Antonio Esparragoza

Antonio Esparragoza
Born(1959-09-02)2 September 1959
Cumaná, Venezuela
Statistics
Weight(s)Featherweight
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights36
Wins30
Wins by KO27
Losses2
Draws4

Antonio Esparragoza Betancourt (born 2 September 1959) is a Venezuelan former boxer who is a former WBA Featherweight Champion of the World.

Amateur career

Esparragoza represented Venezuela as a Featherweight at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Below are the results from that tournament:

  • Round of 64: bye
  • Round of 32: lost to Peter Hanlon (Great Britain) by decision, 1-4

Professional career

Esparragoza turned pro in 1981 and after largely fighting unproven fighters in his native Venezuela was granted a shot at Lineal & WBA Featherweight Titles holder Steve Cruz in 1987. Esparragoza pulled off an upset with a TKO in the 12th round. Esparragoza defended the titles against seven contenders before losing the belts to Yong-Kyun Park in 1991 via unanimous decision. He retired after the loss.

Due to his incredible knockout power, Esparragoza is ranked at 75 in Ring Magazine's list of 100 Greatest Punchers.

Professional boxing record

36 fights 30 wins 2 losses
By knockout 27 1
By decision 3 1
Draws 4
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
36 Loss 30–2–4 Park Yong-kyun UD 12 Mar 30, 1991 Mudeungsan Hotel, Gwangju City, South Korea Lost WBA featherweight title
35 Win 30–1–4 Chan Mok Park UD 12 May 12, 1990 Hilton Hotel, Seoul, South Korea Retained WBA featherweight title
34 Win 29–1–4 Eduardo Montoya KO 5 (12), 1:30 Sep 22, 1989 Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
33 Win 28–1–4 Jean Marc Renard KO 6 (12), 2:25 Jun 2, 1989 Palais des Expositions, Namur, Belgium Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
32 Win 27–1–4 Mitsuru Sugiya KO 10 (12), 2:07 Mar 26, 1989 Municipal Gymnasium, Kawasaki, Japan Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
31 Win 26–1–4 Jose Marmolejo KO 8 (12), 1:26 Nov 5, 1988 Palazzo Dello Sport, Marsala, Italy Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
30 Draw 25–1–4 Marcos Villasana SD 12 Jun 23, 1988 Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, US Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
29 Win 25–1–3 Pascual Aranda KO 10 (12), 2:48 Jul 26, 1987 Las Americas Arena, Houston, Texas, US Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
28 Win 24–1–3 Steve Cruz TKO 12 (12), 2:48 Mar 6, 1987 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, US Won WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
27 Win 23–1–3 Octavio Quinones RTD 3 (10), 1:52 Jan 16, 1987 Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona, US
26 Draw 22–1–3 Nelson Rodriguez PTS 10 May 19, 1986 San Juan, Puerto Rico
25 Win 22–1–2 Bernardo Checa KO 2 (10) Mar 22, 1986 Turmero, Venezuela
24 Win 21–1–2 Jose M. Ortiz KO 2 (?) Feb 17, 1986 Turmero, Venezuela
23 Win 20–1–2 Johnny De La Rosa TKO 3 (10) May 4, 1985 Concorde Boxing Arena, Oranjestad, Aruba
22 Win 19–1–2 Joe Rivera KO 2 (?) Feb 23, 1985 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
21 Win 18–1–2 Jeff Roberts KO 7 (?) Feb 2, 1985 Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico
20 Draw 17–1–2 Bernardo Checa PTS 10 Oct 10, 1984 Porlamar, Venezuela
19 Win 17–1–1 Jose Guerrero UD 10 Aug 11, 1984 Concorde Boxing Arena, Oranjestad, Aruba
18 Win 16–1–1 Eduardo Laguna KO 4 (?) Jul 7, 1984 Maracaibo, Venezuela
17 Win 15–1–1 Jose de Jesus Acosta TKO 3 (?) May 15, 1984 Elias Mansur Stadion, Oranjestad, Aruba
16 Win 14–1–1 Ruben Veliz KO 3 (?) Dec 16, 1983 Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
15 Win 13–1–1 Fabio Mosquera KO 3 (?) Oct 1, 1983 Caracas, Venezuela
14 Win 12–1–1 Alberto Parra KO 3 (?) May 13, 1983 Porlamar, Venezuela
13 Win 11–1–1 Jose Mosqueda KO 7 (?) Mar 26, 1983 Catia La Mar, Venezuela
12 Win 10–1–1 Antonio Rodriguez KO 3 (?) Feb 19, 1983 Cumana, Venezuela
11 Win 9–1–1 Freddy Pitalua PTS 10 Nov 6, 1982 Caracas, Venezuela
10 Draw 8–1–1 Bernardo Piñango PTS 10 Oct 4, 1982 Caracas, Venezuela
9 Win 8–1 Angel Torres KO 9 (?) Jul 26, 1982 Cumana, Venezuela
8 Win 7–1 Tito Roque KO 2 (?) Jun 21, 1982 Cumana, Venezuela
7 Win 6–1 Alejandro Garcia KO 2 (?) May 24, 1982 Cumana, Venezuela
6 Win 5–1 Francisco Leta KO 5 (?) May 10, 1982 Cumana, Venezuela
5 Loss 4–1 Angel Torres KO 6 (?) Feb 1, 1982 Caracas, Venezuela
4 Win 4–0 David Siso KO 3 (?) Jan 25, 1982 Barquisimeto, Venezuela
3 Win 3–0 Luis Solorzano KO 2 (?) Oct 31, 1981 Maracay, Venezuela
2 Win 2–0 Ramon Bolivar KO 2 (?) Oct 1, 1981 Maracay, Venezuela
1 Win 1–0 Anthony Wanza KO 2 (?) Feb 24, 1981 Cumana, Venezuela

See also

References

Achievements
Preceded by WBA Featherweight Champion
6 March 1987 - 30 March 1991 		Succeeded by
The Ring featherweight champion
6 March 1987 - 1990
Title discontinued until 2002 		Vacant
Title next held by
Marco Antonio Barrera
Lineal Featherweight Champion
6 March 1987 - 30 March 1991 		Succeeded by


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