Agapito Sánchez
Agapito Sánchez (February 14, 1970 – November 14, 2005) was a boxer from the Dominican Republic, nicknamed "El Ciclón" and "Dirty Sanchez" (due to his constant application of unsportsmanlike tactics in the ring), in the Super Bantamweight weight class. He won 37 of his 50 fights, 18 by knockout.[1]
| Agapito Sanchez | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Agapito Sanchez |
| Nickname(s) | El Ciclón |
| Weight(s) | Super bantamweight |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
| Nationality |  Dominican |
| Born | February 14, 1970 La Victoria, Dominican Republic |
| Died | November 15, 2005 (aged 35) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 50 |
| Wins | 36 |
| Wins by KO | 18 |
| Losses | 11 |
| Draws | 3 |
| No contests | 0 |
Pro career
In 1995, Sanchez challenged WBO superbantemweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera but lost via a twelve-round unanimous decision.[2] He also faced future champions Juan Manuel Márquez, Freddie Norwood, and Guty Espadas, Jr. but came up short in each bout. In 1998, Sanchez defeated future champion Óscar Larios via technical knockout. In 2001, he defeated Jorge Monsalvo Sánchez to win the vacant WBO Super Bantamweight title.[1]
In his next bout, he fought then two-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in an attempt to unify the IBF and WBO junior featherweight titles.[3] The bout was stopped in the sixth round due to a cut over Pacquiao's right eye, caused by an accidental clash of heads in the second round and made worse with another collision in the sixth. Sanchez had been docked two points; one for repeated low blows. The bout was declared a draw with scores of 58-54 Pacquiao, 57-55 Sanchez and 56-56.[4] In August 2002 Sanchez was scheduled to defend his title against Joan Guzmán but failed a pre-fight eye test and was stripped of his crown. After a two-year layoff he fought Guzmán for the same title but lost via technical knockout.[5][6]
His final bout was a win against Edison Torres on September 17, 2005.[7]
| Achievements | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional boxing titles | ||||
| Vacant Title last held by Rudy Zavala |
USBA Super Bantameight Champion May 28 – October 29, 1994 |
Succeeded by Maui Diaz | ||
| World boxing titles | ||||
| Preceded by Marco Antonio Barrera Vacated |
WBO Super Bantamweight Champion 23 Jun 2001 – 2002 Stripped |
Succeeded by Joan Guzmán | ||
Murder
Sánchez was pronounced dead on November 15, 2005 after being shot by an off-duty Dominican Air Force sergeant in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.[8] Sanchez died at a Santo Domingo hospital hours after surgery to remove two bullets from his stomach.[9] The police identified the murderer as Sergeant Diogenes Nova Rosario, who was later convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
References
- "Agapito Sánchez" (in Spanish). COLIMDO. Archived from the original on 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- Interview with WBO jr featherweight champion Agapito "El Cicion" Sanchez Archived June 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Bushnell, Chris (2001). "Mayweather shines in final title defense. Pacquiao and Sanchez brawl in bloody draw". Boxing Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- Christ, Scott (2009-11-10). "Manny Pacquiao's History in Title Fights". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- Terrero, Satosky (2004-02-27). "Joan Guzmán: "Sabía que no me iba a aguantar"" (in Spanish). El Caribe. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- Nina Gomez, Carlos (2004-11-09). "Agapito Sánchez, otro campeón efímero (7)" (in Spanish). Hoy. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- Cadete, Primitivo (2005-09-19). "Avila y Agapito triunfan; derrotan púgiles de Venezuela" (in Spanish). Hoy. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- "Dominican boxer killed in brawl". BBC News. 2005-11-16. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
- "Boxing champion Agapito Sanchez dies of gunshot wound". People's Daily Online. Xinhua. 2005-11-16. Retrieved 2012-05-21.