Sixto Escobar


Sixto Escobar was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he was Puerto Rico's first world champion and a two-time Undisputed Bantamweight World Champion.
Escobar was born in Barceloneta and raised in San Juan. There he received his primary education and took interest in boxing. After gathering a record of 21–1–1 as an amateur, Escobar debuted as a professional in 1931 defeating Luis "Kid Dominican" Pérez by knockout. Early in his career, he moved to Venezuela due to the lack of opponents in his division. There he received an opportunity for the Venezuelan Bantamweight championship, but lost by points to Enrique Chaffardet. Subsequently, he moved to New York and began boxing in other states, eventually capturing the Montreal Athletic Commission World Bantamweight Title. In 1936, he defeated Tony Marino to unify this championship with the one recognized by the International Boxing Union, in the process becoming the third Latin American undisputed world boxing champion. After retiring, he worked as a spokesperson for beer companies in New York, before returning to Puerto Rico in the 1960s, where he resided until his death. He received several posthumous recognitions and his name was used in several sports venues and buildings. In 2002, Escobar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Early life and amateur career

Escobar was born in La Boca in Barrio Palmas Altas, a sector of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, to Jacinto Escobar and Adela Vargas. Early in his life, he moved to Tras Talleres in Santurce, a subsection of San Juan, Puerto Rico. There he received his elementary and secondary education, up until the seventh grade, when he decided to dedicate himself full-time to his sports career. In Tras Talleres, he began developing an interest in boxing and received instruction in said discipline. Although at this time, boxing was illegal in Puerto Rico; remote places such as a house's backyard or rooftops were used to organize clandestine fights without attracting attention from the local police. In 1928, a Puerto Rican boxer named Ángel "Sotito" Soto moved from New York to a house near the Escobar family's residence and established a gym in his backyard. There he gave boxing classes to Escobar and several other young athletes. After several months of instruction, Soto prepared a boxing card with included three-round fights, in which each round lasted two minutes. In this event, Escobar earned his first victory, defeating a pugilist identified as "Gombar" by knockout in the first round. After this match, Escobar continued fighting in clandestine gyms. He met and was received by Ignacio Peñagaricano, the owner of Victoria Gym. Escobar received his boxing license through Peñagaricano. On February 16, 1927, governor Horace Mann Towner legalized boxing and allowed the establishment of organized boxing matches. Professionals would fight Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays which, were considered the best days of the week, while amateurs could compete the remaining days of the week without limitations. As an amateur, he fought in 23 combats, gathering a record of 21 wins, one loss and a draw. His draw was against Ramón Rodríguez of San Lorenzo and his only loss was in the hands of Pedro Montañez from Cayey, in a fight that took place in March 1930.

Professional career

Escobar turned professional on September 1, 1930, in a fight card organized at the Victory Garden gym in San Juan. In this event, he defeated Luis "Kid Dominican" Pérez, who entered the fight as the Dominican Republic's champion, by knockout in the third round. In Puerto Rico, Escobar fought in 15 contests, before moving to Venezuela after the popularity of professional boxing declined in his home country. This move was motivated by Roberto Andrade, who provided transportation to the country. In Venezuela, he fought in Caracas, competing against José Lugo, Sindulfo Díaz, Rafael "Moralito" Morales, Pica Pica and Simón Chávez among others. On November 11, 1931, Escobar competed against Enrique Chaffardet for the Venezuelan Bantamweight Title, but lost by decision. After 17 fights, he returned to Puerto Rico and competed in five cards. But professional boxing suffered another decline in interest, which forced Escobar to work as an accommodator in baseball games three days of the week, generally on weekends. In the meanwhile, Tony Rojas, a friend of his managers Gustavo Jiménez and Arturo Gigante, convinced them to release Escobar of the contract which bound them. Since Escobar turned professional while he was still legally a minor, his father had to sign the unbinding agreement. After succeeding in this task, Rojas presented Escobar with a steam boat ticket to New York, which covered his food, clothes and hotel expenses. Escobar reached New York in early 1934, intending to "obtain fame and honor" for " motherland", there he was received by Rojas and professional trainer Whitey Bimstein. His first fight in the United States took place at the Valley Arena in Holyoke, Massachusetts on May 7, 1934. In this contest he was paired against Canadian bantamweight titleholder Bobby Leitham, defeating him by technical knockout in the seventh round.
Escobar's manager, Lou Brix and his trainer recognized that Escobar could be close to a championship fight once the incumbent, Panamian Alfonso Teófilo Brown, refused to defend the championship against the first contender, which led to it being stripped by the National Boxing Association. A rematch was then organized against Leitham. This was an eliminatory card organized by the Montreal Athletic Commission, which was to determine a contender for their vacant Bantamweight World Championship, against first contender Baby Casanova, who attended the card. After scoring three knockdowns in the fourth round, Escobar connected another punch that injured Leitham, after which Leitham's manager surrendered the fight. This marked Leitham's last fight. Following this result, the NBA immediately called for a fight between Escobar and Casanova. By this time he had gained a reputation as a quick and technical boxer, capable of gathering quick knockouts with body punches if confronted by an unprepared opponent. The fight took place on June 26, 1934, and it was organized in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Escobar scored a knockdown in the third round; the fight concluded in the ninth round when Casanova lost by knockout. With this win, Escobar won the Montreal Athletic Commission World Bantamweight Title, thus becoming the first Puerto Rican to win a world boxing championship title. This had a significant impact on Puerto Rico, where it was constantly discussed by the general public. Songs, decimas and poetry were written about this accomplishment. However, the New York State Athletic Commission and International Boxing Union of France didn't recognize the outcome of this fight, conserving Tony Marino and Brown as their recognized champions.

Undisputed world bantamweight title

On August 8, 1934, he defeated Eugene Hart by points in a non-title match organized in Canada. This was the first time in his career that Escobar completed a 15-round contest. After this event, he stayed in Montreal expecting to fight against the winner of a matchup between Louis Salica and Bobby Quintana, which was scheduled to take place on December of that year. However, Escobar was forced to cancel his plans after suffering a heel injury when he was hit by a car. He spent a month in inactivity while recovering, and in the winter he returned to Puerto Rico. The governor ordered to have all government buildings closed so that public employees could attend a welcoming ceremony. The event, which took place in Old San Juan's dock, was followed by a parade. Upon arriving in Barceloneta, Escobar was recognized as a "predilect son" of that municipality by the city's mayor, which was followed by a week of festivities in his name. Escobar pursued a fight with Brown, but his offers were refused while the Panamanian pugilist promoted a campaign protesting the removal of his recognition as champion, demanding to be reinstated.
On August 7, 1935, Escobar defeated Pete Sanstol—who once held, in 1931, the Canadian Boxing Federation and Montreal Athletic Commission world bantamweight titles—by unanimous decision in 12 rounds. However, Escobar still wasn't considered the division's Undisputed Champion because Balthazar Sangchili had defeated Panama Al Brown and was recognized by the IBU. Due to this, Sanstol sent a letter to the NYSAC noting that the fight was of eliminatory nature, even though it was recognized as a titular contest by the NBA and MAC. Wanting to be recognized as such, Escobar pursued a title unification fight against Tony Marino, who had defeated Sangchili by knockout in his previous fight. He won the fight by knockout in the thirteenth round, receiving the "undisputed world champion"
distinction. On November 13, 1935, Escobar became the first Puerto Rican to win a title fight in the first round, defeating "Indian" Quintana by knockout.
This outcome made it possible to organize a fight against Louis Salica, it was the first time that Escobar fought a title fight in Puerto Rico. The card was promoted by Arturo Gigante and Gustavo Jiménez Sicardó. Escobar won the fight by unanimous decision, while Jack Dempsey served as referee. He participated in Mike Jacobs's "Carnival of Champions" on September 23, 1937 and lost the title to Harry Jeffra by unanimous decision. Shortly after, he recovered from this loss and he returned to the gym; he defeated Johnny Defoe in a preparatory contest. On February 20, 1938, Escobar faced Jeffra in a rematch organized at the El Escambrón baseball park in Puerta de Tierra. He won the contest by unanimous decision, scoring three knockdowns. This became an early example of fights that attracted the attention and criticism of boxing analysts, particularly those in New York. On April 2, 1939, Escobar defeated Kayo Morgan before a sold-out crowd of 15,000 at the Estadio Sixto Escobar, which had been inaugurated three years earlier. After this fight, he received The Ring Bantamweight Championship, which was presented by the magazine's editor, Nat Fleischer. Later in 1939, Escobar received a draft notice from the United States Army, ordering him to take a physical exam for possible military service. He and his manager presented the issue to the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission, managing to receive a postponement of two months before surrendering his title. On April 6, 1940, Escobar fought Simón Chávez for ten rounds in what ended as a draw. Escobar then fought some short non-title fights, of which he lost four, all by points. On December 2, 1940, Escobar participated in his last professional fight, losing to a ten-round decision to Harry Jeffra. Throughout his career Escobar avoided being knocked down or out in any fight, all of his losses being by decision. In April 1941, he was drafted to the United States Army and participated in World War II.

Retirement, death and legacy

After his military service, Escobar confronted problems to meet the bantamweight's limit and retired. He became a spokesman for a liquor brand and relocated to New York temporally, with his family. Subsequently, he returned to Puerto Rico where he worked selling liquor in bars. In May 1947, Escobar and Jiménez Sicardó co-promoted a fight with the intention of bringing fans back to boxing. In the main event, Diego Sosa was matched against Francisco Colón García. Escobar was inducted into the Madison Square Garden's Boxing Hall of Fame in 1950. Escobar continued in his job as a liquor salesperson, during which it was common for liquor salesmen to drink a little bit of the product which they sold in front of potential customers. This contributed to the development of Escobar's alcoholic tendencies. His alcoholism would later combine with his diabetes and contribute to his death when he was 66 years old. Weeks before his death, Escobar participated in his last ceremony, where Diego Suárez, president of V. Suárez & Company. gave him a recognition.
After his death, the town of Barceloneta honored his memory by a statue. His remains are interred at Cementerio Municipal Viejo in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, according to a memorial written to honor his life. Escobar became the first world boxing champion in history to have a statue in his honor. On June 9, 2002, Escobar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He became the fourth Puerto Rican to receive this distinction and the first to be included in the "Old Timers" section. In March 2005, a second statue of Estobar was unveiled at the Estadio Sixto Escobar in San Juan. Among the celebrities that attended the ceremony were former boxing world champions Julian Solís and Alfredo Escalera. This statue's location served as a remembrance tribute during the 94th anniversary of Escobar's birth, when a flower crown was placed at its feet. During this date, an activity was presented by Puerto Rico's House of Boxing in the library of the Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño. Among those who attended the ceremony were Solís, Escalera and Iván Calderón. On this date, People Inc. presented a documentary covering his life, which was donated to the venue. Several buildings and streets were named after Escobar posthumously, including the Auditorio Sixto Escobar. The house where he lived was later turned into a library and museum bearing his name.
In 2019 Sixto Escobar was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes
66Loss39–23–4Harry JeffraPTS10Dec 2, 1940Carlin's Park, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
65Draw39–22–4Simon ChavezPTS10Apr 6, 1940Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela
64Loss39–22–3Frankie CovelliSD10Dec 11, 1939Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
63Loss39–21–3Tony OliveraPTS10Oct 4, 1939Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S.
62Loss39–20–3Jimmy PerrinUD10Aug 14, 1939Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
61Loss39–19–3Frankie BovePTS8Jul 25, 1939Belmont Park, Garfield, New Jersey, U.S.
60Win39–18–3Young Johnny BuffPTS8Jul 7, 1939Morris County Arena, Mount Freedom, New Jersey, U.S.
59Win38–18–3K.O. MorganUD15Apr 2, 1939Escambron Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto RicoRetained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles
58Loss37–18–3Al ManciniUD10Dec 19, 1938Turner's Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S.
57Loss37–17–3Henry HookPTS10Nov 1, 1938 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
56Win37–16–3Lou TransparentiUD10Sep 5, 1938Carlin's Park, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
55Loss36–16–3Nat LitfinSD10May 4, 1938Hippodrome, New York City, New York, U.S.
54Loss36–15–3K.O. MorganUD10Apr 19, 1938Arena Gardens, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
53Win36–14–3Harry JeffraUD15Feb 20, 1938Escambron Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto RicoWon NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles
52Draw35–14–3Johnny DeFoePTS8Nov 13, 1937Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
51Loss35–14–2Harry JeffraUD15Sep 23, 1937Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles
50Win35–13–2Eddie ReedKO8 Sep 1, 1937South Park Arena, Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
49Win34–13–2Georgie HolmesTKO3 Jul 21, 1937Dyckman Oval, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
48Win33–13–2Pat RobertsonTKO8 Jun 21, 1937Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
47Win32–13–2Nicky JeromeTKO2 May 12, 1937Hippodrome, New York City, New York, U.S.
46Win31–13–2Lou SalicaUD15Feb 21, 1937Escambron Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto RicoRetained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles
45Loss30–13–2Harry JeffraMD10Dec 9, 1936Hippodrome, New York City, New York, U.S.
44Win30–12–2Indian QuintanaKO1 Nov 13, 1936Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring bantamweight titles
43Loss29–12–2Harry JeffraSD10Oct 5, 1936Carlin's Park, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
42Win29–11–2Tony MarinoTKO13 Aug 31, 1936Dyckman Oval, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.Retained NYSAC and NBA bantamweight titles;
Won The Ring bantamweight title
41Loss28–11–2Indian QuintanaUD10Jul 15, 1936Queensboro Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
40Win28–10–2Al GilletteTKO5 Feb 5, 1936Escambron Baseball Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico
39Win27–10–2Lou SalicaUD15Nov 15, 1935Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Won NYSAC and NBA bantamweight titles
38Loss26–10–2Lou SalicaMD15Aug 26, 1935Dyckman Oval, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.Lost NBA bantamweight title
For vacant NYSAC bantamweight title
37Win26–9–2Pete SanstolUD12Aug 7, 1935 Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Won vacant NBA bantamweight title
36Win25–9–2Johnny BangKO5 Jun 21, 1935Luna Park Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
35Win24–9–2Joey ArchibaldTKO6 May 28, 1935Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.
34Loss23–9–2Juan ZuritaPTS10Mar 31, 1935El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
33Win23–8–2Eugène HuatUD15Aug 8, 1934Forum, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaRetained Montreal Athletic Commission bantamweight title
32Win22–8–2Rodolfo CasanovaKO9 Jun 26, 1934Forum, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaWon vacant Montreal Athletic Commission bantamweight title
31Win21–8–2Bobby LeithamTKO5 Jun 6, 1934Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
30Win20–8–2Joey ArchibaldUD10May 21, 1934Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.
29Win19–8–2Bobby LeithamTKO7 May 7, 1934Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.
28Draw18–8–2Felipe AndradePTS10 Sep 15, 1933Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
27Win18–8–1Vicente AbadiaPTS8Aug 27, 1933Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
26Win17–8–1Ray LuloloPTS8Aug 13, 1933Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
25Win16–8–1KO TigerTKO2 Jun 23, 1933Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
24Loss15–8–1Ely ArriagaPTS8May 27, 1933Caracas, Venezuela
23Win15–7–1Pedro RuizPTS10May 12, 1933Caracas, Venezuela
22Win14–7–1KO TigerPTS8Apr 8, 1933Caracas, Venezuela
21Loss13–7–1Enrique ChaffardetPTS10Feb 11, 1933Caracas, Venezuela
20Draw13–6–1Enrique ChaffardetPTS10Jan 9, 1933Caracas, Venezuela
19Loss13–6Simon ChavezPTS10Jul 31, 1932Caracas, Venezuela
18Win13–5Enrique MendozaPTS8Jun 26, 1932Caracas, Venezuela
17Win12–5Sindulfo DiazPTS10Jun 4, 1932Caracas, Venezuela
16Loss11–5Jose LagoPTS8Apr 23, 1932Caracas, Venezuela
15Loss11–4Firpo ZulianoPTS12Mar 19, 1932Caracas, Venezuela
14Loss11–3Enrique ChaffardetPTS10Nov 15, 1931Caracas, VenezuelaFor Venezuelan featherweight title
13Win11–2Phil TobiasPTS10Sep 13, 1931Caracas, Venezuela
12Win10–2Abeol AlvarezKO5 Aug 9, 1931Caracas, Venezuela
11Win9–2Firpo ZulianoPTS10Jul 18, 1931Caracas, Venezuela
10Win8–2Simon ChavezPTS10Jun 28, 1931Caracas, Venezuela
9Win7–2Rafael MoralesKO2 May 17, 1931Caracas, Venezuela
8Win6–2Isidoro GonzalezKO5 May 3, 1931Caracas, Venezuela
7Win5–2Rafael MoralesPTS10Feb 1, 1931Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
6Win4–2Ramon RodriquezPTS4Jan 16, 1931Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
5Loss3–2Rafael MoralesPTS8Jan 1, 1931Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
4Win3–1Ramon RodriquezPTS6Oct 5, 1930Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
3Loss2–1Luis Emilio PerezPTS4Sep 12, 1930Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2Win2–0Luis Emilio PerezPTS4Aug 29, 1930Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1Win1–0Luis Emilio PerezTKO2 Jul 17, 1930Victory Garden Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

''The Ring'' magazine titles

Regional/International titles

  • Montreal Athletic Commission bantamweight champion

Undisputed titles