Humberto Soto
Name: Humberto Soto
Alias: La Zorrita The Crafty Little Fox
Birth Name: Humberto Armando Soto Ochoa
Hometown: Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Birthplace: Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 172cm
Reach: 175cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Biography
Armando Humberto Soto Ochoa is a Mexican professional boxer and a former WBC Lightweight & Super Featherweight champion. Soto also won the WBC interim featherweight title by beating Rocky Juarez on August 20, 2005, a fight he accepted with two weeks' notice. He is known for his unorthodox boxing style, being referred to as a "gumby man" by boxing manager Emanuel Steward.
On November 17, 2007, became the challenger to fight Joan Guzman, the reigning WBO Super Featherweight champion. Soto lost the fight by unanimous decision.
On June 28, 2008, Soto faced off against Francisco Lorenzo (33-4, 14 KOs) for the vacant interim WBC Super featherweight title. Soto knocked Lorenzo down twice in the fourth round with a barrage of punches. However, after lengthy consultations with officials at ringside, referee Joe Cortez disqualified Soto for hitting Lorenzo after he was down in what appeared to be a grazing punch. Cortez's decision was widely criticized and the WBC refused to award Lorenzo the title.
WBC president Jose Sulaiman condemned the decision as a "gross injustice" and one of the biggest he has seen in a long time. Sulaiman also announced that the WBC board of governors will vote on whether to declare the fight a no contest or to declare Soto the winner by knockout. Lorenzo, therefore, was not presented the green WBC belt as its champion, since it, though, opted to ignore the official verdict, and declared the title remain vacant. Sulaiman stated he wasn't seeking to overrule the decision, but: "While we respect the authority of the (Nevada commission) for a decision of the fight, we are the only ones to have the authority to decide on the decision relating to the WBC world title."
On October 11, 2008, Soto defeated Gamaliel Diaz to win the vacant interim WBC super featherweight title by technical knockout. Soto knocked Diaz down in the first round and dominated him throughout the bout. Diaz was deducted two points for excessive holding and his corner refused to send him out for the eleventh round.
On December 20, 2008, Soto captured the vacant WBC super featherweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Francisco Lorenzo in a rematch of their controversial bout. Lorenzo was repeatedly warned for low-blows and headbutting throughout the bout. Lorenzo was deducted one point in the seventh round for headbutting and another in the eighth for excessive holding. The final scores were 117-109 from two of the judges and 118-108 on the other card in favor of Soto.
Career Factoids
- Has a record of 9-1 (3 KOs) in World Title fights.
- Has a record of 5-4 (2 KOs) against former world titleists.
- Won against Gamaliel Diaz, Jesus Chavez, David Diaz, José Alfaro & Brandon Rios.
- Lost against Kevin Kelley, Joan Guzman, Lucas Martin Matthysse & Jessie Vargas.
World Title Recognition
Minor Titles Held
- Mexican Pacific Coast featherweight title
- WBC FECARBOX featherweight title
- WBC Youth World featherweight title
- WBC Mundo Hispano featherweight title
- WBC Youth World super featherweight title
- WBA Fedecentro super bantamweight title
- WBC FECARBOX lightweight title
- Interim WBC World featherweight title
- Interim WBC World super featherweight title
- World Boxing Federation World welterweight title
- WBC International Silver super lightweight title
- WBO NABO super lightweight title
| Preceded by: Manny Pacquiao Vacated |
WBC Super Featherweight Champion 2008 Dec 20 – 2010 Mar Vacated |
Succeeded by: Vitali Tajbert |
| Preceded by: Edwin Valero Declared Champion in Recess |
WBC Lightweight Champion 2010 Mar 13 – 2011 Jul Vacated |
Succeeded by: Antonio DeMarco |