Vicente Saldivar

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A 5'3" southpaw, Vicente Saldivar was a dynamo in the ring. He could box or bang and often softened opponents with a brutal body attack. Among his greatest assets was his stamina. Saldivar scored seven knockouts after the 7th round.

Saldivar, born in Mexico City, Mexico, turned pro in 1961 and won the Mexican featherweight title with a 2nd-round knockout of Juan Ramírez on February 8, 1964. His first major victory came on June 1st of that same year when he defeated future lightweight champ Ismael Laguna. But his biggest moment was still to come.

On September 26, 1964, Saldivar won the world's featherweight title by upsetting Sugar Ramos with a 12th-round knockout. His first reign as champ would last six years and Saldivar made nine successful title defenses. The reign was highlighted by his trilogy with Howard Winstone.

Saldivar won each of the 3 Winstone fights, twice earning 15-round decisions and then stopping him in the 12th round of their final meeting in 1967. Saldivar announced his retirement after that contest. Three months later, Winstone won recognition as WBC featherweight champ, left vacant by Saldivar, by defeating Mitsunori Seki with a 9th-round knockout.

After 21 months of inactivity, Saldivar returned to the ring on July 18, 1969 and won a 10-round unanimous decision over another ex-champ, José Legra. Then on May 9, 1970, he regained the featherweight title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Johnny Famechon. This reign, however, was shortlived. Saldivar lost the crown 7 months later in his first defense against Kuniaki Shibata.

The Mexican great would fight once more before retiring again in 1971, however, the lure of the ring was too strong. He returned at the age of 30 for another title try on October 21, 1973. His opponent was fellow Hall of Famer and former bantamweight champ, Éder Jofre.

Jofre, who was 37, had won the featherweight crown after coming out of his own retirement. Jofre won the contest with a 4th-round knockout in Brazil. After the fight, Saldivar retired for good.

Preceded by Sugar Ramos	World Featherweight Champion Sept. 26, 1964 – Oct. 1967 Retired	Succeeded by Raul Rojas (WBA) Howard Winstone (WBC)
Preceded by Johnny Famechon	WBC Featherweight Champion May 9, 1970 – Dec. 11, 1970	Succeeded by Kuniaki Shibata