In 2005, former WBO 122-pound champion Agapito Sanchez fought the battle of a lifetime but it was not inside the ring like he did so many times before. This war was waged on a hospital bed in his native Dominican Republic. Sanchez was shot twice by Diogenes Nova Rosario, a former sergeant in the Dominican Air Force. The bullets pierced Sanchez’s liver and kidney and became lodged in his stomach. These wounds would prove fatal, and Sanchez died two days later after undergoing unsuccessful surgery. Saturday, November 14th marked the four-year anniversary of the death of this former champion. Just 35 years old, Sanchez’s life was taken away prematurely and in horrific fashion. Professionally he was in the midst of making one last run at another world title, and his final record reads 36-11-3 with 18 KO. Sadly, fate had other plans for Sanchez. He left behind three children and numerous grieving family members. His eldest brother, Ernesto Sanchez Carbonell mourns his death on a daily basis. Ernesto is also searching for justice for this brutal murder.

“It seems like yesterday that I was with Agapito, not a day goes by that I don’t pray and think of him. They took away a piece of me on that day when they killed him. I still can’t believe that he’s not here,” said Ernestol, who is the one who introduced his younger brother to the sweet science. He also served as his manager when the younger Sanchez turned professional. Ernesto currently resides in the Bronx and himself was a former prize fighter, having had 18 pro fights and was managed and mentored by Roberto Duran. The last time Ernesto saw Agapito was at JFK international airport, in New York City just hours before his brother’s flight.

“I remember every detail about that day, I dropped off a client of mine, because I’m a taxi driver and it was around Agapito’s neighborhood. So I go to 2885 University Avenue in the Bronx and I honked the horn and called him to come out just to check up on him. He comes out in flip flops and no shirt and says hey I’m going to D.R. I need to get away and rest my body and mind, get away from New York. I know he was having some personal problems with his kid’s mother and I know he just wanted to take a break,” Sanchez Carbonell. 

Ernesto recalled not being a too thrilled with the idea of his brother traveling to the Dominican Republic because he was aware of the distractions that are prevalent. Another reason that the elder Sanchez had trepidation was because of some simmering bad blood that started in their adopted home of New York City. Ernesto says that animosity brewed between fellow countryman Joan Guzman and his brother. At the time the former world champion, Guzman was managed by Rafael Guerrero. Guerrero had an entourage and part of his crew of cronies was a Jose Guerrero. It is not believed that Rafael and Jose are not immediately family despite sharing the same surname. Ernesto and the aforementioned Jose Guerrero had a run in outside of an establishment on 157th street in uptown Manhattan. Sanchez says that Guerrero was berating Agapito who was not there at the time and was spewing countless disrespectful comments. Ernesto says that Guerrero went from trash talking to making threats.
Sanchez says that other men who were present prevented an actual physical encounter between the two. However according to Sanchez, Guerrero yelled at him “You don’t know who I am, in the Dominican I cut men’s nuts off!” Guerrero before moving to New York served as a police captain in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Sanchez feels that Guerrero’s influence with old friends and the corruption that lingers within the Dominican Republic’s justice system had him and his brother as marked men. Sanchez told Boxingtalk.com that Rosario was an associate of Guerrero and that this was not a random act of violence.

On November 12th Sanchez was in the company of his youngest brother and a female friend in the confines of a local tavern named “Banana”, Sanchez. Originally it was believed that Sanchez was killed in a dispute over the aforesaid women. Rosario asked Sanchez if he would object to him asking his friend to dance. Sanchez supposedly responded that it was up to the woman, that they were only friends that he saw no harm in dancing.  It was reported that Rosario was, being overly forceful and pestilent with the aforementioned woman after she rejected his offers. Sanchez’s younger brother felt the bad vibes in the air and advised Agapito that they should leave. Agapito agreed with his brother and went to pay their bar tab. Meanwhile Agapito’s brother went to use the bathroom, and in a matter of minutes Rosario drew his pistol and shot two bullets into the torso area of Agapito. As the shots rang out and in the midst of commotion Agapito’s brother came running out of the men’s’ room. Rosario pointed his gun and shot at him as well, the bullet whisking by his head missing. That was the last slug Rosario had in his gun’s chamber and so then proceeded to pistol whip the prone Sanchez on top of his skull. According to witnesses a mob then chased and pounced on and beat Rosario until authorities were summoned.

Sanchez was pronounced dead after having his liver and kidneys damaged beyond repair. Rosario was convicted in the slaying Agapito, by Santo Domingo’s prosecutor's office. Rosario has been transferred from various prisons for fear of inmate retribution on him. Rosario is serving a 15 year sentence for his hideous crime. Ernesto is still involved in boxing, but not as prominent like in previous years when his beloved brother was alive.  When Agapito was buried much of the Dominican boxing community came to pay their respects. But his death also touched beyond their island as family friend and compadre of Ernesto, “Hands of Stone” Duran came to say good bye and also Puerto Rican icon Felix “Ttito” Trinidad.
“It hurts going to fights, because I can’t help but think of him. I’m here in New York and I’ve basically tried to take care of his kids by myself no help. Its hard it was not just a brother that was taken from me, but a son to my parents a good father and a good man. I would like to one day make a gym honoring his name here in New York city,” Sanchez.
During a 2006 Boxingtalk.com interview former rival and world champion Joan Guzman said “The bad blood that was between us is no different than any two men who step into the ring against each other. Agapito was a good man and his loss really hurt me because in a way he was a pioneer for Dominican boxing. Any beef that we had was fabricated and it was really made up by Rafael Guerrero.” 
 
Sanchez's crowning moment came in 2001 when he knocked out Jorge Eliecer Pabon Monsalvo of Colombia for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title. The stunning seventh round knockout victory set up a unification bout four months later versus a then little known Manny Pacquiao. Sanchez unorthodox and veteran savvy proved difficult for Pacquiao on that evening and the result was a technical draw. Sanchez lost two points for low blows and the ringside doctor stopped the bout in the sixth round due to a bad cut on Pacquiao's right eye caused by an accidental head butt from round two that worsened and by another head butt in round six.

Sanchez also fought many of his top contemporaries of his time, such as Marco Antonio Barrera (a distance loss but Barrera was dropped in round twelve), Juan Manuel Marquez (distance loss), Freddie Norwood (a distance loss), Oscar Larrios (a knockout win in round five) , Guty Espedas (a majority decision loss) and Joan Guzman (lost by seventh-round TKO).

Sanchez last fought under the promotional banner of One More Round Boxing and Ricardo Salazar. Sanchez's final fight was less than two months prior to his passing,  a ten-round decision win over Edinso Torres on Sept. 17. According to Ernesto a rematch was in the works with Manny Pacquiao.

M

Send questions and comments to: spjr21@yahoo.com