Term Paper on "Analyzing Mexico and Puerto Rican Boxing Rivalries"

Term Paper 12 pages (3948 words) Sources: 8

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The professor who has authored a number of articles and books on the sporting history of Puerto Rico states that somebody needs to remark that a rivalry exists for it to really set in. Fights themselves are merely fights. When the two biggest Latino countries stand against one another in the boxing ring, one would expect something more to be at stake. However, this alleged boxing rivalry amounts to nothing but hype for selling tickets. Dr. Sotomayor believes a Puerto Rican-Mexican match garners only so much rivalry as a Puerto Rican-American match (Stradley).

But, at some occasions in the past, this boastful and insulting talk against the rival country has had uglier consequences. This was particularly true in the heyday of Julio Cesar Chavez, who appeared to be striking down Puerto Ricans each month. Following his match with Hector Camacho where he again tasted victory, Chavez claimed that he believed he would not be granted entry into his home country (i.e., Mexico) if he had lost. More than all other boxers perhaps, Chavez made this rivalry feel almost real. The question is: was this "trash talk" old-school pre-fight mockery, or were its roots deep? Does it have a sociological perspective? Is Puerto Ricans' free entry into U.S. behind this rivalry (since Mexicans were not accorded this right)? Was a Mexican victory in the boxing ring a symbolic strike at the U.S. (Stradley)?

Dr. Sotomayor is of the opinion that in the sporting arena, there is always more at play than mere competition. Yet, a Chicago university Mexican Studies professor, Dr. Dain Borges, sees nothing political in this much-hyped Puerto Rican-Mexican rivalry. He claims this rivalry feels just like some college rivalry built up over time, with no historical basis whatsoever. Puerto Ricans and Mexicans know one another through movies and pop music. Aside from these elements, no significant interaction exists between these two nations, making any rivalry strange (Stradley).

For those keeping score, far more champions, boxers and Hall of Fame personalities have come from Mexico than the relatively much smaller state of Puerto Rico. The former also proudly defends its status as the greatest Latino boxing group. Nevertheless, the feeling remains that these "feuds" go beyond belts, losses and victories (Stradley).

According to Dr. Sotomayor, these boxers carry the weights of their home countries. And to the Latinos, their boxers are representative of the everyday struggles of life. Boxers' symbolism differs considerably from that of baseball players. Boxers are fighters and hence, there is more identification here (Stradley). If one looks at the big picture, one will notice that no true blood rivalry exists between Mexico and Puerto Rico, and the two nations respect one another greatly. In Mexican-American bouts, fans from Puerto Rico actually support the Mexican fighter. Thus, what exactly does a Puerto Rico-Mexico boxing match imply over thirty years after the Gomez-Sanchez match? It implies the two nations continue to be poor, and the youth of these nations still resort to pugilism as the way out. It implies that promoters who believed these Latino fighters were really worth showcasing before publics were right, irrespective of what underlying motivations they possessed. Also, it implies audiences will likely get to view a memorable match. Also, it is easier compared to inventing a Swedish-Canadian feud.

Famous Puerto Rican boxer, Cotto, comments that everyone is aware of what a Puerto Rican-Mexican bout implies for boxing, and fans may expect this very same from them. Historically, Puerto Rican as well as Mexican professional boxers have shared a common fighting style: both take risks, aim for knockout, and are ready to absorb any punishment (Marino).

While Puerto Rico's national population is not even 3.6 million, the little nation has produced more than 70 world boxing champions. Meanwhile, the larger nation of Mexico is home to 200 world boxing titleholders. According to most people, Chavez (107-6-2, 86 knockouts) is supreme among boxers from Mexico. This boxer, to whom people frequently liken Alvarez, featured in a couple of the greatest historic Puerto Rican-Mexican battles -- one with Rosario in the year 1987, and the other with Camacho in the year 1992. Another unforgettable matchup was that between Felix Trinidad of Puerto Rico and De La Hoya of Mexican-American origin, in the year 1999 (Marino).

Miguel Cotto (Puerto Rico)

The small state of Puerto Rico, indeed, has made a disproportionate contribution to boxing history, with its long list of first-rate boxers, of whom the most stylish are Hector Camacho and Wilfredo Benitez, who depicted mesmerizing defense and feline reflexes. Seek-and-destroy boxers such as Felix Trinidad and Wilfredo Gomez punched precociously and finished mercilessly. Miguel Cotto, aged 33, is one modern-day boxer to join this list. The boxer has, for the last decade, wrecked destruction in the boxing ring, bridging the gap between technician and puncher (Klimes). Although Cotto (38-4, 31 KOs) does not rank as his generation's s best boxer, he still fights and loses spiritedly (Klimes).

Unfortunately, for the past two years, Cotto's reign has faded and it was estimated that by the year 2014, he would move beyond the public eye in a succession of possible super fights. Though these would earn him substantial money, possibly bring about realization, and maintain the boxer's profile, his health would not back him. Cotto's ruin could be brought about by his warrior mentality, aggressive fighting style, and refusal to give up, together with the lethal combination of adversaries he might have to fight against (Klimes).

Miguel Cotto's boxing strengths include: outstanding body punching, measured but suffocating pressure, a powerful jab, and brutal inside fighting. All these are tools handy for young boxers, rather than aging ones. Two potential 2014 adversaries of Cotto's are packed with the same combination of qualities he possessed in his fleeting, but impressive prime. The boxers are also of a younger age, with less on-the-clock mileage (Klimes).

Last year, Cotto stalled a match with Alvarez, shocking the latter. According to De La Hoya, an Alvarez-Cotto match would prove significant to possibly renewing the Puerto Rican-Mexican boxing rivalry. He added that the match would be huge, like one between Chavez and Rosario, or Trinidad and De La Hoya, or Sanchez and Gomez. Puerto Rican and Mexican boxers never ducked one another, and this would be one classic bout for boxing fans. Alvarez (promoted by De La Hoya) fought Cotto on 2nd May, 2015 (Satterfield).

Alvarez asserted that his first preferred opponent for a fight was Cotto, although he had many other options. However, considering the wishes of fans across the world (particularly those from Puerto Rico), who expected him to battle somebody big like Cotto, he opted for this fight (Satterfield).

Hector Camacho (Puerto Rico) versus De La Hoya

Dubbed Mexican boxing's 'Golden Boy', Oscar De La Hoya's prizefighting career (Record: 39 victories, 6 losses, and 30 KOs) was a memorable one. The illustrious boxer featured in some among the largest PPV (pay-per-view) boxing events of the age and is a world titleholder in several weight categories (About.com) (Biography.com).

Labeled one among the most ruthless boxers in Puerto Rican-Mexican boxing history, De La Hoya was simply the perfect match for a bout with Camacho, the first-rate Puerto Rican boxer (McRae).

In the famous 13th September, 1997 12-round De La Hoya-Camacho bout, where the former won in the last round, sponsors guaranteed De La Hoya 9 million dollars, whereas Camacho was to earn 3 million dollars. In the match's 9th round, De La Hoya floored Camacho. Richard Steele, match referee, took one point from Camacho on grounds of excessive holding in the last (12th) round. According to Compubox punch statistics, De La Hoya landed 373 punches, of which 340 were power punches, while Camacho landed 124, with only 54 power punches. 560,000 PPV buys were generated for the fight, grossing 22.4 million dollars (Box Rec).

De La Hoya repeatedly hit Camacho's ear (most punches), throat and nose, and only two options remained -- going down or losing his hearing. He opted for the canvas during the 9th round. De La Hoya (26-0) ended up retaining his welterweight WBC title with an undisputed vote at Vegas' Thomas and Mack Center arena (Friend).

Camacho's wife, Amy, couldn't bear watching his turmoil in the end, and turned away from the ring the moment he was vulnerable (again) to a hit on his left ear, with just 30 seconds to go in the match's ninth round. However, the East Harlem boxer Camacho (64-4-1), aged 35 at the time, managed to stand up again, retaining his record of never having been knocked out by an opponent (Friend).

Before this match, De La Hoya thanked goodness only one Hector Camacho existed. He claimed to never have taken the obnoxious Camacho seriously, always considering him the boxing world's "clown prince," from his personality to how he carried himself. De La Hoya remarked that, in his view, Camacho considered himself the bomb, which he probably is (Friend). Also, no Mexican ever liked Camacho, according to De La Hoya, especially not where… READ MORE

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