Rafael Limón facts for kids

Rafael Limón Burgos, also known as Bazooka Limón, is a famous Mexican former professional boxer. He was born on January 13, 1954. Rafael Limón was a two-time world champion. He held the WBC super featherweight title in 1980 and again in 1982. He was known for his exciting fights and powerful punches.

Early Life and Boxing Start

Rafael Limón was born in Tlaxco, Tlaxcala, Mexico. When he was four years old, his mother moved with her children to Mexico City.

Rafael joined the Mexican Army on February 14, 1972. While in the Army, he saw some friends boxing. He found it interesting and decided to try it himself. Rafael quickly discovered he had a natural talent for boxing. After three months of training in the Army, he was sent to train with a well-known boxing coach, Kid Rapidez.

Boxing Career Highlights

Rafael Limón is most famous for his four exciting fights against another boxer named Bobby Chacon. These fights were very memorable for boxing fans.

First Fights and World Title Challenges

Their first fight happened on December 7, 1975, in Mexicali, Mexico. Limón won this fight by a unanimous decision (UD). This means all the judges agreed he won.

In February 1979, Limón challenged Alexis Argüello for the WBC super featherweight title. He lost this fight by an eleventh-round knockout (KO). A knockout happens when a boxer is hit so hard they cannot continue.

After this, Limón and Chacon fought for the second time. This fight ended in a technical draw (TD) in the seventh round. A technical draw can happen if a fight has to stop early due to an accidental injury.

The third fight between Limón and Chacon took place on March 21, 1980, in Los Angeles. Chacon won this fight by a split decision (SD). This means the judges were not all in agreement, but most of them picked Chacon as the winner.

Becoming a World Champion

Later in 1980, Rafael Limón got another chance to fight for the world title. He fought Idelphonso Bethelmy from Venezuela in Los Angeles. Limón won by knocking out Bethelmy in the fifteenth round. This made him the WBC super featherweight champion for the first time.

He then defended his title against Cornelius Boza-Edwards. Limón lost this fight by a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds.

Second World Title and Final Chacon Fight

In 1982, Rolando Navarrete was the WBC super featherweight champion. Limón fought Navarrete and knocked him out in the twelfth round. This made Rafael Limón a two-time world champion!

After successfully defending his title against Chung Il Choi, Limón had his fourth and final fight against Bobby Chacon. This fight was on December 11, 1982, in Sacramento, California. It was the first time they fought for a world championship. Limón knocked Chacon down twice during the fight. However, Chacon fought back and knocked Limón down in the very last seconds of the fifteenth round. Limón got back up, but he lost the fight by a close unanimous decision.

In 1983, Limón traveled to Puerto Rico to fight Héctor Camacho. Camacho won the fight in five rounds. Rafael Limón continued boxing until 1992. He never challenged for a world title again. His final boxing record was 52 wins, 23 losses, and 2 draws, with 39 knockouts.

See also

• List of WBC world champions
• List of Mexican boxing world champions
• List of left-handed boxers