's had good ones too, and not only in LA.

        Salvador Sanchez met Patrick Ford in San Antonio, Juan Lapporte in El Paso, Azumah Nelson in NY. The first Sanchez-Lopez fight was in Phoenix in February 1980. It was deprecated as the fight between "Little Red vs. Little Known." The second fight was four months later in Vegas.

        Fenech's fights in Australia weren't too bad. Fenech dropped Victor Callejas twice to win the vacant WBC title back in the 80's.

        Wilfredo Gomez won the WBC Featherweight title from Juan La Porte in Puerto Rico in the same decade.

        Eusebio Pedroza continued his string of successful defenses which started in 1978 when he wrested the WBA Featherweight crown from the Spaniard Cecilio Lastra. Including several title defenses in his home country of Panama, Pedroza travelled to South Korea, Japan, New Jersey (USA), Venezuela, North Carolina and Italy before losing his title to Barry McGuigan in London in 1985. 13 of Pedroza's division record of 19 successful defenses were in the 80's.

        McGuigan lost the title to Steve Cruz in what was hailed as Ring ****zine Fight of the Year-1986 in Vegas. Stever Cruz was TKO'd in the 12th by Antonio Esparagoza in Texas two years later and lost his crown.

        Nelson met Marcos Villasana in two great fights in LA around the mid-80's.

        But, I think you're right... the Featherweight fights in Inglewood in the 70's were fantastic!

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          #5
          Found this just now. Thought you fellas might be interested....
          Attached Files
          Last edited by grayfist; 10-22-2007, 12:16 PM.

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