Whether it’s good matchmaking, the rabid support of faithful fight fans, or the spirit of the Alamo, San Antonio – like the famous battle itself - has become something of an upset venue in recent boxing history. Or, at least, the near-upset. Sure, you have your occasional blowout – Oscar De La Hoya stopped overmatched David Kamau at the Alamodome almost 10 years ago. But, for the most part, the “Alamo City” has fostered a reputation as the site of the unexpected.
Perhaps somebody should alert Manny Pacquiao, who defends his recognized junior lightweight title Saturday at the Alamodome against unknown (but undefeated) Jorge Solis, of these historical San Antonio surprises, near-surprises, and should’ve-been surprises. *Danny Lopez KO 15 Mike Ayala (1979): This wasn’t an upset. But it almost was. Lopez, the WBC featherweight champ from California, was in the midst of a most entertaining title reign. Known as a comeback brawler, Lopez had made a habit of bouncing up from early-rounds knockdowns to destroy his opponents. After eight defenses of the title he won from David Kotey in 1978, “Little Red” had become something of a folk hero, and a huge television attraction.
And though he was expected to have his usual difficulties with the 22-1 Ayala – a San Antonio native and a member of a well-known fight family – no one could have predicted the violence that unfolded. It was 15 rounds of pure adrenaline and ferocity, and though it was Ayala who hit the canvas twice, the fight hung in the balance for almost 45 thrilling minutes. Ultimately, Lopez won via TKO in the fight’s waning moments. But Ayala’s courage and determination were sights to behold, and it continued San Antonio’s run as a site for the unexpected. *Azumah Nelson D 12 Jesse James Leija (1993): There were more than a few people who thought it should have been an upset. At the time, Nelson – known as “The Professor” – was one of boxing’s well-known, well-respected champions.
A two-division titlist from Ghana, Nelson may have been regarded as aging, but was still expected to defeat the young Leija, another San Antonio native who was talented, but green. Surprisingly, however, Leija boxed on even terms with the great Nelson. And when the going got tough, he slugged on even terms with him as well. In the end, Azumah was considered lucky to hang on to his title. But, eight months later, his luck would run out, and Leija would drop him in the second round and win a wide decision.
It was the second of a four-fight series between the Texan and African – a rarity in modern boxing. *Pernell Whitaker D 12 Julio Cesar Chavez (1993): No, this wasn’t an upset. But it should have been. This battle, nicknamed “The Fight,” is widely considered one of the more blatant ripoffs in recent boxing history. Chavez, a slight favorite to take Whitaker’s WBC welterweight title and a hard-to-believe 88-0 going in, was a god in his native land, and regarded as the greatest Mexican fighter of all time.
He had been a champion in three weight divisions, and was attempting to win his fourth. But almost ignored in all of the pre-fight hoopla was the quality of Whitaker, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist for America, and undefeated himself (his 1988 “loss” to Jose Luis Ramirez notwithstanding). “Sweet Pea” was also bigger than Chavez, and it showed in a fight that became increasingly one-sided as it progressed. Whitaker, the defending 147-pound champ who won the title from Buddy McGirt six months earlier, baffled Chavez with his southpaw style, rocked him with counter shots, and outmuscled him in the trenches – supposedly “J.C. Superstar’s” territory.
It was a beautiful display of brains over brawn, only the judges fouled it up and ruled it a draw. Not that it really matters. To this day, most experts regard this as a victory for Whitaker. *Manny Pacquiao TKO 11 Marco Antonio Barrera (2003): We know all about this one. It was the official dawning of the “Pac Man” era and, at the time, quite the shocker. Barrera was coming off victories over “Prince” Naseem Hamed and Erik Morales, and was in the top five of everybody’s pound-for-pound lists. A great fighter in the prime of his career. Pacquiao, while exciting, was regarded as too wild and too inexperienced for Barrera, and pegged the underdog.
No one – not even Pacquiao’s loyal followers – could have imagined that the Filipino sensation would destroy the Mexican. And it was a destruction. Dropped (kind of) in the first round, Pacquiao stormed back to knock Barrera down before unleashing a firestorm on the shocked defending champion. After tasting Pacquiao’s combination of speed and power, Barrera began to wilt, and, ultimately, was no match for the challenger.
The beating was mercifully stopped in the 11th round. Since then, Barrera has claimed out-of-the-ring disturbances affected his performance. But he hasn’t seemed anxious about a rematch. So, is Pac-Man the next great fighter to lose in San Antonio? The oddsmakers don’t think so. But oddsmakers have been wrong in this city before. Remember the Alamo!
M
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