Samuel Serrano
Encyclopedia
Samuel Serrano nicknamed Sammy and El Torbellino, is a Puerto Rican
who won boxing
's world junior lightweight championship twice.
, where he met future world Featherweight champion Ernesto Marcel
, who beat him on points in 10 rounds. That would be his last defeat in a long time.
, to meet reigning WBA
world jr. Lightweight champion, the Filipino
Ben Villaflor
. By most writer's accounts, Serrano beat Villaflor, but he had to return home only with a 15 round draw (tie).
The WBA
ordered an immediate rematch, and so on October 16 of the same year, Villaflor went to San Juan
to defend his title for the second time vs. Serrano. Serrano beat Villaflor by using his ring technique to win 12 of the 15 rounds on each judges' scorecards. As life had it, Samuel Serrano was destined to become a world champion in front of his fans.
Serrano became a traveling champion, defending his title in places like Venezuela
, Ecuador
, South Africa
, Japan (twice) and, of course, Puerto Rico. One of his defenses, against Julio Diablito Valdez, resulted in an after-fight brawl when Serrano was announced as winner by a unanimous decision and went to greet his rival but was received with a punch to the face. Serrano retaliated, and police intervention was needed. Both fighters were escorted to their dressing rooms by the police. But disaster struck for Serrano in Detroit on August 2 of 1980, when, after leading on all scorecards, he was struck by a Yasutsune Uehara
right hand to the chin in round six, and lost his title by knockout to the Japanese. After that loss, he set his eyes on recovering his world title from the Japanese world champion, and so on April 9, 1981, they met again, this time in Wakayama, Japan. Serrano was more cautious this time, and didn't try to go for the knockout after building a points lead. Even though Uehara was fighting in his homeland, all judges agreed and gave Serrano more rounds than they gave Uehara, and Serrano the world title back by a fifteen round unanimous decision.
Serrano made two defenses and then went to Chile
to give challenger Benedicto Villablanca
a chance at the title on June 3, 1982. It proved to be a highly controversial fight. After 5 rounds, Serrano was ahead on the scorecards. However, a cut appeared over his eye during the 6th, and the referee ruled it to be from a punch. Serrano kept fighting, but during the 11th round, the cut was so deep, the fight had to be stopped by the doctor and Serrano had to be taken to a Santiago
hospital. Since the referee ruled the cut came from a punch, initially the fight and the world title were given to Villablanca.
Serrano and his corner filed a complaint, however, claiming the cut had been caused by a headbutt instead, and upon review at the WBA's Panama City
offices, WBA officials announced they had effectively seen the headbutt that Serrano claimed opened his cut happen. So the WBA decided the cut had come from a headbutt, and the judges' scorecards were reviewed. They had Serrano ahead on points after 10 rounds, so the fight, and the crown, were given back to Serrano by a technical decision
.
In his next defense he met the younger and physically stronger Roger Mayweather
. Serrano and Mayweather gave it a good fight for most of 7 rounds, but Serrano was weakened by a barrage towards the end of the 7th, and downed with a right hand in the 8th, this time, losing the title definitively.
. Then, he retired again.
During his time retired, he tried such business ventures as a sports shop, a record store and a gym. He lived in a mansion
in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
. But he was also being introduced to the underworld, and in 1987, he was convicted to 15 years of jail on charges of drug trafficking. He came out in 1995, and made a short return to the ring, winning the Puerto Rican Lightweight title vs Sammy Mejias on a 12 round decision in 1996 and winning a 10 round decision vs Anthony Ivory in 1997. Serrano retired after the Ivory fight with a final record of 51 wins, 4 defeats and 17 knockouts.
He made a television commercial for Budweiser
in Puerto Rico in 1982. Serrano enjoys his celebrity and loves signing autographs for fans at public appearances. He has steered clear of trouble, as far as it is publicly known, for the last decade.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
who won boxing
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...
's world junior lightweight championship twice.
Early history
Serrano, owner of long arms, began his career on October 29, 1969 with a four round decision win over Ramon Laureano. He built a fan base in Puerto Rico, campaigning there for his first 23 bouts, including winning and losing the Puerto Rican Featherweight title v.s Francisco Villegas. For his 24th bout, he traveled to Panama CityPanama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
, where he met future world Featherweight champion Ernesto Marcel
Ernesto Marcel
Ernesto Marcel is a retired Panamanian boxer.-Career:Making his professional debut as a teenager in 1966, Marcel built up a record of 31-3-1, which included a second round knockout of Bernardo Caraballo, who had previously fought Fighting Harada and Éder Jofre for world titles, and a tenth round...
, who beat him on points in 10 rounds. That would be his last defeat in a long time.
Professional boxing career
He then continued his winning ways, including a 10 round decision win over tough veteran Cocoa Perez and one win over former title challenger Diego Alcala, also by decision in 10. Serrano then travelled in 1976 to Honolulu, HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, to meet reigning WBA
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 jr. Lightweight champion, the Filipino
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...
Ben Villaflor
Ben Villaflor
Benjamin Villaflor is a former boxer who was the WBA world junior lightweight champion during the 1970s.-Professional boxing career:...
. By most writer's accounts, Serrano beat Villaflor, but he had to return home only with a 15 round draw (tie).
The WBA
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...
ordered an immediate rematch, and so on October 16 of the same year, Villaflor went to San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
to defend his title for the second time vs. Serrano. Serrano beat Villaflor by using his ring technique to win 12 of the 15 rounds on each judges' scorecards. As life had it, Samuel Serrano was destined to become a world champion in front of his fans.
Serrano became a traveling champion, defending his title in places like Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Japan (twice) and, of course, Puerto Rico. One of his defenses, against Julio Diablito Valdez, resulted in an after-fight brawl when Serrano was announced as winner by a unanimous decision and went to greet his rival but was received with a punch to the face. Serrano retaliated, and police intervention was needed. Both fighters were escorted to their dressing rooms by the police. But disaster struck for Serrano in Detroit on August 2 of 1980, when, after leading on all scorecards, he was struck by a Yasutsune Uehara
Yasutsune Uehara
Yasutsune Uehara is a former professional boxer and former WBA super featherweight champion. He is one of the few Japanese boxers to have won the world title fighting outside of Japan.- Biography :...
right hand to the chin in round six, and lost his title by knockout to the Japanese. After that loss, he set his eyes on recovering his world title from the Japanese world champion, and so on April 9, 1981, they met again, this time in Wakayama, Japan. Serrano was more cautious this time, and didn't try to go for the knockout after building a points lead. Even though Uehara was fighting in his homeland, all judges agreed and gave Serrano more rounds than they gave Uehara, and Serrano the world title back by a fifteen round unanimous decision.
Serrano made two defenses and then went to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
to give challenger Benedicto Villablanca
Benedicto Villablanca
Benedicto Villablanca is a former professional boxer who came close to becoming Chile's first professional boxing world champion....
a chance at the title on June 3, 1982. It proved to be a highly controversial fight. After 5 rounds, Serrano was ahead on the scorecards. However, a cut appeared over his eye during the 6th, and the referee ruled it to be from a punch. Serrano kept fighting, but during the 11th round, the cut was so deep, the fight had to be stopped by the doctor and Serrano had to be taken to a Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
hospital. Since the referee ruled the cut came from a punch, initially the fight and the world title were given to Villablanca.
Serrano and his corner filed a complaint, however, claiming the cut had been caused by a headbutt instead, and upon review at the WBA's Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
offices, WBA officials announced they had effectively seen the headbutt that Serrano claimed opened his cut happen. So the WBA decided the cut had come from a headbutt, and the judges' scorecards were reviewed. They had Serrano ahead on points after 10 rounds, so the fight, and the crown, were given back to Serrano by a technical decision
Technical decision
A technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight has to be stopped because of a headbutt.In boxing fights, referees have to pay deep attention to the action going on between the fighters, especially when the two combatants are fighting close to each other...
.
In his next defense he met the younger and physically stronger Roger Mayweather
Roger Mayweather
Roger Mayweather is a retired professional boxer. He won two major world titles in two different weight classes. Throughout his career, Mayweather fought against many other boxing champions of the 1980s and 1990s. He is a part of the Mayweather boxing family; his brothers are former welterweight...
. Serrano and Mayweather gave it a good fight for most of 7 rounds, but Serrano was weakened by a barrage towards the end of the 7th, and downed with a right hand in the 8th, this time, losing the title definitively.
Retirement
Serrano retired from the ring for one year and came back in 1984, winning by 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...
. Then, he retired again.
During his time retired, he tried such business ventures as a sports shop, a record store and a gym. He lived in a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
. But he was also being introduced to the underworld, and in 1987, he was convicted to 15 years of jail on charges of drug trafficking. He came out in 1995, and made a short return to the ring, winning the Puerto Rican Lightweight title vs Sammy Mejias on a 12 round decision in 1996 and winning a 10 round decision vs Anthony Ivory in 1997. Serrano retired after the Ivory fight with a final record of 51 wins, 4 defeats and 17 knockouts.
He made a television commercial for Budweiser
Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)
Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...
in Puerto Rico in 1982. Serrano enjoys his celebrity and loves signing autographs for fans at public appearances. He has steered clear of trouble, as far as it is publicly known, for the last decade.
Major professional championships
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions