On This Day In Boxing History!

1982: Salvador Sanchez Dies In Car Crash!

Salvador Sanchez

Born: January 26th, 1959

Residence: Tianguistenco, México

Birth Place: Tianguistenco, México

Pro-Debut: May 4th, 1975

Alias: Chava

Division: Featherweight

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 5′ 6″  

Reach: 68″  

Record: 44-1-1, 32Ko’s      

Bouts: 46

Rounds: 376

KO’s: 70%

Died: Age 23, August 12th, 1982 

Salvador Sanchez was a complete fighter who possessed speed, power and excellent counter-punching skills.

Sanchez won the WBC Featherweight Championship by stopping Danny Lopez in thirteen rounds on February 2, 1980. He became the first Mexican to win a world title at featherweight since Ruben Olivares won the WBC title five years earlier.

In his highest profile fight, Sanchez stopped WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Wilfredo Gomez in eight rounds at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on August 21, 1981. Gomez, who was 32-0-1 (32 KOs), was a 2-1 betting favorite.

The Ring named Sanchez Fighter of the Year for 1981, along with Sugar Ray Leonard.

Sanchez successfully defended the WBC Featherweight Championship for the ninth time by stopping Azumah Nelson in fifteen rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 21, 1982. It would be Sanchez's last fight.

On August 12, 1982, Sanchez was killed in a collision involving his white 1981 Porsche and two trucks on a highway north of Queretaro, Mexico. Police said that "excess speeding on the part of Sanchez" appeared to be the cause of the collision. Sanchez left a 21-year-old wife, Maria Teresa, and two sons, 16-month-old Cristian Salvador and 4-month-old Omar.

At the time of his death, Sanchez was scheduled to fight Juan La Porte at Madison Square Garden on September 15.

Sanchez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.

The Associated Press named Sanchez the third greatest featherweight of the 20th century in 1999.

August 12th

1914: Sam Langford NWS10 Battling Jim Johnson

1925: Harry Greb TKO2 Pat Walsh

1955: Ike Williams KO9 Beau Jack

Ossie Ocasio born.

1957: Albert (Chalky) Wright, passes age 45

1959: Archie Moore KO3 Yvon Durelle

1967: Regilio Tuur born.

Horacio Accavallo W15 Hiroyuki Ebihara

1970: Yodsanan Nanthachai born.

1978: Betulio Gonzalez W15 Guty Espadas

1982: WBC Featherweight Champion Salvador Sanchez, 23, is killed in an automobile accident.

1988: Tyson Fury is born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England

Gerald McClellan age 21 debuts KO1 Roy Hundley

Jeff Fenech KO5 Tyrone Downes

1991: Manuel Medina W12 Troy Dorsey

1992: José Ramírez is born in Avenal, California

1994: Frankie Liles W12 Steve Little

Jorge Castro W12 Reggie Johnson

1995: Paul Vaden KO12 Vincent Pettway

2000: Evander Holyfield W12 John Ruiz

Joe Calzaghe TKO5 Omar Sheika

Bebis Mendoza WDQ7 Rosendo Alvarez

2006: Oleg Maskaev KO12 Hasim Rahman

2008: Jermall Charlo age 18 debuts TKO2 Cimarron Davis

2011: Alejandra Marina Oliveras RTD5 Liliana Palmera

2012: Dahiana Santana TKO7 Marisol Reyes

Mikkel Kessler TKO3 Brian Magee

2013: Shinsuke Yamanaka KO1 Jose Nieves

Akira Yaegashi W12 Oscar Blanquet

2017: Yesica Yolanda Bopp W10 Olga Julio

Chris Namus W10 Yamila Esther Reynoso

Alejandra Jimenez TKO3 Vanessa Lepage Joanisse

Franchón Crews-Dezurn W4 Sydney LeBlanc