Richie Sandoval - RIP

[bennie]

Former WBA bantamweight champion Richie Sandoval has died at the age of 63. Sandoval won the WBA title with an upset 15-round stoppage of Jeff Chandler in Atlantic City in 1984 and made two defences before he was badly knocked out by Gaby Canizales in Las Vegas in 1986. He never fought again but still made a living out of boxing as a member of Bob Arum's Top Rank team.
An outstanding amateur, Richie outscored Ray Gilbody on a trip to the UK in 1979 and made the US Olympic boxing team a year later but President Jimmy Carter pulled America out of the Games. As a pro, he went one better than his elder brother, Alberto, by winning a world title (Alberto had lost to Lupe Pintor for the WBC bantamweight title) and victory meant that Pomona in Los Angeles could boast two world bantamweight champions, with Alberto Davila holding the WBC belt. Sandoval and Davila were great friends.
The fighter was doomed against Canizales on a cold and rainy night in the Nevada desert on a show topped by Marvin Hagler against John Mugabi. Sandoval could no longer make bantamweight safely and was also let down by the referee. Richie needed pulling out after going down twice in round seven but Carlos Padilla waved it on and a third knockdown nearly proved fatal. The Canizales defeat was his only defeat in 30 contests.

[Flump]

Sad to hear, and a nice tribute bennie.

[scorpio83]

RIP Champ

[Expug]

I remember watching him handle Jeff Chandler. Great performance. Chandler was considered a terrific champ. Rest in peace.

[bennie]

Sad to hear, and a nice tribute bennie.

Well, it ain't much for a fighter's career. I always liked Richie. He was a thin, pale-looking kid but carried a whack and came along a few years after his brother, Alberto, a world class bantamweight of the 1970s, so it was interesting to compare them. Alberto was thin and pale, too, but he did a real number on our own Paddy Maguire in Los Angeles (with Mickey Duff in Maguire's corner) and went to war with Alfonso Zamora in a Los Angeles classic in 1978, which Zamora came through in eight rounds. That defeat took something out of Alberto who was very much the fall guy when he challenged Lupe Pintor for the WBC title, losing in 12 one-sided rounds in 1980.
In the same year, Richie missed out on the chance of a gold medal when America boycotted the Moscow Olympics. Now, I'm not sure that Richie wins the flyweight gold with competition like Peter Lesov, Jorge Hernandez, Henryk Średnicki and Gilberto Roman, but he definitely wins a medal, having picked up bronze in the world championships in 1978. He showed what could do against Ray Gilbody in an international match in London in 1979, tagging Gilbody repeatedly with counters to take a unanimous decision. The man looked brilliant. Inevitably, Richie switched to the pro ranks and bombed out his early opposition, including a first-round stoppage of the usually rugged Jose Torres, until a strong, crafty southpaw by the name of Harold Petty held him to a rousing split decision in Las Vegas. Petty, who fought out of the same Dave Gorman stable that boasted Donald Curry and Steve Cruz, deserved a rematch and he got one three months later when he and Sandoval produced another sparkling, desperately close affair, with Sandoval finishing strongly to snatch a majority decision.
Now unbeaten in 13 fights, Sandoval had grown into the bantamweight division and was no longer blowing opponents away but outworking them behind a solid jab, including Alonzo "Strongbow" Gonzalez, George Garcia and slippery Canadian southpaw Ian Clyde, the man who famously knocked over Charlie Magri in the 1976 Olympics. This competition was a world away from the men Jeff Chandler routinely disposed of as WBA bantamweight champion, men that included Gaby Canizales, Jorge Lujan and Eijiro Murata. The feisty, arrogant champion had made nine defences of the belt he won from Julian Solis in 1980 and his only defeat at the hands of Oscar Muniz in a hastily arranged 10-rounder in 1983 was avenged just months later and avenged by stoppage. Chandler entered the ring a huge favourite against Sandoval in Atlantic City in April 1984 but took a big right hand in the opener and never got into the fight as the challenger kept the punches coming. Chandler was down in round 11, continued to take a pasting and the stoppage from referee Arthur Mercante in the 15th and final round came as something of a relief. Sandoval could fight; Sandoval could really fight.
He kickstarted his reign with a comprehensive decision over Venezuela's Edgar Roman, the mandatory challenger, in Monte Carlo in September 1984. Roman was down in the third round and Sandoval also dropped Chile's Cardenio Ulloa in his next defence in Miami but Ulloa rallied and scored a knockdown of his own, at which point Sandoval settled down to grind all the resistance out of Ulloa, who was rescued on the ropes in the eighth. Richie kept busy with a string of non-title fights, all of them wins, but his weight began to raise serious concerns. He came in over the featherweight limit against Hector Cortez in California in February 1986, just a month before a defence of his title against that man Canizales on a big outdoor show in Las Vegas. Jimmy Montoya, Sandoval's trainer, was known for boiling his fighters down but had the champion simply outgrown the bantamweight division? He showed nothing against Canizales, who dropped him in the first round, again in the fifth and twice more in the seventh, when the fight really needed stopping. Carlos Padilla thought otherwise. The fifth and final knockdown cost Sandoval his career. It nearly cost the man his life.
Sandoval died of a heart attack on Monday at the age of 63, leaving behind a son and a fine boxing record of 29-1 (17). RIP.

[Flump]

Sad to hear, and a nice tribute bennie.

Well, it ain't much for a fighter's career. I always liked Richie. He was a thin, pale-looking kid but carried a whack and came along a few years after his brother, Alberto, a world class bantamweight of the 1970s, so it was interesting to compare them. Alberto was thin and pale, too, but he did a real number on our own Paddy Maguire in Los Angeles (with Mickey Duff in Maguire's corner) and went to war with Alfonso Zamora in a Los Angeles classic in 1978, which Zamora came through in eight rounds. That defeat took something out of Alberto who was very much the fall guy when he challenged Lupe Pintor for the WBC title, losing in 12 one-sided rounds in 1980.
In the same year, Richie missed out on the chance of a gold medal when America boycotted the Moscow Olympics. Now, I'm not sure that Richie wins the flyweight gold with competition like Peter Lesov, Jorge Hernandez, Henryk Średnicki and Gilberto Roman, but he definitely wins a medal, having picked up bronze in the world championships in 1978. He showed what could do against Ray Gilbody in an international match in London in 1979, tagging Gilbody repeatedly with counters to take a unanimous decision. The man looked brilliant. Inevitably, Richie switched to the pro ranks and bombed out his early opposition, including a first-round stoppage of the usually rugged Jose Torres, until a strong, crafty southpaw by the name of Harold Petty held him to a rousing split decision in Las Vegas. Petty, who fought out of the same Dave Gorman stable that boasted Donald Curry and Steve Cruz, deserved a rematch and he got one three months later when he and Sandoval produced another sparkling, desperately close affair, with Sandoval finishing strongly to snatch a majority decision.
Now unbeaten in 13 fights, Sandoval had grown into the bantamweight division and was no longer blowing opponents away but outworking them behind a solid jab, including Alonzo "Strongbow" Gonzalez, George Garcia and slippery Canadian southpaw Ian Clyde, the man who famously knocked over Charlie Magri in the 1976 Olympics. This competition was a world away from the men Jeff Chandler routinely disposed of as WBA bantamweight champion, men that included Gaby Canizales, Jorge Lujan and Eijiro Murata. The feisty, arrogant champion had made nine defences of the belt he won from Julian Solis in 1980 and his only defeat at the hands of Oscar Muniz in a hastily arranged 10-rounder in 1983 was avenged just months later and avenged by stoppage. Chandler entered the ring a huge favourite against Sandoval in Atlantic City in April 1984 but took a big right hand in the opener and never got into the fight as the challenger kept the punches coming. Chandler was down in round 11, continued to take a pasting and the stoppage from referee Arthur Mercante in the 15th and final round came as something of a relief. Sandoval could fight; Sandoval could really fight.
He kickstarted his reign with a comprehensive decision over Venezuela's Edgar Roman, the mandatory challenger, in Monte Carlo in September 1984. Roman was down in the third round and Sandoval also dropped Chile's Cardenio Ulloa in his next defence in Miami but Ulloa rallied and scored a knockdown of his own, at which point Sandoval settled down to grind all the resistance out of Ulloa, who was rescued on the ropes in the eighth. Richie kept busy with a string of non-title fights, all of them wins, but his weight began to raise serious concerns. He came in over the featherweight limit against Hector Cortez in California in February 1986, just a month before a defence of his title against that man Canizales on a big outdoor show in Las Vegas. Jimmy Montoya, Sandoval's trainer, was known for boiling his fighters down but had the champion simply outgrown the bantamweight division? He showed nothing against Canizales, who dropped him in the first round, again in the fifth and twice more in the seventh, when the fight really needed stopping. Carlos Padilla thought otherwise. The fifth and final knockdown cost Sandoval his career. It nearly cost the man his life.
Sandoval died of a heart attack on Monday at the age of 63, leaving behind a son and a fine boxing record of 29-1 (17). RIP.

Even nicer tribute bennie. Great read as always.

[bennie]

Sad to hear, and a nice tribute bennie.

Well, it ain't much for a fighter's career. I always liked Richie. He was a thin, pale-looking kid but carried a whack and came along a few years after his brother, Alberto, a world class bantamweight of the 1970s, so it was interesting to compare them. Alberto was thin and pale, too, but he did a real number on our own Paddy Maguire in Los Angeles (with Mickey Duff in Maguire's corner) and went to war with Alfonso Zamora in a Los Angeles classic in 1978, which Zamora came through in eight rounds. That defeat took something out of Alberto who was very much the fall guy when he challenged Lupe Pintor for the WBC title, losing in 12 one-sided rounds in 1980.
In the same year, Richie missed out on the chance of a gold medal when America boycotted the Moscow Olympics. Now, I'm not sure that Richie wins the flyweight gold with competition like Peter Lesov, Jorge Hernandez, Henryk Średnicki and Gilberto Roman, but he definitely wins a medal, having picked up bronze in the world championships in 1978. He showed what could do against Ray Gilbody in an international match in London in 1979, tagging Gilbody repeatedly with counters to take a unanimous decision. The man looked brilliant. Inevitably, Richie switched to the pro ranks and bombed out his early opposition, including a first-round stoppage of the usually rugged Jose Torres, until a strong, crafty southpaw by the name of Harold Petty held him to a rousing split decision in Las Vegas. Petty, who fought out of the same Dave Gorman stable that boasted Donald Curry and Steve Cruz, deserved a rematch and he got one three months later when he and Sandoval produced another sparkling, desperately close affair, with Sandoval finishing strongly to snatch a majority decision.
Now unbeaten in 13 fights, Sandoval had grown into the bantamweight division and was no longer blowing opponents away but outworking them behind a solid jab, including Alonzo "Strongbow" Gonzalez, George Garcia and slippery Canadian southpaw Ian Clyde, the man who famously knocked over Charlie Magri in the 1976 Olympics. This competition was a world away from the men Jeff Chandler routinely disposed of as WBA bantamweight champion, men that included Gaby Canizales, Jorge Lujan and Eijiro Murata. The feisty, arrogant champion had made nine defences of the belt he won from Julian Solis in 1980 and his only defeat at the hands of Oscar Muniz in a hastily arranged 10-rounder in 1983 was avenged just months later and avenged by stoppage. Chandler entered the ring a huge favourite against Sandoval in Atlantic City in April 1984 but took a big right hand in the opener and never got into the fight as the challenger kept the punches coming. Chandler was down in round 11, continued to take a pasting and the stoppage from referee Arthur Mercante in the 15th and final round came as something of a relief. Sandoval could fight; Sandoval could really fight.
He kickstarted his reign with a comprehensive decision over Venezuela's Edgar Roman, the mandatory challenger, in Monte Carlo in September 1984. Roman was down in the third round and Sandoval also dropped Chile's Cardenio Ulloa in his next defence in Miami but Ulloa rallied and scored a knockdown of his own, at which point Sandoval settled down to grind all the resistance out of Ulloa, who was rescued on the ropes in the eighth. Richie kept busy with a string of non-title fights, all of them wins, but his weight began to raise serious concerns. He came in over the featherweight limit against Hector Cortez in California in February 1986, just a month before a defence of his title against that man Canizales on a big outdoor show in Las Vegas. Jimmy Montoya, Sandoval's trainer, was known for boiling his fighters down but had the champion simply outgrown the bantamweight division? He showed nothing against Canizales, who dropped him in the first round, again in the fifth and twice more in the seventh, when the fight really needed stopping. Carlos Padilla thought otherwise. The fifth and final knockdown cost Sandoval his career. It nearly cost the man his life.
Sandoval died of a heart attack on Monday at the age of 63, leaving behind a son and a fine boxing record of 29-1 (17). RIP.

Even nicer tribute bennie. Great read as always.

Cheers, mate. I wonder what Alberto is doing these days. He was every bit as good as Richie but had the misfortune to run into an Alfonso Zamora who still had something left.

[Nile4000]

This is definitely a surprise. RIP Richie, good fighter in his day.

[elmersalsa]

Rest in peace, Richie. You was a true world champion.