Michael Carbajal
Name: Michael Carbajal
Alias: Manitas De Piedra
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 166cm
Reach: 160cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record
Manager and Trainer: Danny Carbajal
Michael Carbajal Photo Gallery
Amateur Career
- Purported amateur Record: 94-9
- 1986 National Golden Gloves Light Flyweight Champion
- 1987 Pan-American Games Silver Medalist in Indianapolis, United States at Light Flyweight.
- Defeated Colin Moore (Guyana) 5-0
- Defeated Juan Torres Odelin (Cuba) 5-0
- Lost to Luis Rolon (Puerto Rico) 0-5
- 1988 United States Amateur Light Flyweight Champion
- 1988 US Olympic Trials Gold medallist in Concord, United States at Light Flyweight.
- Defeated Eric Griffin 5-0 in the final.
- 1988 US Olympic Box-Offs Winner in Las Vegas, United States at Light Flyweight.
- Defeated James Harris DQ 3
- 1988 Light Flyweight Silver Medalist at the Seoul Olympic Games. Results:
- Defeated Kwang-Soo Oh (South Korea) 3-2
- Defeated Dang Nieu Hu (Vietnam) RSC 1
- Defeated Scotty Olson (Canada) 5-0
- Defeated Robert Isaszegi (Hungary) 4-1
- Lost to Ivailo Khristov (Bulgaria) 0-5
Professional Career
- Carbajal was called "Manitas De Piedra" (Little Hands of Stone). He took the name after his idol, Roberto Duran, who went by the moniker "Manos de Piedra" (Hands of Stone).
- Turned professional on February 24, 1989 with a four-round unanimous decision against future IBF Light Flyweight Champion Will Grigsby. The fight was on the undercard of Roberto Duran's upset victory over Iran Barkley to win the WBC Middleweight Championship.
- Won the IBF Light Flyweight Championship on July 29, 1990 with a seventh-round TKO of Muangchai Kittikasem.
- Fought WBC Light Flyweight Champion Humberto Gonzalez in a unification match on March 13, 1993. Carbajal was knocked down in rounds two and five, but came back to win by a seventh-round TKO. The bout was named Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
- Became the first light flyweight to be guaranteed $1 million for a fight when he defended the WBC/IBF Light Flyweight Championship in a rematch with Humberto Gonzalez on February 19, 1994. Gonzalez won the championship with a twelve-round split decision. It was Carbajal's first defeat.
- Fought Humberto Gonzalez for a third time on November 12, 1994. Gonzalez won by a twelve-round majority decision to successfully defend the WBC/IBF Light Flyweight Championship.
- In his final fight, Carbajal stopped Jorge Arce in eleven rounds to win the WBO Light Flyweight Championship on July 31, 1999.
- Retired having defeated 15 opponents (10 by KO) for World Light Flyweight Title.
- Retired with a record of 15-3 (10 KOs) in world title fights.
- Retired with a record of 9-4 (5 KOs) against former, current and future world titlists.
- Won against Will Grigsby, Muangchai Kittikasem, Jesus Chong, Humberto Gonzalez, Josue Camacho, Jose Quirino, Melchor Cob Castro, Jose De Jesus, Jorge Arce
- Lost against Humberto Gonzalez (twice), Mauricio Pastrana, Jacob Matlala
Awards and Recognition
- Named The Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for 1993.
- The May 1994 issue of The Ring Magazine ranked Carbajal as the greatest light flyweight of all-time.
- Named The Ring Magazine Comeback of the Year fighter for 1999.
- Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006.
Outside The Ring
Danny Carbajal, the older brother and former manager and trainer of Michael Carbajal, was sentenced to 4½ years in prison in February 2008 in connection with a fraud scheme.
Danny pleaded guilty in July 2007 to one count of fraudulent schemes and two counts of theft. He was accused of unlawfully transferring land and property that was jointly held by himself and his late wife, Sally Carbajal. Prosecutors said Danny submitted paperwork with false information to a divorce court and deeded all of the properties to himself over the course of three years. In the same case, Danny’s daughters, Josephine and Celia, pleaded guilty to forging their mother’s signature on legal documents and got two years of probation.
Sally Carbajal and her boyfriend, Gerry Best, were shot to death in 2005. The shootings took place three days before the Carbajals’ divorce trial. The case remains unsolved. Authorities strongly suspected Danny of being behind the killings, but weren't able to make a strong enough case against him.
Michael Carbajal accused his brother of stealing money from him. He sued Danny and other members of his brother's family in civil court in 2007 alleging fraud, theft and forgery. The lawsuit was resolved in December 2011 with members of the Carbajal family signing over titles to Michael for eight properties located along Fillmore Street in Phoenix, Arizona.
External Links
- Partial amateur record at Amateur Boxing Records Database
- "Brotherly Glove" by Tom Marcinko, Phoenix Magazine, October 2012
| Preceded by: Muangchai Kittikasem |
IBF Light Flyweight Champion 1990 Jul 29 – 1994 Feb 19 |
Succeeded by: Humberto Gonzalez |
| Preceded by: Humberto Gonzalez |
WBC Light Flyweight Champion 1993 Mar 13 – 1994 Feb 19 |
Succeeded by: Humberto Gonzalez |
| Preceded by: Josue Camacho |
WBO Light Flyweight Champion 1994 Jul 15 – 1994 Nov 12 Stripped |
Succeeded by: Paul Weir |
| Preceded by: Saman Sorjaturong Stripped |
IBF Light Flyweight Champion 1996 Mar 16 – 1997 Jan 18 |
Succeeded by: Mauricio Pastrana |
| Preceded by: Jorge Arce |
WBO Light Flyweight Champion 1999 Jul 31 – 1999 Aug Retired |
Succeeded by: Masibulele Makepula |