Salvador Sánchez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Salvador Sánchez
Statistics
Real name	Salvador Sánchez Narváez
Nickname(s)	Sal Sánchez The Invincible Eagle The Champ Chava Mr. Pulmones (Mr. Lungs) Iron Lung
Rated at	Featherweight
Height	170 cm
Reach	173 cm
Nationality	Mexican
Born	(1959-01-26)January 26, 1959 Santiago Tianguistenco, State of Mexico, Mexico
Died	August 12, 1982(1982-08-12) (aged 23) Queretaro, Mexico
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	46
Wins	44
Wins by KO	32
Losses	1
Draws	1
No contests	0

Salvador Sánchez Narváez (born January 26, 1959 – died August 12, 1982) was a famous Mexican boxer. He was born in Santiago Tianguistenco, State of Mexico. Salvador Sánchez was the WBC and lineal featherweight champion from 1980 to 1982. Many people who watched him fight and boxing experts believe he could have become the greatest featherweight boxer ever. Sadly, he died young in a car accident. Sánchez was also the uncle of another boxer, Salvador Sánchez II.

In 1991, Sánchez was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The Ring magazine chose him and Sugar Ray Leonard as the Fighter of the Year in 1981. In 2002, The Ring magazine said he was the 24th best fighter of the past 80 years. In 2003, they ranked him 88th on their list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. The Associated Press voted Sánchez as the 3rd best featherweight of the 20th century.

Salvador Sánchez: A Boxing Legend

Salvador Sánchez started his professional boxing career when he was just 16 years old. He had a short amateur career with only about four fights. Even as a teenager, he quickly won many matches against tough Mexican boxers.

Early Career and First Loss

His first big fight was his 19th professional match against Antonio Becerra, the Mexican bantamweight champion. Becerra was more experienced than the young Sánchez. Sánchez lost this fight by a split decision. This means some judges thought he won, and others thought he lost, with the majority voting against him.

Becoming a Featherweight Champion

After this, Sánchez kept fighting and moved to the Featherweight division. He beat strong fighters like Felix Trinidad Sr., who was the Puerto Rican featherweight champion. These wins helped him get a chance to fight for the world title against Danny "Little Red" Lopez. Lopez was a very popular boxer in the late 1970s. He had won many exciting fights.

On February 2, 1980, the 21-year-old Sánchez fought Lopez in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Sánchez surprised everyone by knocking out the champion in the 13th round. This made him the new WBC and lineal featherweight champion.

Defending His Title

Sánchez defended his title for the first time against Ruben Castillo. He won by a unanimous decision after 15 rounds. Many people thought Sánchez's first win was just luck. So, Lopez asked for a rematch in Las Vegas. This time, Sánchez won again, defeating Lopez by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the 14th round. In his next fight, he beat Patrick Ford.

On December 13, 1980, Sánchez won against future champion Juan Laporte. He then defended his title against Roberto Castanon and Nicky Perez.

The Fight Against Wilfredo Gómez

On August 21, 1981, Sánchez faced Wilfredo Gómez in Las Vegas. Gómez was an undefeated world champion in a lighter weight class. He moved up in weight to challenge Sánchez. Sánchez kept his title by knocking out Gómez in the eighth round. After this fight, Gómez had to go back to his old weight division.

This victory made Salvador Sánchez a well-known name across the United States. People who didn't follow boxing closely now knew who he was.

More Title Defenses

In his next fight, Sánchez defeated Olympic medalist Pat Cowdell. He won by a split decision. His fight against Jorge "Rocky" Garcia was the first time two featherweights were shown on HBO. Sánchez landed many punches, but Garcia lived up to his nickname and lasted the whole fight.

On July 21, 1982, Sánchez fought future champion Azumah Nelson at Madison Square Garden. Nelson was a last-minute replacement and not very well known. Most people thought he wouldn't last long against the champion. But it was a very tough fight. Sánchez knocked Nelson down in the 7th round, and they kept trading powerful punches. In the 15th round, Sánchez landed a strong combination that almost knocked Nelson out of the ring. The referee had to stop the fight. Azumah Nelson later became a very successful boxer and was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Salvador Sánchez was a very strong featherweight champion. He won against three boxers (LaPorte, Gómez, and Nelson) who became WBC champions after he died. He also beat four boxers who were already or later became world champions.

His Untimely Death

Salvador Sánchez was getting ready for another fight with Juan Laporte in September. But early in the morning of August 12, 1982, he died instantly in a car accident. He was driving his Porsche 928 sports car on the highway from Querétaro to San Luis Potosí.

At the time of his death, there were talks about him fighting Mario Miranda, having a rematch with Gómez, or even challenging the world lightweight champion Alexis Argüello. However, the fight with Argüello was already off the table because Argüello decided to fight in a different weight class.

Salvador Sánchez ended his career with an amazing record of 44 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw. He was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991, after his death.

Acting Career

Sánchez appeared as himself in the 1983 movie The Last Fight. The movie was released after he died and was dedicated to him. In the film, Sánchez shared scenes with Ruben Blades, who played a boxer challenging Sánchez for his title.

Professional Boxing Record

Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
Win	44–1–1	Azumah Nelson	TKO	15 (15), 1:49	July 21, 1982	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	43–1–1	Jorge Garcia	UD	15	May 8, 1982	Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	42–1–1	Pat Cowdell	SD	15	December 12, 1981	Astrodome, Houston, Texas, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	41–1–1	Wilfredo Gómez	TKO	8 (15), 2:09	August 21, 1981	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	40–1–1	Nicky Perez	UD	10	July 11, 1981	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	39–1–1	Roberto Castanon	TKO	10 (15), 1:09	March 22, 1981	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	38–1–1	Juan Laporte	UD	15	December 13, 1980	County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, U.S.	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	37–1–1	Patrick Ford	MD	15	September 13, 1980	Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	36–1–1	Danny Lopez	TKO	14 (15), 1:42	June 21, 1980	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	35–1–1	Ruben Castillo	UD	15	April 12, 1980	Civic Auditorium, Tucson, Arizona, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight titles
Win	34–1–1	Danny Lopez	TKO	13 (15), 0:51	February 2, 1980	Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona, United States	Won WBC, The Ring, and lineal featherweight title
Win	33–1–1	Rafael Gandarilla	TKO	5 (10)	December 15, 1979	Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Win	32–1–1	Richard Rozelle	KO	3 (10), 1:55	September 15, 1979	Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	31–1–1	Félix Trinidad Sr.	TKO	5 (10)	August 7, 1979	Summit, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	30–1–1	Rosalio Muro	KO	3 (10)	July 22, 1979	San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Win	29–1–1	Fel Clemente	UD	12	June 17, 1979	Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win	28–1–1	Salvador Torres	TKO	7 (10)	May 19, 1979	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	27–1–1	James Martinez	UD	10	March 13, 1979	San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win	26–1–1	Carlos Mimila	KO	3 (10)	February 3, 1979	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	25–1–1	José Santana	TKO	2 (10)	December 16, 1978	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	24–1–1	Edwin Alarcon	TKO	9 (10)	November 21, 1978	San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win	23–1–1	Francisco Ponce	KO	2 (10)	September 26, 1978	Houston, Texas, United States
Win	22–1–1	Hector Cortez	TKO	7 (10)	August 13, 1978	Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	21–1–1	José Sánchez	UD	10	July 1, 1978	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Draw	20–1–1	Juan Escobar	MD	10	March 15, 1978	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	20–1	Eliseo Cosme	PTS	10	December 5, 1977	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	19–1	José Luis Soto	PTS	10	November 11, 1977	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Loss	18–1	Antonio Becerra	SD	12	September 9, 1977	Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico	For vacant Mexico Bantamweight title.
Win	18–0	Rosalio Badillo	TKO	5 (10)	May 21, 1977	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	17–0	Daniel Felizardo	KO	5 (10)	March 12, 1977	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	16–0	Raúl López	TKO	10 (10)	February 5, 1977	Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
Win	15–0	Antonio Leon	TKO	10 (10)	December 25, 1976	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	14–0	Saul Montana	TKO	9 (10)	October 31, 1976	Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Win	13–0	Joel Valdez	TKO	9 (10)	August 11, 1976	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	12–0	Pedro Sandoval	TKO	9 (10)	July 5, 1976	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	11–0	Fidel Trejo	KO	6 (10)	May 26, 1976	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	10–0	Jose Chavez	TKO	7 (10)	April 24, 1976	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	9–0	Serafin Isidro Pacheco	TKO	4 (8)	March 31, 1976	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	8–0	Javier Solis	TKO	7 (8)	February 25, 1976	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	7–0	Juan Granados	TKO	3 (8)	January 24, 1976	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	6–0	Fidel Trejo	UD	8	December 11, 1975	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	5–0	Candido Sandoval	TKO	7 (8)	November 25, 1975	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	4–0	Cesar Lopez	KO	4 (6)	October 19, 1975	Misantla, Veracruz, Mexico
Win	3–0	Victor Martinez	KO	2 (6)	August 10, 1975	Misantla, Veracruz, Mexico
Win	2–0	Miguel Ortiz	KO	3 (6)	May 25, 1975	Misantla, Varacruz, Mexico
Win	1–0	Al Gardeno	KO	3 (4)	May 4, 1975	Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico	Salvador's professional debut.

Fun Facts

• In the movie 21, the main character, Ben Campbell (played by Jim Sturgess), introduces himself as Salvador Sánchez.
• The folk rock band Sun Kil Moon wrote a song about Sánchez. It's called "Salvador Sánchez" and is on their 2003 album Ghosts of the Great Highway.

See also

In Spanish: Salvador Sánchez (boxeador) para niños