Rubén Olivares facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rubén Olivares |
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Olivares pictured in 2010
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| Real name | Rubén Olivares Avila |
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| Height | 5 ft 5+1/2 in |
| Reach | 67 in |
| Born | 14 January 1947 Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 105 |
| Wins | 89 |
| Wins by KO | 79 |
| Losses | 13 |
| Draws | 3 |
Rubén Olivares Avila, born on January 14, 1947, is a famous Mexican former professional boxer. He is so important in boxing history that he is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Many people think he is the greatest bantamweight champion ever. He was very popular in Mexico and was seen as one of the country's best fighters for a long time.
Olivares held a record for the most wins in unified bantamweight title fights, with 6 victories. This record was later broken by Naoya Inoue. Besides boxing, Olivares also appeared in Mexican movies. He had a very long career, taking part in more than 100 professional boxing matches.
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Rubén Olivares' Boxing Journey
Rubén Olivares started his professional boxing career when he was just 17 years old. His first fight was in Cuernavaca, where he won by knocking out Freddy García in the first round. This win began an amazing streak of 22 knockout victories in a row! During this time, he defeated boxers like Tony Gallegos and Antonio Leal.
On March 8, 1967, Felipe González was the first boxer to last all 10 rounds against Olivares, who won by decision. A few months later, on July 29, Olivares had his first draw (a tie) against Germán Bastidas.
He quickly had rematches with both González and Bastidas. He knocked out González in the sixth round and Bastidas in the fourth round in 1968. Olivares then faced a tougher opponent, former world champion Salvatore Burruni, in Mexico City. Olivares won by knockout in just three rounds. After another win, he started a new streak of 21 knockout victories. During this streak, he won his first fight outside Mexico, beating Bernabé Fernández in Los Angeles. On May 23, 1969, he defeated Olympic gold medalist Takao Sakurai.
Becoming a Bantamweight World Champion
After building an impressive record of 51 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw, Olivares got his first chance to fight for a world title. He faced the world bantamweight champion, Lionel Rose, at the Inglewood Forum in California. Olivares became the new world bantamweight champion by knocking out Rose in the fifth round on August 22, 1969.
After defending his title against Alan Rudkin, Olivares began a famous series of fights with his rival, Chucho Castillo. In their first match, Olivares' long knockout streak ended, but he won by a 15-round decision after getting knocked down himself.
Their second fight happened on October 16, 1970. Olivares got a cut early in the fight, and the match was stopped in the 14th round. Castillo won by technical knockout and became the new world bantamweight champion. This was Olivares' first loss in his 62-fight career.
Olivares and Castillo had their third and final match on April 3, 1971. Olivares was knocked down again but managed to get up and win the world bantamweight title back with another 15-round decision. He then had six more knockout wins, including a tough fight against Kazuyoshi Kanazawa in Japan, which was voted the best Japanese match of 1971. He also defeated former champion Efren Torres and Jesus Pimentel.
On March 19, 1972, Olivares lost his world bantamweight title to another Mexican boxer, Rafael Herrera, by knockout in the eighth round. They had a rematch later that year, but Herrera won again by decision.
Moving Up to Featherweight
After losing his bantamweight title, Olivares decided to move up to the featherweight division. He started strong by defeating Walter Seeley. On June 23, 1973, he began another series of important fights, this time against future champion Bobby Chacon. Olivares won their first match by knocking out Chacón in the ninth round, winning the NABF featherweight title.
However, in his next fight, he suffered a surprising knockout loss to Art Hafey in five rounds. But Olivares quickly bounced back, winning three more fights, including a rematch against Hafey, before fighting for the WBA's vacant world featherweight championship.
Winning the WBA Featherweight Title
On July 9, 1974, Olivares became the world featherweight champion by knocking out Zenzuke Utagawa in the seventh round. After two more wins, he faced Alexis Argüello on November 23, 1974. Olivares lost his world title by knockout in the 13th round. He was winning the fight, but he ran out of energy and was eventually stopped.
Claiming the WBC Featherweight Title
After another win, Olivares met Bobby Chacon again for the second time in their trilogy. This time, Chacón was the WBC world featherweight champion. Olivares won the fight by knockout in the second round, becoming a world champion for the fourth time!
However, he lost this title in his very first defense to Ghana's David "Poison" Kotey. Kotey became Ghana's first world boxing champion by winning a 15-round decision against Olivares. After this, Olivares suffered another knockout defeat to future world champion Danny "Little Red" López.
In 1976, Olivares won two fights and lost one. In 1977, Olivares and Chacón had their final fight, with Chacón winning by decision. But in 1978, Olivares had a great comeback, knocking out future two-time world lightweight champion José Luis Ramírez in two rounds. He followed this with wins over Shig Fukuyama and Isaac Vega.
On July 21, 1979, Olivares had his last chance at a world title against WBA world featherweight champion Eusebio Pedroza in Houston. He was knocked out in the 12th round. For the next eight years, he fought sometimes, with mixed results, until he retired from professional boxing in 1988.
Rubén Olivares' Boxing Achievements
Rubén Olivares had an amazing career with many important titles.
Major World Titles
- WBA Bantamweight Champion (twice)
- WBC Bantamweight Champion (twice)
- WBA Featherweight Champion
- WBC Featherweight Champion
The Ring Magazine Titles
- The Ring Bantamweight Champion (twice)
Other Titles
- NABF Featherweight Champion
Undisputed Titles
- Undisputed Bantamweight Champion (twice)
Rubén Olivares' Legacy
For a long time, Rubén Olivares was considered Mexico's best boxer, until Julio César Chávez became famous. Olivares was a huge star and had many friends in the Mexican entertainment world. He often appeared in funny Mexican movies. He is still seen as a national hero in Mexico.
Olivares acted in 12 films, including Las Glorias del Gran Puas (1984), a movie about his life. This film featured many famous Mexican actors.
He finished his boxing career with 89 wins, 13 losses, and 3 draws. An incredible 79 of his wins were by knockout! His knockout streaks of 22 and 21 wins in a row are among the longest in boxing history. With 78 knockout wins, he is part of a special group of boxers who have won 50 or more fights by knockout. In 2003, The Ring magazine ranked him as the twelfth greatest puncher of all time.
Rubén Olivares is a proud member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1999, the Associated Press voted him as the number one bantamweight of the 20th century, alongside Carlos Zárate.
See also
In Spanish: Rubén Olivares para niños
- List of Mexican boxing world champions
- List of world bantamweight boxing champions
- List of world featherweight boxing champions
