Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will get a chance to tie Rocky Marciano’s undefeated record of 49-0. The fight will be against huge underdog Andre Berto, so Mayweather will most likely will be reaching the record. Although he insists on calling himself “The Best Ever” and constantly talks about his 48-0 record to make his point, several Latino fighters not only achieved this record, but also surpassed it by several fights.
Here are seven Latino fighters who achieved the 49-0 record and kept on fighting after it, showing that their love for the sport was greater than their love for records and money.
Kid Chocolate – Cuba (55-0-1)
Eligio Sardinias Montalvo, better known as Kid Chocolate, is one of Cuba’s best all-time fighters. He was undefeated until his 57th fight, where he lost against Jack “Kid” Berg in New York City. He retired with a record of 84-7-1 and 57 KO – compare those to Mayweather’s 26.
Luis Ramon Campas – Mexico (56-0-0)
Luis Ramon Campas had a record of 56-0-0 before losing to Puerto Rican Félix Trinidad. Mayweather will have to box for quite a bit longer and do some more cherry-picking before he can get close to these numbers.
Carlos "El Cañas" Zárate – Mexico (52-0)
El Cañas remained undefeated for eight years to get to his 52-0 record. He lost during his 53rd fight against Puerto Rican Wilfredo Gómez and retired with 63 KO wins.
Pascual Perez – Argentina (51-0-1)
The Argentine Olympic champion went undefeated for 52 matches before losing to Japanese boxer Sadao Yaoita. When he retired, he had more than 50 KO wins.
Rubén "El Púas" Olivares – Mexico (61-0-1)
El Púas once had a record of 61 wins, zero losses, and one tie. He could have retired then and set a record far, far beyond Mayweather’s, but thinking like the Mexican boxer he was, he kept on fighting for as long as his body could take it, and lost during his 63rd fight, against Mexican fighter Chucho Castillo. Olivares had 79 KO victories when he retired.
Ricardo "El Finito" López – Mexico (51-0-1)
López actually has a record higher than Rocky Marciano’s 49-0. The Mexican retired with 51 wins, zero losses, and one tie (38 KOs). Mayweather might say that his record has no ties, but hey, who’s really listening anymore?
Julio César Chávez – Mexico (89-0-1)
The king of all kings. Julio César Chávez got in the ring 90 times before anyone could defeat him. The best Mexican fighter of all-time was known for his flexible “rubber hip,” which made him hard to hit even when he had his arms down. Julio liked to fight, and unlike Mayweather, he liked to fight the best when they were at their best. That’s why Chávez fought then 23-year-old Oscar De La Hoya and not a 34-year-old like Floyd did.