Sixto Escobar vs. Bobby Leitham (1st meeting)
Sixto Escobar 120 lbs beat Bobby Leitham 118 lbs by TKO in round 7 of 10
- Date: 1934-05-07
- Location: Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
- Referee: Jack Dekkers
Escobar cut a deep wound below Leitham's left eye and caused a purple bump "that practically shut the optic." So the referee stopped the bout.
This was future undisputed World Bantamweight Champion Sixto Escobar's debut in the continental United States. He was a late substitute for another boxer and "surprised the boxing world" by knocking out Leitham, the Canadian Bantamweight Champion. New York Times, November 16, 1935, p. 10. (That "other boxer" was Midget Wolgast, who at first had asked for a postponement of the bout, then decided to pull out altogether. Escobar stepped in on a week's notice. Montreal Herald.)
Leitham had been scheduled for a potential Montreal Athletic Commission bantamweight world title elimination match with Mexican Champion Rodolfo (Baby) Casanova, but this loss put a "monkey wrench" in his plans. So he called for a rematch with Escobar to remove this "cloud" on his record, per the May 11 Montreal Herald. When he was once again KO'd by Escobar soon afterward, Leitham retired from pro boxing.