Carlos Zárate (boxer)


Jesús Carlos Zárate Serna is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1970 to 1988, and held the WBC bantamweight title from 1976 to 1979.
Zárate was voted Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine in 1977. Zárate was ranked #21 in The Ring's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. and voted as the #1 bantamweight of the 20th century by the Associated Press in 1999. In 1994, Zárate was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He is also the father of once-defeated Light Welterweight prospect, Carlos Zárate, Jr.

Personal life

Carlos Zárate has family members who have followed him into boxing. His son Carlos, now retired, fought in the Light Welterweight division and his nephew, Joel Luna Zárate, is the former WBO Latino Super Flyweight champion.

Amateur career

Zárate, considered along with rival Wilfredo Gómez to be among the better punchers of the lighter divisions, had an amateur record of 33 wins and 3 losses, with 30 knockout wins, and he won the Mexican Golden Gloves, or Guantes de Oro, in 1969.

Professional career

In 1970, Carlos made his professional debut with a 2-round knockout win over Luis Castañeda in Cuernavaca. That marked the beginning of a 23-fight knockout winning streak. The only boxers to get past the third round during that streak were Al Torres and Antonio Castañeda, who lasted 5 and 9 rounds respectively, both at Tijuana. Víctor Ramírez became the first boxer to last the distance with Zárate when Zárate beat him on points in January 1974 in Mexico City over ten rounds. Next began his second 20 plus knockout wins in a row streak, when none of his next 28 opponents heard the final bell on their feet.

WBC Bantamweight championship

After knocking out former world title challenger Néstor Jiménez in two rounds at Mexicali to end 1975, the WBC made Zárate their number one challenger at the Bantamweight division. So, after beating César Desiga by a knockout in four on March 29, 1976, in Monterrey, Zárate was faced on the night of May 8 of that year with defending WBC Bantamweight Champion Rodolfo Martínez in Los Angeles. Zárate became a world Bantamweight champion by knocking his countryman out in the eighth round. Zárate next won two fights by a knockout in the second and then defended it against Paul Ferreri, who lost by knockout in 12 in Los Angeles too. He finished '76 with a four-round knockout over Waruinge Nakayama in a title defense held at Culiacán.

Fight against WBA Bantamweight champion

After beginning 1977 with a third-round knockout win over Colombia's Fernando Cabanela in Mexico City, Mexican boxing fans started talking about a possible unification bout between him and fellow Mexican Alfonso Zamora, the WBA's world Bantamweight champion. Nicknamed by the American boxing press as The Z Boys, the two did square off, but not before much hassle and hurdle putting by both the WBC and WBA, who wanted both boxers to pay a large amount of money before sanctioning the bout. So, the California state boxing commission decided to sanction it as a ten-round, non-title bout instead. Fans didn't seem to care that no world title belt would be involved that afternoon, and they packed the fight venue when Zárate and Zamora met in the LA suburb of Inglewood, California, at the Forum on April 23 of '77. Zárate made the tactical mistake of going toe to toe with a shorter but harder hitting puncher. Zárate got tagged repeatedly and then a man wearing a white tank top and grey sweat pants entered the ring. The fight was momentarily stopped by referee Richard Steele and a contingent of helmeted policemen stormed the ring, forcibly removing the intruder thereafter, Zárate managed to stay away from Zamora. After a first round, Zárate the better boxer, with a reach advantage stayed away and outboxed Zamora wearing him down then knocking him out in four to gain recognition by most boxing fans as the undisputed world champion of the Bantamweights. Then, he retained the WBC title with a knockout in six over Danilo Batista, and finished 1977 with a trip to Spain, where he retained the belt against challenger Juan Francisco Rodríguez, beaten in five.
In 1978, Zárate started out by meeting future world champion Alberto Dávila, whom he knocked out in eight at Los Angeles to retain his belt. Then, in April of that year, he made his first of two trips to Puerto Rico that year, to fight challenger Andres Hernandez, who lasted until the 13th. round at San Juan's Roberto Clemente coliseum.

Zárate vs. Gómez

After retaining the title against Emilio Hernandez by a knockout in four and winning a non-title bout, Zárate announced he was moving up in weight and challenging the WBC Super Bantamweight champion, Wilfredo Gómez. According to many experts and the Ring Magazine book The Ring: Boxing In The 20th Century, Gómez and Zárate had the highest knockout win percentage of any two champions paired inside a ring in a world title fight: When Gómez and Zárate met on October 28, also at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, the challenger and still world Bantamweight champion Zárate was 52–0 with 51 knockouts, while defending world Super Bantamweight champion Gómez was 21-0-1 with 21 knockouts. Zárate went to the floor four times and tasted the sour taste of defeat for the first time in his career when he was beaten by a knockout in five rounds.

Return to Bantamweight

In 1979, Zárate made what would turn out to be his last successful defense, with a third-round knockout win over Mensah Kpalongo in Los Angeles. After winning a non-title bout against Celso Cháirez by a knockout in five in Houston, Texas, Zárate met gym-mate Lupe Pintor in Las Vegas and lost a close and controversial 15-round decision. Enraged by losing a decision he thought undeserved, he announced his retirement from boxing and vowed never to fight as a professional again.

Five year retirement

Zárate spent five years in retirement, but the temptation of the public adulation boxers receive when they become champions and the aroma of the boxing ring led him back into competition as a boxer. Despite still retaining an acceptable amount of his boxing ability, Zárate was nonetheless, a shadow of what he was before his 5-year retirement. In his return bout in 1986 against Adam García, he won a four-round decision. 11 more victories in a row, all by knockout, including one over then number one world Super Bantamweight challenger Richard Savage, made him the WBC's number one challenger at the Super Bantamweight division once again.
And so, in October 1987, he traveled to Australia to meet the man boxing fans consider to be the greatest Australian world champion of all time: Jeff Fenech. In a fight contested for Fenech's world Super Bantamweight title, Zárate lost by a four-round technical decision. After Fenech vacated the title soon after to pursue the world Featherweight crown, Zárate and countryman Daniel Zaragoza met for the vacant world championship belt, but Zárate came back on the losing end once again, being knocked out in the tenth round and finally announcing his retirement for good.
During the 1990s he also became a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame, and in 2003, he and Wilfredo Gómez met at a boxing undercard in Puerto Rico to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their boxing bout.
He had a record of 66 wins and 4 losses as a professional boxer, with 63 wins by knockout.
Carlos Zárate was voted as the Greatest Bantamweight Ever in 2014 by the Houston Boxing Hall Of Fame. The HBHOF is a voting body composed entirely of current and former fighters.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
70Loss66–4Daniel ZaragozaTKO10 1988-02-29Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.For vacant WBC super bantamweight title
69Loss66–3Jeff FenechTD4 1987-10-16Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaFor WBC super bantamweight title
68Win66–2Richard SavageTKO5 1987-08-15Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
67Win65–2Tony MontoyaTKO3 1987-06-19Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S.
66Win64–2John BoydTKO5 1987-05-05Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
65Win63–2Francis ChildsKO4 1987-02-20Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S.
64Win62–2Alex GalvánTKO7 1986-12-13Convention Center, Fresno, California, U.S.
63Win61–2Edward RodriquezTKO3 1986-11-21Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S.
62Win60–2Gerardo EsparzaKO5 1986-09-13Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
61Win59–2Alejandro GarcíaKO2 1986-07-19Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
60Win58–2Jesus MuñizUD101986-05-23Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
59Win57–2Héctor NápolesKO2 1986-05-05Auditorio Municipal, Torreon, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico
58Win56–2Jose de la DoraKO3 1986-04-12Zacapu, Michoacán, Mexico
57Win55–2Adam GarcíaMD41986-02-25Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
56Loss54–2Lupe PintorSD151979-06-03Caesars Palace, Sports Pavilion, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBC bantamweight title
55Win54–1Celso ChairezTKO5 1979-05-01Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S.
54Win53–1John Kodjo MensahKO3 1979-03-10Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Retained WBC bantamweight title
53Loss52–1Wilfredo GómezTKO5 1978-10-28Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto RicoFor WBC super bantamweight title
52Win52–0Rudy GonzálezTKO4 1978-09-30Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
51Win51–0Emilio HernándezKO4 Jun 9, 1978Caesars Palace, Sports Pavilion, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC bantamweight title
50Win50–0Andres HernándezTKO13 1978-04-22Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto RicoRetained WBC bantamweight title
49Win49–0Alberto DávilaTKO8 1978-02-25Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Retained WBC bantamweight title
48Win48–0Juan Francisco RodríguezTKO5 1977-12-02Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid, SpainRetained WBC bantamweight title
47Win47–0Danilo BatistaKO6 1977-10-29Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Retained WBC bantamweight title
46Win46–0Alfonso ZamoraTKO4 1977-04-23Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
45Win45–0Fernando CabanelaTKO3 1977-02-05Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, MexicoRetained WBC bantamweight title
44Win44–0Waruinge NakayamaKO4 1976-11-13Estadio General Ángel Flores, Culiacan, Sinaloa, MexicoRetained WBC bantamweight title
43Win43–0Paul FerreriTKO12 1976-08-28Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Retained WBC bantamweight title
42Win42–0Antonio ParedesTKO2 1976-08-02Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, Mexico
41Win41–0Félix LlanosKO2 1976-06-26Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
40Win40–0Rodolfo MartínezKO9 1976-05-08Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Won WBC bantamweight title
39Win39–0César DecigaTKO4 1976-03-27Plaza de Toros Monumental, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
38Win38–0Néstor JiménezKO2 1975-12-07Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
37Win37–0Jorge TorresTKO8 1975-10-11Auditorio Benito Juarez, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
36Win36–0Benicio Segundo SosaTKO4 1975-09-20Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
35Win35–0José SánchezTKO3 1975-08-16Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
34Win34–0Orlando AmoresKO3 1975-06-20Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
33Win33–0Joe GuevaraRTD3 1975-03-14Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.California State Athletic Commission bantamweight title
32Win32–0Alberto CabanigTKO4 1975-02-04Arena Coliseo, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico
31Win31–0James MartinezTKO7 1974-11-23Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
30Win30–0Francisco CruzTKO2 1974-10-27Gimnasio de Mexicali, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
29Win29–0Magallo LozadaTKO5 1974-08-03Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
28Win28–0Juan OrdoñezKO3 1974-05-25Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
27Win27–0Chamaco LimónKO3 1974-05-03Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
26Win26–0Alfonso IbarraKO2 1974-04-09Arena Tijuana 72, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
25Win25–0Carlos ArmentaKO1 1974-02-22Auditorio Matamoros, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
24Win24–0Víctor RamírezUD101974-01-30Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
23Win23–0Sixto PérezKO2 1973-12-11Arena Tijuana 72, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
22Win22–0Eduardo MirandaKO5 1973-11-01Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
21Win21–0Antonio CastañedaTKO9 1973-10-02Arena Tijuana 72, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
20Win20–0Alberto TorresTKO5 1973-08-21Arena Tijuana 72, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
19Win19–0Francisco PinoKO2 1973-07-12Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
18Win18–0Juan Ramón PérezKO2 1973-06-02La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
17Win17–0Juan Ramón PérezKO2 1972-12-03La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
16Win16–0Armando CarrascoKO2 1972-10-31Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
15Win15–0Angel PatiñoKO2 1972-10-08Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico
14Win14–0Jesús EscobedoKO2 1972-08-19Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
13Win13–0José Luis MoralesTKO2 1972-03-19Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
12Win12–0José GonzálezKO2 1972-02-07Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
11Win11–0Emiliano MayoralTKO3 1972-01-28Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
10Win10–0Victor NavaKO3 1971-11-26Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
9Win9–0Julio MartínezKO2 1971-08-07Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
8Win8–0Ramón PinedoKO2 1971-05-05Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
7Win7–0Fermín RamosKO2 1971-03-20Toluca, México State, Mexico
6Win6–0Antonio LucasKO3 1971-02-15Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
5Win5–0Alfredo PérezKO2 1970-12-18Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
4Win4–0Nuno TemixTKO3 1970-11-17Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
3Win3–0Costeñito SoteloKO2 1970-04-01Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
2Win2–0José PavónKO1 1970-03-02Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
1Win1–0Luis CastañedaKO3 1970-02-02Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico