Roberto 'Kid' Rubaldino

[Rover]

In April 1977, the lower part of the Bantamweight Division was loaded with future Champions.

#20....Lupe Pintor
#26....Rolando Navarette
#27....Salvador Sanchez
#30....Eijiro Murata

I don't consider Murata a champion. Very good fighter, but came up just short his first two times and then got whipped his last two.

[Rover]

Correct,,,,,

I forget Eijiro Murata fought a couple of Draw 15's in World Bantamweight Championship bouts.
The tough Japanese fighter was #1 WBC and #1 WBA for awhile.

Yeah, mostly #1 WBA. Even regained that ranking after his first TKO loss to Jeff. Very unfortunate fighter; I have no doubt he'd have won a title in another era. There's a legit argument he beat Pintor, though I had it a draw. Thought he lost close but clear to Chandler the first time, and then Jeff whooped his ass twice.

[Rover]

WBA Bantamweight Championship Bout

Saturday Night - March 18, 1878 - Freeman Coliseum - San Antonio, Texas

Promoter; Tony Padilla

Televised in Mexico

Attendance; 11,000

WBA Champion - Jorge Lujan of Panama was making the '1st-Defense' of his Championship that he won in November 1977
by 'upsetting' Alfonso Zamora. Jorge with a record of 17-2-0 (10 KO's), was the 'underdog', as he coming into the
Challenger's American home-base. This fight will be held on Jorge's 23rd birthday.

Roberto 'Kid' Rubaldino, the 22 1/2 year-old southpaw, was coming in with a 41-3-0 (26 KO's) record, as well as the
#1 WBA-ranked Challenger, and was the 2-1 Betting-Favorite.

1978.

[Rover]

1978,,,,,,,,,,,I was only off by 'a century'....... :)

Jorge 'Mocho' Lujan vs. Roberto 'Kid' Rubaldino

The Fight,

Roberto came out fast, and the southpaw banged away fast, and brought the Freeman Coliseum crowd to their feet
by dropping the Champion for a 3-Count, with a wicked right-hook and straight-left to the chin.

Lujan got up a bit shakenm but was not hurt badly. Roberto stayed the aggressor, and continued to land
hard right hooks and straight left hands thoughout the first 4-Rounds, giving the Champion all sorts of
trouble.

"Mocho' Lujan came back in Rounds 5 and 6, by using his box-and-move style, while landing a few good
left-right one-two's.

'Kid' Rubaldino went to a box-and-move style in Rounds 7 and 8, using a good right jab to keep the Champion at
bay. Lujan was now the aggressor, but he was not scoring with any crisp punches, as the Challenger kept on the move.

Thru 8-Rounds, Roberto Rubaldino was ahead 78-75 (5-2-1 in Rounds), and looked to be on his way to a victory.

The 'bout' changed in Round 9, as the Champion kept pressing the action by moving forward, and landing good
left-rights to the face of the Challenger. Suddenly, Rubaldino looked weak, and was not able to counter with anything
effective. Lujan took advantage of the opening, and put together several crisp punches on the fading Challenger
at the end of the round that had Roberto in some trouble.

Roberto came out quickly for Round 10, and was able to muster up a decent offensive attack, but mid-way through the round
the Champion started to put on the pressure, again with one-two's to the face. At the {2:10 Mark}, Lujan landed a good
chopping left hand, and left uppercut that shook Roberto and drove him back into a corner. The Champion fired away over
the last portion of the round, and Roberto was on the receiving end.

Round 11, The Champion sensing that Challenger was down, pounced quickly, and rocked the Challenger with a hard
chopping right that buckled his legs. Rubaldino attempted to fight back, but he was out-gunned, and finally dropped
at the (1:04 Mark) by a right-left-right from the Champion.

Roberto got up at the 6-Count, but looked spent. The Champion attacked, and literally chased Rubaldino around the ring
with left and rights. About 20-seconds later one of Rubaldino's cornermen jumped into the ring, where Panamanian Referee -
Sergio Tulio Lay immediately called a halt to the bout at 1:59 of Round 11.

Hey, anyone can have a bad century.
:)
What were the cards at time of stoppage?

[Rover]

Galveston Daily News

Referee - Sergio Tulio Lay (Panama)
Jorge Lujan..................8 - 9 - 9 - 10 - 10........10 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 10 == 95
Roberto Rubaldino.......10 -10-10 - 9 -- 9...........9 --10 -10 - 9 --- 8 == 94

Judge - Rodolfo Hill (Panama)
Jorge Lujan.................8 - 9 - 9 - 9 - 10..........10 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 10 == 94
Roberto Rubaldino......10 -10-10-10 - 9............9 --10- 10 -- 9 -- 8 == 95

Judge - Charles West (USA)
Jorge Lujan................8 - 9 - 9 - 9 - 10...........10 - 9 - 9 - 10 - 10 == 93
Roberto Rubaldino......10-10-10-10 -- 9............10 -10--10 - 9 -- 9 == 97

The Galveston Daily News had Roberto 'Kid' Rubaldino ahaead (96-94)

Is it Sergio or Servio?

[Rover]

Deke,,,,,

April 1977- Top Bantamweights,

* WBC Champion - Carlos Zarate......44-0-0 (43 KO's)
* WBA Champion - Alfonso Zamora...29-0-0 (29 KO's)

* Danilo Batista............26-0-0 (12 KO's)
* Roberto Rubaldino.......25-0-0 (20 KO's)
* Frankie Duarte............29-2-0 (22 KO's)
* Rodolfo Martinez.........50-5-1 {38 KO's}
* Raul Tirado.................26-4-2 (18 KO's)
* Alberto Davila.............21-4-0 (6 KO's)
* Gilberto Illueca............30-4-0 (6 KO's)
* Mike Ayala..................13-0-0 (9 KO's)
* Baby Kid Chocolate.......18-0-0 (9 KO's)
* Antonio Paisano............23-0-1(17 KO's)
* Sulley Shittu................31-0-0 {18 KO's}
* Andres Hernandez........26-4-1 (11 KO's)
* Paddy Maguire.............26-4-1 (16 KO's)
* Paul Ferreri..................51-5-5 (9 KO's)
* Venice Borkhorsor.........43-5-0 (31 KO's)
* Franco Zurlo................34-4-3 (12 KO's)
* Lupe Hernandez...........21-1-0 (16 KO's)
* Thanomchit Sukhothai...29-4-1 (21 KO's)
* Fernando Cabanella......25-11-4 {8 KO's}
* Salvatore Fabrizio.........26-4-1 (5 KO's)
* Lupe Pintor..................23-2-0 (19 KO's)
* Eliseo Cosme...............23-4-0 (12 KO's)
* Alberto Sandoval..........18-0-0 (12 KO's)
* Antonio Beccera...........20-2-0 (14 KO's)
* Socrates Batoto...........32-10-0 (15 KO's)
* Tsuyoshi Okabe............18-3-3 (9 KO's)
* Rolando Navarette.........20-3-2 (10 KO's)
* Salvador Sanchez.........17-0-0 (16 KO's)
* Fabian Palma...............26-2-0 (14 KO's)
* Julio Cesar Saba...........25-1-8 (3 KO's)
* Eijiro Murata.................4-0-0 (4 KO's)

On the undercard of the Carlos Zarate vs. Alfonso Zamora bout -

#2 Roberto Rubaldino...vs...#24 Socrates Batoto

#9 Baby Kid Chocolate...vs...#17 Lupe Hernandez

Why was Paisano's record listed as 16-4-1 on a fight poster and in the newspaper?

[Rover]

Rover,

That was the WBC ratings list.

The WBA had it correct at 16-4-1 (14 KO's).

The WBC Ratings Committee, 'funny guys'......

Yeah, that's a big discrepancy.

[Rover]

Saturday Night - October 6, 1979

La Villa Real Convention Center - McAllen, Texas

Attendance; 3500

WBA Bantamweight Championship

Promoter; Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce and Arnaldo 'Nanny' Ramirez, Jr.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WBA Champion..........Jorge 'El Mocho' Lujan 20-2-0 (12 KO's)
vs.
#1 WBA Challenger.....Roberto 'Kid' Rubaldino 38-2-0 (31 KO's)

The Champion will be making the 4th-Defense of his Title, and will be facing Roberto a 'second time'.
The 24 1/2 year-old - Champion has been idle for 6-Months since his last defense.

The 24 1/2 year-old - Roberto, since the (L TKO 11) loss to Lujan back in {March 1978} has won '7-straight'
(6 by KO's), and has improved to 38-2-0 (31 KO's). Included in his wins, was winning the NABF Bantamweight
Championship by scoring a (TKO 10) over Antonio Becerra on July 8, 1979. (Antonio Becerra had scored a previous
win over Salvador Sanchez).

The Fight,

Though Roberto is a 'knockout artist', he fights under more control than his 'first' go-around with the Champion.
But the 'Kid' still looks for the 'one-punch knockout-blow' while stalking the Champion through much of the first
half of the bout. Entering Round 8, Roberto has a 'solid-lead' on the scorecards.

The Champion, who has been on the defensive, comes to life in the later part of Round 8, and scores with several
good counter-punch right hands over Roberto's lowering hands. Roberto forces the action in Rounds 9 and 10,
and though he's winging hard punches, the Champion is out-hitting him 2-to-1 with poking punches.

In Round 11, Jorge comes on strong as Roberto begins to tire. The Champion starts scoring with his accurate
left-rights, as Rubaldino starts to fade late in the Round.

Thru 11-Rounds, Roberto still has a 2-Point edge on the Scorecard...106-104...(6-4-1 in Rounds)

Jorge starts to open up, and in Rounds 12, 13 and 14 - the Champion lands crisp left-jabs and counter-right hands
on the tiring southpaw Challenger. Each time that Roberto attempts to counter, he is met with stiff right-hand leads from
Lujan.

Entering Round 14, the Champion has a '1-Point' lead, after sweeping the previous 3-Rounds.

Rounds 15, Roberto opens up fast, and lets it all hang out for the first 20-seconds, but soon he is completely
exhausted. There, the Champion takes over, and scores with good chopping left hands over the top of Roberto's
lowering right hand. As the round progresses, it appears that the Challenger might not make it as the Champion
is scoring at will.

Then at the (2:37 Mark) with Roberto in trouble and wobbling, Lujan unloads a vicious left-right combination to
the chin that drops Roberto flat on his back, where Referee - Carlos Berrocal counts him out at the (2:47 Mark).

Roberto was on the canvas for 5-Minutes, before rising.

Scorecards?

[Rover]

The only card the Galveston Daily News printed was from Referee - Carlos Berrocal

Which was 134-133 (7-6-1 in Rounds, for Jorge Lujan)

Strange. Who were the judges?