Daniel Zaragoza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daniel Zaragoza |
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | El Ratón ("The Mouse") |
| Rated at |
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| Height | 5 ft 7 in |
| Reach | 68 in |
| Born | 11 December 1957 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 66 |
| Wins | 55 |
| Wins by KO | 28 |
| Losses | 8 |
| Draws | 3 |
Daniel Zaragoza, born on December 11, 1957, is a famous Mexican former professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1980 to 1997. Daniel Zaragoza was a world champion in two different weight classes. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight title in 1985. He also held the WBC super bantamweight title twice between 1988 and 1997. His nickname was El Ratón, which means "The Mouse" in Spanish.
Early Boxing Days
Daniel Zaragoza started his boxing journey as an amateur. He represented his home country, Mexico, in big competitions.
Representing Mexico
In 1979, Daniel Zaragoza competed as a bantamweight at the Pan-American Games. These games were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He won against Alfonso Abata from Ecuador. However, he later lost to Jackie Beard from the United States.
Olympic Games Experience
Zaragoza also represented Mexico at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. He competed as a bantamweight there too. He won his first two fights against Philip Sutcliffe Snr from Ireland and Ray Gilbody from Great Britain. His Olympic journey ended when he lost to Michael Anthony from Guyana.
Becoming a Professional Boxer
Daniel Zaragoza turned professional in October 1980. He won his very first professional fight against Ernesto Gutierrez. This was the start of a long and successful career.
Winning the Bantamweight Title
In 1985, Daniel Zaragoza won his first major title. He became the WBC Bantamweight champion. He won this title by defeating Freddie Jackson in Aruba. A bantamweight boxer usually weighs between 115 and 118 pounds.
He lost this title in his very first defense to Miguel "Happy" Lora. In 1986, he also fought Jeff Fenech, another famous boxer, but lost that match.
Becoming a Super Bantamweight Champion
After losing his bantamweight title, Zaragoza decided to move up to a heavier weight class. This new class was called Super bantamweight. A super bantamweight boxer usually weighs between 119 and 122 pounds. He won seven fights in a row in this new weight class.
In 1988, he won the vacant WBC Super bantamweight title. He achieved this by knocking out the famous boxer Carlos Zarate in the tenth round.
Defending the Title
Daniel Zaragoza successfully defended his super bantamweight title five times. Some of his notable fights included:
- A tough draw against Lee Seung-hoon in South Korea.
- A knockout win against Valerio Nati in Italy.
- A decision win over Paul Banke in the first of their three fights.
- A knockout win against Frankie Duarte.
- A decision win against former champion Chan-Yong Park in South Korea.
In 1990, he lost his title to Paul Banke. But Zaragoza was determined to get it back.
Regaining the Title
In 1991, Daniel Zaragoza regained the WBC super bantamweight title. He won against Kiyoshi Hatanaka in Japan. He defended the title against Joon Huh and also got revenge against Paul Banke, whom he had lost to earlier. In 1992, he lost his title again to Thierry Jacob in France.
He then fought Tracy Harris Patterson twice. He had a draw in their first fight. In the second fight, he lost when the match was stopped due to a cut, even though Zaragoza wanted to continue.
Oldest Super Bantamweight Champion
In 1995, Daniel Zaragoza got another chance to win the WBC Super Bantamweight title. He fought Hector Acero Sánchez. Their first fight was a draw, which many people thought Zaragoza should have won.
Later that year, he had a rematch with Sánchez and won the title. At 36 years and 11 months old, he became the oldest super bantamweight champion in history!
Late Career Success
This win started a strong period for Zaragoza late in his career. He defended his title four more times. He had two wins against Joichiro Tatsuyoshi in Japan. He also won against Tsuyoshi Harada and had an upset win against Wayne McCullough.
On September 6, 1997, he lost his title to the young and undefeated Erik Morales. Morales knocked him out in the 11th round. After this fight, Daniel Zaragoza retired from boxing at the age of 39. His final record was 55 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws.
Life After Boxing
Daniel Zaragoza's amazing career was recognized in 2004. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This is a great honor for boxers who have achieved a lot in the sport.
Images for kids
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Daniel Zaragoza, "The Mouse"
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Zaragoza para niños
- List of Mexican boxing world champions
- List of world bantamweight boxing champions
- List of world super-bantamweight boxing champions
