Samuel Serrano
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| Samuel Serrano | |
|---|---|
 Samuel Serrano in 1984 | |
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | El Torbellino |
| Weight(s) | Super Featherweight |
| Height | 5 ft 8 1⁄2 in (174 cm) |
| Nationality |  Puerto Rican |
| Born | 17 November 1952 Toa Alta, Puerto Rico |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 56 |
| Wins | 50 |
| Wins by KO | 17 |
| Losses | 5 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
 You may watch Samuel Serrano vs Benedicto Villablanca on YouTube |
Samuel Serrano (born November 17, 1952), nicknamed Sammy and El Torbellino (The Whirlwind), is a Puerto Rican who won boxing's world junior lightweight championship twice.
According to Serrano during a 2017 interview with El Nuevo Dia newspaper, he learned to box starting at age 5 when he lived at Palmarejos barrio in Corozal.[1]
Professional boxing career[edit]
Serrano, owner of long arms, began his career on October 29, 1969 with a four-round decision win over Ramon Laureano. He built a fan base in Puerto Rico, campaigning there for his first 23 bouts, including winning and losing the Puerto Rican Featherweight title v.s Francisco Villegas. For his 24th bout, he traveled to Panama City, where he met future world Featherweight champion Ernesto Marcel, who beat him on points in 10 rounds. That would be his last defeat in a long time.
He then continued his winning ways, including a 10-round decision win over tough veteran Cocoa Perez and one win over former title challenger Diego Alcala, also by decision in 10. Serrano then travelled in 1976 to Honolulu, Hawaii, to meet reigning Lineal and WBA world jr. Lightweight champion, the Filipino Ben Villaflor. By most writer's accounts, Serrano beat Villaflor, but he had to return home only with a 15-round draw (tie).
The WBA ordered an immediate rematch, and so on October 16 of the same year, Villaflor went to San Juan to defend his title for the second time vs. Serrano. Serrano beat Villaflor by using his ring technique to win 12 of the 15 rounds on each judges' scorecards. As life had it, Samuel Serrano was destined to become a world champion in front of his fans.[2]
Serrano became a traveling champion, defending his title in places like Venezuela, Ecuador, South Africa, Japan (twice) and, of course, Puerto Rico. One of his defenses, against Julio Diablito Valdez, resulted in an after-fight brawl when Serrano was announced as winner by a unanimous decision and went to greet his rival but was received with a punch to the face. Serrano retaliated, and police intervention was needed. Both fighters were escorted to their dressing rooms by the police. But disaster struck for Serrano in Detroit on August 2 of 1980, when, after leading on all scorecards, he was struck by a Yasutsune Uehara right hand to the chin in round six, and lost his title by knockout to the Japanese. After that loss, he set his eyes on recovering his world title from the Japanese world champion, and so on April 9, 1981, they met again, this time in Wakayama, Japan. Serrano was more cautious this time, and didn't try to go for the knockout after building a points lead. Even though Uehara was fighting in his homeland, all judges agreed and gave Serrano more rounds than they gave Uehara, and Serrano the world title back by a fifteen-round unanimous decision.
Serrano made two defenses and then went to Chile to give challenger Benedicto Villablanca a chance at the title on June 3, 1982. It proved to be a highly controversial fight. After 5 rounds, Serrano was ahead on the scorecards. However, a cut appeared over his eye during the 6th, and the referee ruled it to be from a punch. Serrano kept fighting, but during the 11th round, the cut was so deep, the fight had to be stopped by the doctor and Serrano had to be taken to a Santiago hospital. Since the referee ruled the cut came from a punch, initially the fight and the world title were given to Villablanca.
Serrano and his corner filed a complaint, however, claiming the cut had been caused by a headbutt instead, and upon review at the WBA's Panama City offices, WBA officials announced they had effectively seen the headbutt that Serrano claimed opened his cut happen. So the WBA decided the cut had come from a headbutt, and the judges' scorecards were reviewed. They had Serrano ahead on points after 10 rounds, so the fight, and the crown, were given back to Serrano by a technical decision.
In his next defense he met the younger and physically stronger Roger Mayweather. Serrano and Mayweather gave it a good fight for most of 7 rounds, but Serrano was weakened by a barrage of punches towards the end of the 7th, and downed with a right hand in the 8th, this time, losing the title definitively.
Retirement[edit]
Serrano retired from the ring for one year and came back in 1984, winning by first round knockout. Then, he retired again.
In 1996, Serrano won the Puerto Rican Lightweight title vs Sammy Mejias on a 12-round decision in 1996 and won a 10-round decision vs Anthony Ivory in 1997. Serrano retired after the Ivory fight with a final record of 50 wins, 5 defeats and 17 knockouts.
He made a television commercial for Budweiser in Puerto Rico in 1982.
As of 2017, Serrano was living in a beach house at Islote, ciudad de Arecibo. He dedicated himself to fixing beachfront apartments and renting them, as well as to creating mosaic art, some of which he sold.[3]
Professional boxing record[edit]
| Professional record summary | ||
| 56 fights | 50 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 17 | 2 |
| By decision | 33 | 3 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Win | 50–5–1 |  Anthony Ivory | PTS | 10 | November 6, 1997 | Dorado, Puerto Rico | |
| 55 | Win | 49–5–1 | Sammy Mejias | UD | 10 | July 14, 1996 | Bayamon, Puerto Rico | |
| 54 | Win | 48–5–1 | Candido Santamaria | KO | 1 (?) | May 26, 1984 | Mets Pavillion, Guaynabo, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 53 | Loss | 47–5–1 | Roger Mayweather | TKO | 8 (15) | January 19, 1983 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Lost WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 52 | Win | 47–4–1 |  Benedicto Villablanca | TD | 11 (15) | July 5, 1982 | Teatro Caupolican, Santiago de Chile, Chile | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight fitles |
| 51 | Win | 46–4–1 |  Hikaru Tomonari | TKO | 12 (15) | December 10, 1981 | Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 50 | Win | 45–4–1 |  Leonel Hernandez | UD | 15 | July 29, 1981 | El Poliedro, Caracas, Venezuela | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 49 | Win | 44–4–1 | Yasutsune Uehara | UD | 15 | April 9, 1981 | Prefectural Gymnasium, Wakayama, Japan | Won WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 48 | Win | 43–4–1 | Jesus Delgado | KO | 2 (?) | September 20, 1980 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 47 | Loss | 42–4–1 |  Yasutsune Uehara | KO | 6 (15) | Aug 02, 1980 | Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, U.S. | Lost WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 46 | Win | 42–3–1 | Battlehawk Kazama | TKO | 13 (15) | April 3, 1980 | Central Gymnasium, Nara, South Korea | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 45 | Win | 41–3–1 |  Nkosana Mgxaji | TKO | 8 (15) | Dec 9, 1979 | Goodwood Showgrounds, Cape Town, South Africa | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 44 | Win | 40–3–1 |  Julio Valdez | UD | 15 | February 18, 1979 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 43 | Win | 39–3–1 | Takao Maruki | UD | 15 | November 29, 1978 | Aichi Prefectural Gym, Nagoya, Japan | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 42 | Win | 38–3–1 | Young Ho Oh | RTD | 9 (15) | July 8, 1978 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 41 | Won | 37–3–1 |  Mario Martínez | UD | 15 | February 18, 1978 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 40 | Win | 36–3–1 | Tae-Ho Kim | TKO | 10 (15) | November 19, 1977 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 39 | Win | 35–3–1 | Apollo Yoshi | UD | 15 | August 27, 1977 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 38 | Win | 34–3–1 | Leonel Hernandez | UD | 15 | July 26, 1977 | Gimnasio Luis Ramos, Puerto La Cruz, Venezualia | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 37 | Win | 33–3–1 |  Alberto Herrera | KO | 11 (15) | January 15, 1977 | Plaza de Toros, Guayaquil, Venezuela | Retained WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 36 | Win | 32–3–1 |  Ben Villaflor | UD | 15 | October 16, 1976 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Won WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 35 | Win | 31–3–1 |  Adrian Villanueva | KO | 2 (?) | September 10, 1976 | Bayamon, Puerto Rico | |
| 34 | Win | 30–3–1 | Mar Basa | TKO | 9 (10) | May 8, 1976 | Bayamon, Puerto Rico | |
| 33 | Draw | 29–3–1 | Ben Villaflor | SD | 15 | April 13, 1976 | Blaisdell Center Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | For WBA and lineal super featherweight titles |
| 32 | Win | 29–3 | Maneul Rodriguez | TKO | 6 (?) | December 13, 1975 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 31 | Win | 28–3 |  Diego Alcala | PTS | 10 | October 11, 1975 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 30 | Win | 27–3 | Ahmet Tosci | KO | 2 (10) | September 1, 1975 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 29 | Win | 26–3 |  Victor Echegaray | PTS | 10 | July 28, 1975 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 28 | Win | 25–3 | Jose Pena | PTS | 10 | April 12, 1975 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 27 | Win | 24–3 | Memo Cruz | PTS | 10 | November 15, 1974 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 26 | Win | 23–3 | Ezequiel Cocoa Sanchez | PTS | 10 | July 29, 1974 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 25 | Win | 22–3 | Gustavo Briceno | KO | 10 (12) | July 15, 1974 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Won Puerto Rican Featherweight title |
| 24 | Win | 21–3 | Lorenzo Trujillo | PTS | 10 | April 15, 1974 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 23 | Loss | 20–3 | Ernesto Marcel | SD | 10 | December 5, 1973 | Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City | |
| 22 | Win | 20–2 |  Jose Issac Martin | PTS | 10 | July 21, 1973 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 21 | Win | 19–2 |  Freddie Major | KO | 1 (10) | June 10, 1973 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 20 | Win | 18–2 | Terry Rondeau | KO | 2 (?) | Apr 14, 1973 | Carolina, Puerto Rico | |
| 19 | Win | 17–2 | John Howard | PTS | 10 | March 24, 1973 | Carolina, Puerto Rico | |
| 18 | Win | 16–2 | Nestor Rojas | PTS | 10 | February 16, 1973 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 17 | Win | 15–2 | Angel Rivera | PTS | 12 | December 9, 1972 | Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| 16 | Loss | 14–2 | Francisco Villegas | PTS | 12 | April 8, 1972 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Lost Puerto Rican Featherweight title |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | Angel Rivera | PTS | 10 | December 4, 1971 | Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Francisco Villegas | PTS | 12 | October 25, 1971 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Won Puerto Rican Featherweight title |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Braulio Rodriguez | PTS | 10 | July 3, 1971 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Gustavo Briceno | PTS | 10 | May 15, 1971 | Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| 11 | Win | 10–1 | Wilson Yambo | PTS | 10 | February 4, 1971 | Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Modesto Concepcion | PTS | 8 | October 31, 1970 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Ramon Dominguez | PTS | 6 | June 6, 1970 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Modesto Concepcion | PTS | 6 | May 9, 1970 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Robert Guerrero | PTS | 6 | April 11, 1970 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Ramon Montes | PTS | 6 | March 14, 1970 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Modesto Escalera | PTS | 6 | February 14, 1970 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Sammy Correa | TKO | 3 (?) | January 17, 1970 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 3 | Loss | 2–1 | Enrique Roque | PTS | 4 | December 12, 1969 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Radames Pizzarro | PTS | 4 | November 13, 1969 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Ramon Laureano | KO | 3 (?) | November 1, 1969 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Professional debut |
See also[edit]
- List of super featherweight boxing champions
- List of WBA world champions
- List of WBC world champions
References[edit]
External links[edit]
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ben Villaflor | Lineal Super Featherweight Champion 16 October 1976– 2 August 1980 | Succeeded by Yasutsune Uehara |
| Preceded by Ben Villaflor | WBA Super Featherweight Champion 16 October 1976– 2 August 1980 | Succeeded by Yasutsune Uehara |
| Preceded by Yasutsune Uehara | Lineal Super Featherweight Champion 9 April 1981– 19 January 1983 | Succeeded by Roger Mayweather |
| Preceded by Yasutsune Uehara | WBA Super Featherweight Champion 9 April 1981– 19 January 1983 | Succeeded by Roger Mayweather |
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