Rubén Olivares
Olivares in 2010
Born
Rubén Olivares Avila

(1947-01-14) 14 January 1947
Mexico City, Mexico
Other namesEl Púas, Rockabye
Mr. Knockout
Statistics
Weight(s)Super featherweight
Featherweight
Super bantamweight
Bantamweight
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Reach170 cm (67 in)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights105
Wins89
Wins by KO79
Losses13
Draws3

Rubén Olivares Avila (born January 14, 1947) is a Mexican former professional boxer and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.,[1] Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champion of all time. He was very popular among Mexicans, many of whom considered him to be Mexico's greatest fighter for a long period.[2] He currently holds the record for the most wins in unified title bouts in bantamweight history, at 6. Olivares has also had both starring and cameo appearances in Mexican movies, and he participated in more than 100 professional bouts.[3]

Professional career

Olivares made his pro debut at the age of 17 by knocking out Freddy García in round one at Cuernavaca. With that knockout win, a streak of 22 knockout wins in a row had been set off. During that streak, he beat Tony Gallegos, Monito Aguilar and Antonio Leal, among others. It was on March 8, 1967, that Felipe González became the first one to go the distance with Olivares, when Olivares defeated him by a decision in 10 at Mexicali. Then, on July 29 of that same year, Olivares had the first spot on his record, Germán Bastidas holding him to a ten-round draw.[4]

He had back to back rematches with González and Bastidas, knocking González out in round six on November 19, and Bastidas in round four on January 28, 1968. Then came a step up in opponent quality, when he met former world champion Salvatore Burruni in Mexico City. Olivares knocked Burruni out in three rounds. After defeating Manuel Arnal by a disqualification in six, he set off on another knockout win streak, this one reaching 21 in a row. One of the fights in that streak was against Bernabé Fernández, in Los Angeles. Olivares won his first fight abroad that day, beating Fernández in round three. On May 23, 1969, he defeated Olympic gold medalist Takao Sakurai.[5]

World Bantamweight Championship

After accumulating a record of 51-0-1, Olivares received his first world title bout when he faced world bantamweight champion Lionel Rose, who was defending his world title that day, at the Inglewood Forum. According to boxing book The Ring: Boxing In The 20th Century, the forum's director, fearing a riot like the one that happened after Rose had beaten Chucho Castillo there might happen again, went to Olivares' locker room to express his worries, and Olivares guaranteed he wouldn't let that happen again. Olivares became the world bantamweight champion by knocking Rose out in round five on that day, August 22 of 1969.[6][7]

After beating Alan Rudkin in a title defense and a couple other fighters in non-title bouts, Olivares started his trilogy of bouts with arch-enemy and countryman Castillo. Olivares' knockout streak ended in that fight, but he won the first installment of the Olivares-Castillo rivalry after rising off the canvas to score a 15-round decision. After three more non-title wins, Olivares and Castillo met again, on October 16 of 1970. This time, Olivares suffered a cut in round one, and the fight was stopped in round 14, Castillo the winner and new world Bantamweight champion by a technical knockout. This was Olivares' first loss in his 62 fight career.

After one more win, Olivares and Castillo had their rubber match, on April 3 of 1971. Olivares was knocked down once, but he rose to regain the world Featherweight title in the last fight between him and Castillo with another 15-round decision.[8] Then, he had six more knockouts in a row, including one in a non-title bout in Nicaragua, one in Nagoya, Japan while defending the crown in the rematch for a fight which took place in 1969, won by Olivares by TKO in the 2nd round. The rematch against Kazuyoshi Kanazawa was a brutal affair and in the 13th round Kanazawa seemed to be on the verge of stopping Olivares, having him pinned to the ropes and a corner. It appears Kanazawa emptied his "tank" with this last attack and before the round ended Kanazawa could hardly keep his feet, and fell clumsily after missing with an uppercut. Olivares floored Kanazawa three times in the 14th round, prompting the stoppage victory. This fight was voted as the best Japanese match of 1971. Another victory came against former champion Efren Torres, and one against Jesus Pimentel, also in round 11.

On March 19, 1972, Olivares lost the world's Bantamweight title to another countryman, Rafael Herrera, by a knockout in round eight. After defeating Godfrey Stevens in Monterrey, he and Herrera met again, with Herrera the winner by a 10-round decision.

Move to Featherweight

Next for Olivares was a move up in division, and he started to campaign in the Featherweight division by defeating Walter Seeley. On June 23 of 1973, he met future champion Bobby Chacón in the first installment of another trilogy of fights. What was contested for the NABF featherweight title, ended in round nine when Olivares knocked Chacón out. In his next fight, the 78th of his career, he suffered an upset, when unknown Art Hafey knocked him out in five rounds, but then he set off on a string of three more wins in a row, including a decision over Hafey in a rematch, before fighting for the WBA's vacant world Featherweight championship.

WBA Featherweight Championship

On July 9, 1974, Olivares became world Featherweight champion by beating Zenzuke Utagawa by a knockout in round seven. After two non-title wins, he met Alexis Argüello on November 23 of that year, losing the world title by a knockout in round 13.[9] He was winning this fight before he gassed and was eventually stopped.[10]

WBC Featherweight Championship

One more win, and Olivares met Chacón in the second installment of their trilogy, this time with Chacón as the WBC's world Featherweight champion. Olivares won the fight by a knockout in round two, to become world champion for the fourth time. This time, however, he also lost the title in his first defense, beaten by Ghana's David "Poison" Kotey, who became that nation's first world boxing champion ever by winning a 15-round decision against Olivares. A seven-round knockout defeat at the hands of future world champion Danny "Little Red" López followed.[11]

Olivares won two fights in 1976 and lost one, including a victory over world title challenger Fernando Cabanela of the Philippines and a loss to another world title challenger, José Cervantes, from Colombia. In 1977, Olivares and Chacón boxed the final bout of their trilogy, and this time Chacón came out the winner, by a 10-round decision. But in 1978, Olivares found what would be the beginning of his last hurrah in his 93rd bout, as he knocked out the future 2 time world Lightweight champion José Luis Ramírez in two rounds at Ciudad Obregón, and he followed that win with wins over Shig Fukuyama and Isaac Vega.[12]

After drawing in ten rounds with Guillermo Morales on April 22, 1979, he received what would turn out to be his last world title try: On July 21 of that year, he was knocked out in 12 rounds by WBA world Featherweight champion Eusebio Pedroza in Houston, for the WBA Featherweight title.

For the next eight years, he fought sporadically and with mixed success, until he was able to walk away from professional boxing in 1988.

Legacy

Until Julio César Chávez came onto the scene, Olivares was considered Mexico's best boxer. He became a mainstream star, and had friends in the Mexican entertainment world. He frequently performed cameos in comic Mexican films. He remains a Mexican national hero.[13]

Olivares' acting career prolonged for 12 films,[14] including Las Glorias del Gran Puas, a 1984 film based on Olivares' life that also starred an all star Mexican cast including Sasha Montenegro, Carmen Salinas, Manuel "Flaco" Ibáñez, Roberto Guzman, Raul Padilla, Sergio Bustamante and Rafael Inclan among others.[15]

He had a record of 89 wins, 13 losses and 3 draws, with 79 wins by knockout. His knockout winning streaks of 22 and 21 in a row qualify as two of the longest knockout winning streaks in the history of boxing. Similarly, his 78 knockout wins make him a member of an exclusive group of boxers to have won 50 or more fights by knockout. In 2003, The Ring placed him at number twelve in their list of the greatest punchers of all time.[16]

Olivares is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.[17]

Olivares was voted as the #1 bantamweight (along with Carlos Zárate) of the 20th century by the Associated Press in 1999.[18]

Professional boxing record

105 fights 89 wins 13 losses
By knockout 79 9
By decision 9 4
By disqualification 1 0
Draws 3
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
105 Loss 89–13–3 Ignacio Madrid KO4 (10)1988-03-12 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
104 Draw 89–12–3 Roman Almaguer MD41986-02-25 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
103 Loss 89–12–2 Margarito Marquez SD101981-11-24 Houston, Texas, United States
102 Loss 89–11–2 Rafael Gandarilla TKO9 (10)1980-08-24 McAllen, Texas, United States
101 Win 89–10–2 Sergio Reyes TKO7 (10)1980-04-25 Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
100 Win 88–10–2 Carlos Serrano TKO5 (10)1980-03-07 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, United States
99 Loss 87–10–2 Eusebio Pedroza TKO12 (15)1979-07-21 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States For WBA featherweight title
98 Win 87–9–2 Adrian Zapanta TKO2 (10)1979-06-30 Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
97 Draw 86–9–2 Guillermo Morales MD101979-04-22 Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico
96 Win 86–9–1 Isaac Vega TKO3 (10)1978-11-20 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
95 Win 85–9–1 Shig Fukuyama KO2 (10)1978-10-18 Houston, Texas, United States
94 Win 84–9–1 José Luis Ramírez TKO2 (10)1978-04-28 Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico
93 Win 83–9–1 Ricky Gutierrez UD101977-12-06 Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, United States
92 Loss 82–9–1 Bobby Chacon UD101977-08-20 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
91 Loss 82–8–1 Jose Cervantes KO6 (12)1976-11-19 Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, United States
90 Win 82–7–1 Fernando Cabanela UD101976-07-30 Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, United States
89 Win 81–7–1 Pajet Lupikanet TKO1 (10)1976-06-02 Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, United States
88 Loss 80–7–1 Danny Lopez KO7 (10)1975-12-04 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
87 Loss 80–6–1 David Kotey SD151975-09-20 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Lost WBC featherweight title
86 Win 80–5–1 Bobby Chacon TKO2 (15)1975-06-20 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Won WBC featherweight title
85 Win 79–5–1 Benjamin Ortiz TKO6 (10)1975-04-07 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
84 Loss 78–5–1 Alexis Arguello KO13 (15)1974-11-23 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Lost WBA featherweight title
83 Win 78–4–1 Carlos Mendoza TKO6 (10)1974-10-05 Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
82 Win 77–4–1 Enrique Garcia TKO5 (10)1974-08-31 Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
81 Win 76–4–1 Zensuke Utagawa KO7 (15)1974-07-09 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Won vacant WBA featherweight title
80 Win 75–4–1 Adrian Zapanta KO2 (10)1974-05-14 Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
79 Win 74–4–1 Art Hafey SD121974-03-04 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
78 Win 73–4–1 Francisco Durango UD101973-12-02 Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
77 Loss 72–4–1 Art Hafey TKO5 (10)1973-09-15 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
76 Win 72–3–1 Bobby Chacon RTD9 (12)1973-06-23 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Won NABF featherweight title
75 Win 71–3–1 Walter Seeley TKO2 (10)1973-04-28 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
74 Loss 70–3–1 Rafael Herrera MD101972-11-14 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
73 Win 70–2–1 Godfrey Stevens UD101972-08-19 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
72 Loss 69–2–1 Rafael Herrera KO8 (15)1972-03-19 Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
71 Win 69–1–1 Jesús Pimentel TKO11 (15)1971-12-14 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
70 Win 68–1–1 Kazuyoshi Kanazawa TKO14 (15)1971-10-25 Aichi Prefectural Gym, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
69 Win 67–1–1 Kid Pascualito TKO9 (10)1971-08-23 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
68 Win 66–1–1 Efren Torres TKO4 (10)1971-07-10 Auditorio del Estado, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
67 Win 65–1–1 Vicente Blanco KO5 (10)1971-06-07 Managua, Nicaragua
66 Win 64–1–1 Tsuguo Mineyama TKO3 (10)1971-05-19 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
65 Win 63–1–1 Chucho Castillo UD151971-04-02 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
64 Win 62–1–1 Chung Park KO6 (10)1971-03-03 Auditorio del Estado, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
63 Loss 61–1–1 Chucho Castillo TKO14 (15)1970-10-16 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
62 Win 61–0–1 Memo Rodriguez KO5 (10)1970-09-11 Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
61 Win 60–0–1 Jose Arranz TKO3 (10)1970-08-14 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
60 Win 59–0–1 Shuji Chiyoda UD101970-07-22 International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, United States
59 Win 58–0–1 Chucho Castillo UD151970-04-18 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
58 Win 57–0–1 Romy Guelas TKO6 (10)1970-03-18 Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, Texas, United States
57 Win 56–0–1 Angel Hernandez KO3 (10)1970-02-22 Acambaro, Guanajuato, Mexico
56 Win 55–0–1 Alan Rudkin TKO2 (15)1969-12-12 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
55 Win 54–0–1 Shigeyoshi Oki KO3 (10)1969-10-27 Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
54 Win 53–0–1 Lionel Rose KO5 (15)1969-08-22 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
53 Win 52–0–1 Nene Jun TKO1 (10)1969-06-29 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
52 Win 51–0–1 Takao Sakurai TKO6 (12)1969-05-23 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
51 Win 50–0–1 Frank Adame KO2 (10)1969-05-06 Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
50 Win 49–0–1 Ernie Cruz TKO9 (10)1969-03-17 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
49 Win 48–0–1 Carlos Zayas TKO7 (10)1969-03-09 Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico
48 Win 47–0–1 Jose Bisbal KO3 (10)1969-02-23 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
47 Win 46–0–1 Kazuyoshi Kanazawa TKO2 (10)1969-01-26 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
46 Win 45–0–1 José Medel KO8 (10)1968-11-24 Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
45 Win 44–0–1 Wally Brooks KO1 (10)1968-10-11 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
44 Win 43–0–1 Antoine Porcel KO1 (10)1968-09-15 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
43 Win 42–0–1 Bernabe Fernandez TKO3 (10)1968-08-28 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
42 Win 41–0–1 Tiny Palacio TKO6 (10)1968-08-10 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
41 Win 40–0–1 Gary Garber TKO5 (10)1968-07-11 Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico
40 Win 39–0–1 Enrique Yepes KO5 (10)1968-06-25 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
39 Win 38–0–1 Octavio Gomez KO5 (10)1968-06-08 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
38 Win 37–0–1 King Gavilan KO4 (10)1968-05-20 Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
37 Win 36–0–1 Manuel Arnal DQ6 (10)1968-04-27 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
36 Win 35–0–1 Salvatore Burruni TKO3 (10)1968-03-31 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
35 Win 34–0–1 Pornchai Poprai-ngam TKO9 (10)1968-03-03 La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
34 Win 33–0–1 German Bastidas TKO5 (10)1968-01-28 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
33 Win 32–0–1 Felipe Gonzalez TKO6 (10)1967-11-19 La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
32 Win 31–0–1 Chamaco Castillo KO5 (10)1967-11-03 Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico
31 Win 30–0–1 Ushiwakamaru Harada TKO2 (10)1967-10-14 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
30 Win 29–0–1 Gustavo Sosa TKO3 (10)1967-09-20 Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
29 Win 28–0–1 Grillito Aguilar KO5 (10)1967-09-06 Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico
28 Draw 27–0–1 German Bastidas MD101967-07-29 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
27 Win 27–0 Angel Hernandez KO5 (10)1967-07-14 Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico
26 Win 26–0 Julio Guerrero KO4 (10)1967-06-17 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
25 Win 25–0 Felipe Gonzalez UD101967-02-26 Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
24 Win 24–0 Antonio Leal KO1 (10)1967-02-05 Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
23 Win 23–0 Daniel Gutierrez TKO10 (10)1966-12-17 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
22 Win 22–0 Rafael Martinez TKO5 (8)1966-11-09 Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico
21 Win 21–0 Rafael Macias TKO5 (10)1966-10-18 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
20 Win 20–0 Ernesto Aguilar TKO3 (10)1966-10-07 Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
19 Win 19–0 Ramiro Garcia KO9 (10)1966-09-17 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
18 Win 18–0 Oscar Rivas TKO3 (10)1966-08-07 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
17 Win 17–0 Gerardo Lujano TKO5 (10)1966-07-10 Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
16 Win 16–0 German Guzman KO4 (10)1966-06-24 Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
15 Win 15–0 Alfonso Jose Cazares TKO2 (10)1966-06-11 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
14 Win 14–0 Emeterio Campos TKO4 (10)1966-05-20 Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
13 Win 13–0 Juan Molina TKO2 (10)1966-04-23 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
12 Win 12–0 Gallito Camacho TKO1 (10)1966-03-12 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
11 Win 11–0 Eduardo Alvarado KO2 (10)1966-02-16 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
10 Win 10–0 Reynaldo De La Cerda TKO3 (10)1966-01-28 Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
9 Win 9–0 Pablo Martinez TKO2 (10)1965-11-24 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
8 Win 8–0 Mateo Jaimes TKO5 (10)1965-10-20 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
7 Win 7–0 Jorge Gomez TKO8 (10)1965-09-09 Plaza de Toros, Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico
6 Win 6–0 Nemesio Zenil TKO2 (8)1965-08-14 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
5 Win 5–0 Antonio Gallegos TKO4 (10)1965-04-01 Arena Olímpico Laguna, Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
4 Win 4–0 Torito Silva KO6 (10)1965-02-18 Arena Olímpico Laguna, Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
3 Win 3–0 Geronimo Cisneros TKO3 (6)1965-02-01 Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
2 Win 2–0 Freddie Garcia KO1 (6)1965-01-18 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
1 Win 1–0 Isidro Sotelo KO1 (6)1965-01-04 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

See also

References

  1. "Ruben Olivares". Cyber Boxing Zone. 1947-01-14. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  2. http://www.danielcann.com/content/view/357/157/
  3. "Ruben Olivares - Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  4. "Critica Rubén "Púas" Olivares lo que pasa en el boxeo actual". Oem.com.mx. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  5. "Orizaba Noticias No. 6594 Mal se vio el "púas" Rubén Olivares de americanista". Orizabaenred.com.mx. 2003-01-20. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  6. "Rubén Olivares - Lineal Bantamweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  7. "Talkin Sports : Ruben Olivares vs Lionel Rose". Talkinsport.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  8. "Chucho Castillo vs. Ruben Olivares (3rd meeting) - Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  9. "Ruben Olivares vs. Alexis Arguello - Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  10. "Las definiciones hicieron famoso a Rubén Olivares". www.lomejordelboxeo.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011.
  11. Tony Miller says. "Dream Fight: Ruben Olivares vs. Carlos Zarate". The Boxing Magazine.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  12. "Ruben Olivares vs. Carlos Zarate: What If?". Eastsideboxing.com. 2005-10-22. Archived from the original on 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  13. "Mexico's five best fighters - boxing - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  14. "Ruben 'El Púas' Olivares - Películas de Ruben 'El Púas' Olivares".
  15. "Las glorias del gran Púas (1984) - IMDb". IMDb.
  16. "Ring Magazine's 80 Greatest Fighters Of The Last 80 Years Give Me Your Opinion - Boxing Forum". Boxingscene.com. 2010-03-14. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  17. "News". Ibhof.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  18. "ESPN.com: BOXING - AP Fighters of the Century list". Static.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
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