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Miguel Canto

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Miguel Canto
Canto in 1975
Born
Miguel Angel Canto Solis

(1948-01-30) January 30, 1948 (age 76)
Other namesEl Maestro
Statistics
Weight(s)Flyweight
Height5 ft 0+12 in (154 cm)
Reach63 in (160 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights74
Wins61
Wins by KO15
Losses9
Draws4

Miguel Angel Canto Solis (born January 30, 1948) is a Mexican former world boxing champion who held the WBC and Lineal flyweight titles.

Boxing life

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Unlike many Mexican boxers, Canto was not a "slam-bang" type of boxer ("Slam-Bang" boxers are boxers whose fights are usually action-packed; Mexican boxers are usually stereotyped as "slam-bangers"). He used boxing techniques and knowledge instead of trying to score knockouts in most of his fights. Proof of this is that he only won fifteen fights by knockout, out of more than seventy professional bouts. He was a defensive expert, somewhat in the style of Willie Pep.

Canto began his professional boxing career on February 5, 1969. He became one of those rare cases in boxing, like Alexis Argüello, Henry Armstrong, Bernard Hopkins, Victor Luvi Callejas and Wilfredo Vazquez, where a boxer loses his first fight and goes on to become a world champion. He lost that day to Raul Hernandez, in Canto's hometown of Mérida, by a knockout in round three.

First win

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His first win came against Pedro Martinez, on May 5, 1969, by a four round decision, also at Mérida. Canto lost his next fight, but a streak of seven undefeated fights (he went 5-0-2, with 2 knockouts during that streak), led him to fight Vicente Pool on May 27, 1970, for the Yucatán state Flyweight title. Canto won his first professional belt when he outpointed Pool over twelve rounds. In his first defense, he retained the crown, with a twelve round decision over Jose Luis Cetina. After losing his next bout, a ten round, non title bout against Tarcisio Gomez, on a decision, he went on to win 21 bouts in a row, including his first bout outside Mérida (a two round knockout of Pedro Martinez in Cansahcab, Mexico), and a win over Constantino Garcia on January 22, 1972, by twelve round decision, to claim the Mexican Flyweight title. On January 31, 1973, he fought to a ten round draw (tie) against perennial contender Ignacio Espinal.

After winning his next four fights, including a rematch victory over Tarcisio Gomez, he was given his first world title try, when he fought Betulio González in Maracaibo, Venezuela, for the WBA world Flyweight title. In what was also his first fight abroad, he was outpointed by the equally legendary Gonzalez, considered by many to be Venezuela's greatest fighter of all time, on August 4, 1973.

WBC World Flyweight Champion Reign

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Canto won six more fights, including two Mexican title defenses, and on January 8, 1975, he faced WBC world Flyweight champion Shoji Oguma in Sendai. Canto defeated Oguma by a fifteen round decision to claim the WBC and vacant lineal flyweight titles. His dream of becoming a world champion finally realized, Canto was a busy champion, mixing several non-title bouts with his title defenses. In his next fight, he beat Espinal in a rematch by a ten round decision. In his first title defense, he avenged his loss to Betulio Gonzalez by a fifteen round decision. On August 23 of that year, he defeated OPBF champion Jiro Takada by 11th round TKO. Following that win, Canto faced Espinal for a third time and retained his title once again by a fifteen round decision. On May 15, 1976, he scored a win over former champion Susumu Hanagata. Canto eventually became a traveling world champion.

For his fifth title defense, he returned to Venezuela and defeated Gonzalez for the second time in their trilogy by a fifteen round decision. One month later, he retained the crown against Orlando Javierto, once again by fifteen round decision, in Los Angeles, California.

On April 24, 1977, he returned to Venezuela for a third time, retaining the title against Reyes Arnal by a fifteen round decision in Caracas. Two months later, he beat Kimio Furesawa by a fifteen round decision in Tokyo.[1] Then, he and Martin Vargas fought the first of their two bouts: on September 17, 1977, Canto outpointed Vargas in his hometown of Mérida.

It was Canto's turn to travel to Vargas' hometown of Santiago, Chile, for their rematch, held on November 30 of the same year. Canto once again retained the titles with a fifteen round decision.

In 1978, Canto retained his title three times, including two rematches with Shoji Oguma, both of them held in Japan, and another fifteen round points win over Facomrom Vibonchai, in a fight held at Houston, Texas.

By this time, Canto's name had become a household name all over Latin America, thanks in part to Ring En Español, which gave Canto's fights much coverage.

On February 10, 1979, he retained his titles for a division record fourteenth time against a future world champion, Antonio Avelar, by a fifteen round decision.

On March 18, his reign came to an end, when he lost a fifteen round decision to Chan Hee Park in South Korea. On September 9 of that same year, he tried to recover his titles from Park in a rematch, but, after fifteen rounds, the fight ended in a draw.

Canto's career took a downward spiral after that fight. He won his following three fights, including wins against Olympic Bronze medalist Orlando Maldonado of Puerto Rico and former champion Sung-Jun Kim. In his 70th career fight, he lost to future world champion Gabriel Bernal. Canto avenged his loss to Bernal in his next fight, but lost the remaining three fights of his career by knockout.

After his final loss to Rodolfo Ortega on July 24, 1982, Canto retired from boxing for good. He had a record of 61 wins, 9 losses and 4 draws (ties), with 15 knockout wins.

Professional boxing record

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74 fights 61 wins 9 losses
By knockout 15 5
By decision 45 4
By disqualification 1 0
Draws 4
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
74 Loss 61–9–4 Rodolfo Ortega TKO 9 (10) 1982-07-24 Carte Clara Baseball Park, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
73 Loss 61–8–4 Alfredo Hernandez TKO 7 (10) 1981-10-31 Auditorio Municipal, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
72 Loss 61–7–4 Candido Tellez KO 4 (10) 1981-08-29 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
71 Win 61–6–4 Gabriel Bernal UD 10 1981-06-06 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
70 Loss 60–6–4 Gabriel Bernal UD 10 1981-03-29 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
69 Win 60–5–4 Kim Sung-jun UD 10 1981-02-22 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
68 Win 59–5–4 Orlando Maldonado DQ 6 (10) 1980-10-18 Plaza Nuevo Progreso, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
67 Win 58–5–4 Alfredo Hernandez UD 10 1980-08-16 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
66 Draw 57–5–4 Park Chan-hee MD 15 1979-09-09 Jamsil Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea For WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
65 Loss 57–5–3 Park Chan-hee UD 15 1979-03-18 Gudeok Gymnasium, Busan, South Korea Lost WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
64 Win 57–4–3 Antonio Avelar UD 15 1979-02-10 Parque Carta Clara, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
63 Win 56–4–3 Facomron Vibonchai SD 15 1978-11-20 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S. Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
62 Win 55–4–3 Shoji Oguma UD 15 1978-04-18 Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
61 Win 54–4–3 Shoji Oguma SD 15 1978-01-04 City Sogo Gym, Koriyama, Japan Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
60 Win 53–4–3 Martín Vargas UD 15 1977-11-30 Estadio Nacional, Santiago de Chile, Chile Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
59 Win 52–4–3 Martín Vargas UD 15 1977-09-17 Parque Carta Clara, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
58 Win 51–4–3 Kimio Furesawa UD 15 1977-06-15 Shinagawa Sports Land, Tokyo, Japan Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
57 Win 50–4–3 Luis Reyes Arnal SD 15 1977-04-24 Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
56 Win 49–4–3 Orlando Javierto UD 15 1976-11-19 Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
55 Win 48–4–3 Betulio González SD 15 1976-10-03 Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela Retained WBC, and The Ring flyweight titles
54 Win 47–4–3 Susumu Hanagata UD 15 1976-05-15 Parque Carta Clara, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
53 Win 46–4–3 Francisco Marquez UD 10 1976-03-13 Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico
52 Win 45–4–3 Ignacio Espinal UD 15 1975-12-13 Parque Carta Clara, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
51 Win 44–4–3 Jiro Takada TKO 11 (15) 1975-08-23 Parque Carta Clara, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
50 Win 43–4–3 Lupe Madera TKO 9 (10) 1975-07-18 Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico
49 Win 42–4–3 Betulio González SD 15 1975-05-24 Plaza de Toros Monumental, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Retained WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
48 Win 41–4–3 Ignacio Espinal SD 10 1975-03-08 Parque Carta Clara, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
47 Win 40–4–3 Shoji Oguma MD 15 1975-01-08 Miyagi Sports Center, Sendai, Japan Won WBC and vacant The Ring flyweight titles
46 Win 39–4–3 Ricardo Delgado UD 10 1974-10-25 Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico
45 Win 38–4–3 Alberto Morales UD 10 1974-08-17 Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico
44 Win 37–4–3 Pablito Jimenez SD 10 1974-06-08 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
43 Win 36–4–3 Manuel Montiel UD 12 1974-04-27 Plaza de Toros, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained Mexico flyweight title
42 Win 35–4–3 Tony Moreno TKO 5 (10) 1974-02-13 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
41 Win 34–4–3 Lupe Hernandez UD 12 1973-11-17 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained Mexico flyweight title
40 Loss 33–4–3 Betulio González MD 15 1973-08-04 Estadio Luis Aparicio, Maracaibo, Venezuela For vacant WBC flyweight title
39 Win 33–3–3 Chamaco Rodriguez KO 5 (10) 1973-06-29 Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
38 Win 32–3–3 Luis Enrique Garcia TKO 7 (10) 1973-05-10 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
37 Win 31–3–3 Rudy Billones UD 10 1973-05-02 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
36 Win 30–3–3 Tarcisio Gomez KO 2 (12) 1973-03-24 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained Mexico flyweight title
35 Draw 29–3–3 Ignacio Espinal MD 10 1973-01-31 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
34 Win 29–3–2 Alberto Morales UD 12 1972-11-18 Plaza de Toros, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained Mexico flyweight title
33 Win 28–3–2 Jose Antonio Corral TKO 3 (10) 1972-09-27 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
32 Win 27–3–2 Jose Luis Valencia UD 10 1972-07-26 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
31 Win 26–3–2 Ricardo Delgado UD 12 1972-05-20 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Retained Mexico flyweight title
30 Win 25–3–2 Armando Villa TKO 4 (10) 1972-04-05 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
29 Win 24–3–2 Jose Vargas UD 10 1972-03-15 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
28 Win 23–3–2 Rocky Garcia UD 12 1972-01-22 Plaza de Toros, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico Won Mexico flyweight title
27 Win 22–3–2 Luis Carlos Urrunaga UD 10 1971-12-01 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
26 Win 21–3–2 Alberto Morales UD 10 1971-10-20 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
25 Win 20–3–2 Roberto Alvarez UD 10 1971-09-01 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
24 Win 19–3–2 Domingo Ledezma UD 10 1971-07-28 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
23 Win 18–3–2 Pedro Lopez KO 3 (8) 1971-07-14 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
22 Win 17–3–2 Mario Garcia KO 10 (10) 1971-06-02 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
21 Win 16–3–2 Gavilan Martinez UD 10 1971-05-14 Tekax, Yucatán, Mexico
20 Win 15–3–2 Jose Luis Cetina UD 10 1971-04-29 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
19 Win 14–3–2 Tigre Bracamonte UD 8 1971-04-04 Tizimin, Yucatán, Mexico
18 Win 13–3–2 Marcus Gomez TKO 6 (6) 1971-03-17 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
17 Win 12–3–2 Francisco Montalvo KO 6 (8) 1971-02-14 Cansahcab, Yucatán, Mexico
16 Win 11–3–2 Pedro Martinez KO 2 (10) 1971-01-21 Cansahcab, Yucatán, Mexico
15 Win 10–3–2 Jose Medrano UD 10 1970-12-09 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
14 Win 9–3–2 Arturo Velazquez UD 10 1970-11-11 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
13 Loss 8–3–2 Tarcisio Gomez MD 10 1970-10-14 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
12 Win 8–2–2 Jose Luis Cetina UD 12 1970-06-24 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
11 Win 7–2–2 Vicente Pool UD 12 1970-05-27 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
10 Draw 6–2–2 Juan Torres MD 10 1970-04-29 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
9 Win 6–2–1 Alex Basilio KO 8 (10) 1970-04-08 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
8 Win 5–2–1 Baby Albornoz TKO 9 (10) 1970-03-21 Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
7 Win 4–2–1 Vicente Pool UD 10 1970-03-04 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
6 Draw 3–2–1 Joe Calvario MD 10 1970-02-04 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
5 Win 3–2 Rudy Granados UD 10 1970-01-21 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
4 Win 2–2 Vicente Pool UD 8 1969-12-06 Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
3 Loss 1–2 Pedro Carillo TKO 4 (6) 1969-08-13 Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico
2 Win 1–1 Pedro Martinez UD 4 1969-05-05 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
1 Loss 0–1 Raul Hernandez TKO 3 (4) 1969-02-05 Mérida, Yucatán

Honours

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Canto Retains Boxing Title". The New York Times. June 16, 1977. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "Duva, Canto, Saad Muhammad Enter Hall". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  3. ^ "AP Fighters of the Century list". ESPN. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Preceded by
Rocky Garcia
Mexican flyweight champion
January 22, 1972 – 1975
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Alberto Morales
World boxing titles
Preceded by WBC flyweight champion
January 8, 1975 – March 18, 1979
Succeeded by
Vacant
Title last held by
Venice Borkhorsor
The Ring flyweight champion
January 8, 1975 – March 18, 1979