Alfonso Zamora
Encyclopedia
Alfonso Zamora Quiroz (born 9 February 1954 in Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal, Mexico
) is a former Mexican boxer who fought from 1973 to 1980. Zamora was the silver medalist at the 1972 Munich Olympics
. He enjoyed a meteoric rise in his professional career. He was the WBA
Bantamweight
Championship and make ten title defences.
in Munich. Results were:
Bantamweight
Championship on 14 March 1975 when he knocked out
Soo-Hwan Hong in four rounds, two years after turning pro. Zamora defended his title twice that year via knockout, against Thanomchit Sukhothai and Socrates Batoto. On April 3, 1976, he knocked out future hall-of-famer Eusebio Pedroza
in the second round. Later that year, he successfully defended his title via knockout against Gilberto Illueca and a rematch with Soo-Hwan Hong.
crown, was the fellow-Mexican legend, Carlos Zarate. A showdown between the two was inevitable and they met in a non-title match on 23 April 1977. Zamora went into the bout sporting a record of 29 wins in 29 fights, all by knockout. Zarate's record was an equally impressive 45 fights, 45 wins, with 44 KOs. In an eargely anticipated fight Zarate scored a technical knockout over Zamora in the fourth round.
Zamora never seemed to recover from this loss. In his next fight he lost his WBA Bantamweight title to Jorge Luján
by knockout in the tenth round. His record thereafter was spotty, and he even was stopped on 16 November 1979 by Eddie Logan, who sported a record of 5 wins and 7 losses. He retired after losing, again by knockout, to Rigoberto Estrada on 19 September 1980. In 1983, Zamora was to fight Wilfredo Gomez
, the fight ultimately was canceled.
Zamora was a knockout seeker, but he seemed to lose confidence after his devastating loss to Zarate. Nevertheless, he was selected at Number 47 on the The Ring
s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. His final career record included 33 wins, with 32 KOs, and 5 losses.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) is a former Mexican boxer who fought from 1973 to 1980. Zamora was the silver medalist at the 1972 Munich Olympics
Boxing at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics:It was held August 27 to September 10, with the participation of 357 fighters from 81 countries.-Medal table:-Light Flyweight :-First Round:...
. He enjoyed a meteoric rise in his professional career. He was the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
Bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
Championship and make ten title defences.
Amateur career
Bantamweight silver medalist at the 1972 OlympicsSummer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
in Munich. Results were:
- Defeated Ricardo FortalezaRicardo FortalezaRicardo Mendoza Fortaleza is a Filipino-Australian retired Olympic amateur boxer/amateur boxing coach and boxing instructor. He now resides in Blacktown, Sydney, Australia.-Early career:...
(Philippines) KO 2 - Defeated Stefan Forster (West Germany) points
- Defeated Juan Francisco RodriguezJuan Francisco RodríguezJuan Francisco Rodríguez Márquez is a retired boxer from Spain, who twice represented his native country during the 1970s at the Summer Olympics. He reached the quarterfinals in 1972...
(Spain) KO 3 - Defeated Ricardo CarrerasRicardo CarrerasRicardo Carreras is a former bantamweight boxer from the United States, who won the bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In the semifinals of the men's bantamweight division he was defeated by eventual silver medalist Alfonso Zamora-Amateur career:Carreras was also the 1971 National AAU...
(United States) points - Lost to Orlando MartinezOrlando MartínezOrlando Martínez is a former bantamweight boxer from Cuba, who won the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Three years later he captured the gold at the 1975 Pan American Games...
(Cuba) points
WBA Bantamweight Championship
He won the WBAWorld Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
Bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
Championship on 14 March 1975 when he knocked out
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
Soo-Hwan Hong in four rounds, two years after turning pro. Zamora defended his title twice that year via knockout, against Thanomchit Sukhothai and Socrates Batoto. On April 3, 1976, he knocked out future hall-of-famer Eusebio Pedroza
Eusebio Pedroza
Eusebio Pedroza is a native of Panama who holds two records in boxing: His 19 defenses as world featherweight champion are a record for that division, and his seven years as world champion non-stop are a division record too...
in the second round. Later that year, he successfully defended his title via knockout against Gilberto Illueca and a rematch with Soo-Hwan Hong.
Zamora vs. Zarate
Fighting contemporaneously, and holding the WBCWorld Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
crown, was the fellow-Mexican legend, Carlos Zarate. A showdown between the two was inevitable and they met in a non-title match on 23 April 1977. Zamora went into the bout sporting a record of 29 wins in 29 fights, all by knockout. Zarate's record was an equally impressive 45 fights, 45 wins, with 44 KOs. In an eargely anticipated fight Zarate scored a technical knockout over Zamora in the fourth round.
Zamora never seemed to recover from this loss. In his next fight he lost his WBA Bantamweight title to Jorge Luján
Jorge Luján
Jorge Luján was born in Córdoba, Argentina and lives in Mexico City where he writes, sings and runs workshops on creative writing. He has published poetry and children's literature , as well as a short story and a book that teaches a method of writing based on images...
by knockout in the tenth round. His record thereafter was spotty, and he even was stopped on 16 November 1979 by Eddie Logan, who sported a record of 5 wins and 7 losses. He retired after losing, again by knockout, to Rigoberto Estrada on 19 September 1980. In 1983, Zamora was to fight Wilfredo Gomez
Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...
, the fight ultimately was canceled.
Zamora was a knockout seeker, but he seemed to lose confidence after his devastating loss to Zarate. Nevertheless, he was selected at Number 47 on the The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. His final career record included 33 wins, with 32 KOs, and 5 losses.