Betulio González facts for kids

Betulio Segundo González (born October 24, 1949) is a famous former boxer from Venezuela. Many people in Venezuela see him as a national hero. He is often called Venezuela's greatest world champion in boxing history. Betulio had a very long career, fighting in 92 matches. He continued boxing until he was almost 40 years old, which was the age when professional fighters in Venezuela had to retire.

Betulio's Amazing Boxing Journey

Betulio González started his professional boxing career on April 24, 1968. He won his very first fight by knocking out his opponent, Elio Monzat, in the third round. Betulio was on a winning streak, winning his first ten fights!

Winning His First Title

On August 1, 1969, Betulio had a ten-round draw (a tie) with Juan José Brizuela. But he quickly bounced back, beating Brizuela in a rematch. Soon after, on October 10, he fought Hector Criollo for the Venezuelan Flyweight title. Betulio won his first championship belt by knocking out Criollo in seven rounds. This was a big step in his career!

First Shot at a World Title

In 1970, Betulio faced a surprising defeat against Felix Marquez. But he got his revenge in a rematch, winning by a split decision and keeping his Venezuelan title.

On April 1, 1971, Betulio got his first chance to become a world champion. He traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to fight Masao Ohba for the WBA world Flyweight title. It was a tough fight, and Betulio lost by a decision after fifteen rounds.

Becoming a World Champion (The First Time!)

After a few more wins, Betulio got another shot at a world title on November 20, 1971. He faced the world champion Erbito Salavarria for the WBC world title. The fight ended in a draw, but there was a big controversy. Some people thought Salavarria might have used something unfair during the fight. Because of this, the WBC decided to recognize Betulio González as the new world champion!

He defended his title once, but then lost it on September 29, 1972, to Venice Borkhorsor in Thailand.

Becoming a World Champion (The Second Time!)

Betulio didn't give up! After winning four more fights, he became a world Flyweight champion for the second time on August 4, 1973. He won the vacant WBA title by beating Miguel Canto in a fifteen-round match in his hometown of Maracaibo.

He successfully defended this title against Alberto Morales and Franco Udella. He even beat another world champion, Shoji Oguma, in a non-title fight. However, Oguma later defeated Betulio on November 1, 1974, taking the WBA world Flyweight title from him.

Becoming a World Champion (The Third Time!)

Betulio continued to fight hard. He won eight fights in a row and even won a regional title. On August 12, 1978, he made history! He joined a special group of boxers who have become world champions three times in the same weight class. He achieved this by defeating Guty Espadas for the WBA world Flyweight title in Caracas. This fight was also a bit controversial because it looked like Betulio was knocked down in the last round, but the referee didn't count it.

He defended his title against Martin Vargas and had a draw with Shoji Oguma in Japan. In July 1979, he went back to Japan and beat Oguma in a rematch, keeping his title. But in his next defense, on November 17, he lost his world title to Luis Ibarra.

Later Career and Retirement

Betulio went on another winning streak, including two victories against future world champion Peter Mathebula. He tried to become a world champion for a fourth time on December 19, 1981, but he was knocked out by Juan Herrera.

His last attempt at a world title was on September 14, 1982, against Santos Laciar. Betulio lost a close decision in what was his final world title fight.

He officially retired from boxing for the first time on July 7, 1984. However, he returned for one more fight in 1988 before retiring for good, just before he reached the mandatory retirement age for boxers in Venezuela.

Betulio González became a very well-known name across Latin America during his time as a world champion. He was featured in popular boxing magazines, which helped make him famous.

Boxing Record Summary

See also

In Spanish: Betulio González para niños

• List of world flyweight boxing champions