Raul Macias
Encyclopedia
Raúl Macías Guevara (July 28, 1934 in Mexico City
- March 23, 2009) was a former Mexican
boxer
, actor
, and boxing trainer. Born in the same Mexico City
barrio
as Rubén Olivares
, Macías had always expressed pride at being Mexican. Widely known as "Ratón" Macías, or "Mouse" Macías, he won a bronze medal at the 1951 Pan American Games
, Macias died at the age of 74.
win against Memo Sanchez in Culiacán
, Sinaloa
, Mexico. Exactly one month later and in only his second fight, Macias had his first ten round bout, and he outpointed Chucho Tello in Culiacán, a feat he would duplicate in their rematch, which was Macias' third fight.
Macias piled up a record of 8-0 with 2 knockouts and then faced Beto Couray on October 17, 1953 in Mexico City, for the Mexican Bantamweight title, lifting the national championship from Couray with a 12 round decision win. After 6 more wins, he challenged Nate Brooks on September 26, 1954 for the continental, NABF Bantamweight championship, which he took with a twelve round decision in Mexico City.
Macías was one of Televisa
's first boxing stars. As television was in its infancy around the world, he was one of Mexico's popular fighters of the time, and many of his fights were shown live on Televisa during the 1950s.
National Boxing Association
World Bantamweight champion Robert Cohen
refused to defend his title against Macías, so the NBA decided to declare the title vacant and have Macias and Chamroen Songkitrat fight for the championship. It was both Macías' first world title try and fight abroad. On March 9, 1955 in San Francisco, California
, Macías became NBA world Bantamweight champion by knocking Songkiktrat out in round eleven. The referee of that fight was Fred Apostoli
, a former world champion boxer himself.
Next followed a series of non-title fights. On June 16 of that same year, Macías suffered his first defeat when he was knocked out in the third round by Billy Peacock in Los Angeles
. This would be Macías' only knockout defeat.
Macías' popularity followed him to California
, where he fought a number of times, and to Texas
, specially in the city of El Paso
.
Macias had five victories after losing to Peacock and before defending his NBA world Bantamweight title for the first time. He defeated Leo Espinoza, father of Philippines
world boxing champion Luisito Espinoza, by a tenth round knockout on March 25, 1956 in Mexico City. After nine more non-title fight wins, of which seven were by knockout, Macias faced Dommy Ursua on June 15, 1957 in San Francisco, to defend his title for the second time. Macias was dropped in the first round, but he got up and eventually retained his championship with an eleventh round knockout of Ursua.
On November 6 of that year, he faced Alphonse Halimi
at Wrigley Field
in Los Angeles. Macias lost his belt by a 15 round split decision with scores of 144-141 for Macias and 148-141, 147-138 for Halimi. The fight's decision was controversial as many thought Macías had done enough to win it.
Macías boxed four more times before retiring form boxing in 1959 after outpointing Ernesto Parra over ten rounds in Mexico City. After three years, he made a one fight comeback, knocking out Chocolate Zambrano in the fifth round as part of a charity event on October 13, 1962 in Guadalajara
.
After his boxing career was over, Macías dedicated his life to acting, appearing in a number of Mexican telenovela
s, most notably 1990's "Mi Pequeña Soledad
" ("My Small Soledad"), alongside Verónica Castro
, who would years later confess to him on one of her variety shows that she grew up as a fan of Macias.
After his participation in "Mi Pequeña Soledad", Macías has almost exclusively dedicated himself to training
boxers in a Mexico City gym. He compiled a professional boxing record of 41 wins and 2 losses, with 25 wins by knockout.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
- March 23, 2009) was a former Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, actor
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, and boxing trainer. Born in the same Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
as Rubén Olivares
Rubén Olivares
Rubén Olivares is a former Mexican boxer and current member of the Boxing Hall of Fame. A native of Mexico City, 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...
, Macías had always expressed pride at being Mexican. Widely known as "Ratón" Macías, or "Mouse" Macías, he won a bronze medal at the 1951 Pan American Games
Boxing at the 1951 Pan American Games
The Men's Boxing Tournament at the 1951 Pan American Games was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from February 25 to March 8, with the hosting nation winning in all eight weight divisions.- Medal winners :- Medal table :-External links:*...
, Macias died at the age of 74.
Amateur career
Macias began his amateur career at age fourteen, winning the National Junior Flyweight, Flyweight and Bantamweight titles. He also won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games, and represented Mexico as a bantamweight at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games. His results were:- Defeated Angel Amaya (Venezuela) 3-0
- Lost to Gennady GarbuzovGennady GarbuzovGennady Garbuzov is a boxer from the Soviet Union.He competed for the Soviet Union in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland in the bantamweight event where he finished in third place.-References:*...
(Soviet Union) 0-3
Professional career
On January 1, 1953, Macias debuted as a professional boxer with a first round knockoutKnockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
win against Memo Sanchez in Culiacán
Culiacán
Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, Mexico. Exactly one month later and in only his second fight, Macias had his first ten round bout, and he outpointed Chucho Tello in Culiacán, a feat he would duplicate in their rematch, which was Macias' third fight.
Macias piled up a record of 8-0 with 2 knockouts and then faced Beto Couray on October 17, 1953 in Mexico City, for the Mexican Bantamweight title, lifting the national championship from Couray with a 12 round decision win. After 6 more wins, he challenged Nate Brooks on September 26, 1954 for the continental, NABF Bantamweight championship, which he took with a twelve round decision in Mexico City.
Macías was one of Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
's first boxing stars. As television was in its infancy around the world, he was one of Mexico's popular fighters of the time, and many of his fights were shown live on Televisa during the 1950s.
National Boxing Association
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
World Bantamweight champion Robert Cohen
Robert Cohen
Robert Cohen is a Canadian comedy writer. He was raised in Calgary, Alberta and has written for The Simpsons , The Wonder Years, The Ben Stiller Show, MADtv, Just Shoot Me!, Father of the Pride, and American Dad!...
refused to defend his title against Macías, so the NBA decided to declare the title vacant and have Macias and Chamroen Songkitrat fight for the championship. It was both Macías' first world title try and fight abroad. On March 9, 1955 in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, Macías became NBA world Bantamweight champion by knocking Songkiktrat out in round eleven. The referee of that fight was Fred Apostoli
Fred Apostoli
Alfredo "Fred" Apostoli was a rugged, accomplished body punching middleweight, who was recognized as the world champion when he defeated Marcel Thil on September 23, 1937. He was elected to The Ring's Boxing Hall of Fame...
, a former world champion boxer himself.
Next followed a series of non-title fights. On June 16 of that same year, Macías suffered his first defeat when he was knocked out in the third round by Billy Peacock in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. This would be Macías' only knockout defeat.
Macías' popularity followed him to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he fought a number of times, and to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, specially in the city of El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
.
Macias had five victories after losing to Peacock and before defending his NBA world Bantamweight title for the first time. He defeated Leo Espinoza, father of Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
world boxing champion Luisito Espinoza, by a tenth round knockout on March 25, 1956 in Mexico City. After nine more non-title fight wins, of which seven were by knockout, Macias faced Dommy Ursua on June 15, 1957 in San Francisco, to defend his title for the second time. Macias was dropped in the first round, but he got up and eventually retained his championship with an eleventh round knockout of Ursua.
On November 6 of that year, he faced Alphonse Halimi
Alphonse Halimi
Alphonse Halimi was a French boxer. He was nicknamed "la Petite Terreur."Time wrote of him: "Alphonse went to work with a street fighter's will. A grown-up guttersnipe from the back alleys of Algeria...
at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)
Wrigley Field was a ballpark in Los Angeles, California which served as host to minor league baseball teams in the region for over 30 years, and was the home park for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League as well as a current major league team, the later Los Angeles Angels, in their...
in Los Angeles. Macias lost his belt by a 15 round split decision with scores of 144-141 for Macias and 148-141, 147-138 for Halimi. The fight's decision was controversial as many thought Macías had done enough to win it.
Macías boxed four more times before retiring form boxing in 1959 after outpointing Ernesto Parra over ten rounds in Mexico City. After three years, he made a one fight comeback, knocking out Chocolate Zambrano in the fifth round as part of a charity event on October 13, 1962 in Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
.
After his boxing career was over, Macías dedicated his life to acting, appearing in a number of Mexican telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
s, most notably 1990's "Mi Pequeña Soledad
Mi pequeña Soledad
Mi pequeña Soledad is a Mexican telenovela. It was produced by Televisa and broadcast in Mexico's Canal de las Estrellas from May 14, 1990 to December 21, 1990.-Plot:Isadora is the victim of a rape at a young age and the product of that rape, Soledad....
" ("My Small Soledad"), alongside Verónica Castro
Verónica Castro
Verónica Castro is a Mexican actress, singer and television host. She is the mother of singer Cristian Castro and filmmaker Michelle Sáinz Castro and the sister of actress Beatriz Castro,and telenovela producer José Alberto Castro....
, who would years later confess to him on one of her variety shows that she grew up as a fan of Macias.
After his participation in "Mi Pequeña Soledad", Macías has almost exclusively dedicated himself to training
Boxing training
Boxing training is the training method that boxers use in order to get more fit for their sport. This training method is often cited by medical doctors, boxing trainers, and writers as one of the most spartan forms of sports training.- Training :...
boxers in a Mexico City gym. He compiled a professional boxing record of 41 wins and 2 losses, with 25 wins by knockout.