Just a few weeks in the past, after we printed our chronicle concerning the nice figures within the historical past of Mexican boxing, a gaggle nice figures indisputably led by Julio César ” The Emperor” Chávez, to which we added names resembling Rubén “El Púas” Olivares, Ricardo “Finito” López, Raúl “Ratón” Macías, José “Pipino” Cuevas, amongst dozens of others, we additionally additionally point out, Rodolfo Casanova from Guanajuato, nicknamed indistinctly “El Chango”, “Child” and “El Neverito de La Lagunilla”, the title we selected for this text.
Undoubtedly, Casanova occupies a really particular place in Mexican boxing historical past as a result of he was the principle attraction within the early 1930’s and mid 40’s, as Macías, Olivares and Chávez had been later, and right now, the extremely debated Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez.
That place of idol, thought of by followers and specialists of the time, was earned by “El Chango” for his aggressiveness and braveness within the ring, for the facility of his punches and, as well as, for his distinctive presents of humility and friendliness. Connoisseurs acknowledge that within the annals of Mexican boxing, there had by no means been a fighter who aroused a lot idolatry within the land of Benito Juárez earlier than him.
However “El Neverito de La Lagunilla”, a nickname he earned for having labored as a modest worker of an ice cream parlor within the neighborhood of that title, northwest of the capital, the place he lived since he was a baby, squandered his distinctive boxing expertise together with his loopy and bohemian life exterior the ring, in nights of countless partying with girls and pals, profusely watered with bottles and bottles of alcohol, sleeping right now in a single mattress, tomorrow in one other, in that well-known and unsure path adopted, earlier than and after him, by tons of of many different boxers, each in Mexico and around the globe..
CHAMPION WITHOUT A CROWN
It’s value mentioning that Casanova’s private and sporting life served as a mannequin for the film “Campeón sin corona”, filmed and screened in 1945, thought of a jewel of the “Golden Age” of Mexican cinema, directed by Alberto Galindo with David Silva within the position of Child Terranova, the real-life Casanova’s alter ego.
Child Terranova-Rodolfo Casanova offscreen-is the boxer who finally ends up a failure and forgotten opposite to his virtues within the ring.
The nickname Chango, a time period utilized in Mexico to check with an ape, got here to him and his brother Carlos from his childhood days in La Lagunilla (northeast of the historic heart of the Mexican capital) due to his lengthy, dangling arms.
“El Chango” entered the boxing world on the age of 17 after a short while in newbie boxing, on 9/5/32. He debuted with a win in 4 over Paco Villa, on the Area Nacional, after which added 11 in a row, 7 earlier than the restrict, and a disqualification.
In November of that yr, the Filipino Speedy Dado (Diosdado Posadas), with a report of 72-12-13, stopped the teen’s march. Casanova avenged Dado within the rematch with a knockout in December after which added one other 6 wins in a row.
Younger Tommy beat him on factors on the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, in July of the next yr, however in August the Mexican knocked him out in 5, in Mexico Metropolis. Between that yr and April of the next yr he beat Harry Fierro, Johnny Zavala, Child Palmore, Juan Rivero, Dado once more, Chris Pineda, Willie Davies and Little Dempsey. Of those, solely Dado completed on his toes.
On Could 29, ’34 he confronted the American veteran Freddie Miller, NBA featherweight world champion (later WBA) in a 10-round combat and failed on factors on the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. For Miller it was a pyrrhic triumph as a result of on his option to the dressing room he fainted and needed to be handled urgently, crushed by the punishment obtained from Casanova, who on January 1/36 took revenge by unanimous choice on the Plaza El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos within the capital.
By then the wasted life, alcohol, amorous affairs, staggering dwelling when the solar was rising, was an on a regular basis factor and the physique was starting to cross the invoice.
MEXICO MOURNED HIS FAILURE
The month after the primary conflict with Miller, “Chango” obtained the chance for the combat of his life. He traveled to Canada for his first probability on the NBA (now WBA) bantamweight belt held by Puerto Rican Sixto “El Gallito” Escobar, the primary Puerto Rican common sovereign. The combat was staged on the Montreal Discussion board on June 26, 1934 and marked the start of the historic boxing rivalry between the 2 nations, which have produced some 300 world champions since these days till now, with unforgettable battles resembling these of Salvador Sanchez vs Wilfredo Gomez; the latter vs. Carlos Zarate; “Pipino” Cuevas-Angel “Cholo” Espada; Edwin “Chapo” Rosario-Jose Luis Ramirez; Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito, amongst many others…
Within the aforementioned Montreal combat, Casanova went up as a press favourite and 8-5 within the betting, particularly due to the media feedback that praised the “manito’s” bodily situation, the facility of his punches, his fixed offensive model of combating, versus the technicality of the champion, his solely advantage superior to these of the challenger.
Few folks knew, in fact, that “Chango” had escaped from the resort the evening earlier than and was discovered within the early morning, drunk and misplaced, in a random avenue. Escobar, who was not distinguished by his punch (he had solely 7 wins by knockout in 31 performances), overwhelmed the challenger in nearly each spherical, knocked him down within the third with a proper hand and dispatched him on a full rely within the ninth of the 15 rounds with a left hook and an uppercut to the chin.
After the setback, in mourning for the Mexican individuals who had been certain of his victory and who wept for his defeat – inscribed in historical past as one of many best disappointments in boxing and in sports activities basically in his nation – Casanova went again on the highway, though together with his followers already disenchanted and his idolatry ostensibly battered.
He added many different victories (53) of relative shine and gathered 18 setbacks. Among the many successes was the conquest of the nationwide bantamweight belts in opposition to Alberto Child Arizmendi (formally the primary Mexican world champion) in June 1935 and the featherweight belt in opposition to Juan Zurita (who would later turn out to be world light-weight champion), a loser. 4 out of 5 in opposition to Casanova. To those two belts he added the light-weight belt in opposition to Joe Conde, his worst enemy, who knocked him out in a single spherical within the rematch, in November 1937.
On August 4, 1948, Rodolfo Chango Casanova, the Mexican idol the ultimate till then, left boxing perpetually. He did it with yet another victory, as he began his profession, in opposition to Folly Villegas within the Coliseo Area of the capital. Between 1932 and 1948 he gathered a report of 81 wins (51 by KO), 22 defeats (9 by knockout) and three attracts in 106 bouts.
In that lengthy 16-year journey on the ring, “El Chango” confronted, defeated and misplaced to one of the best of boxing in Mexico, U.S.A. and different nations. No taller than 5′ 3½″, he fought within the bantamweight, featherweight, light-weight and welterweight divisions, and was nationwide champion within the first three.
Amongst his tons of of opponents had been the aforementioned Juan Zurita, whom he dominated in 4 of 5 fights, between 1934-38, 3 by KO and one KO in opposition to; the legendary Child Azteca (Luis Villanueva Paramo), who fought between 1932-1961, in 4 totally different decades-as did Archie Moore, Anthony Hopkins, Roberto “Manos ‘E Piedra” Duran and George Foreman-and Rodolfo Casanova additionally fought the immortal Henry Armstrong, in opposition to whom he clashed 2 instances for a win by disqualification and a KO3 in opposition to and Panchito Villa (Francisco Contreras, with none hyperlink to Francisco Guilledo, higher often called Pancho Villa, an Asian boxing legend), whom he confronted 4 instances for 2-2, two KO’s in his favor and a couple of selections in opposition to him, His combat in opposition to “Child Azteca” on March 1925 was known as by the press “The Combat of the Century of Mexico”, received by “Chango” on factors in 12 rounds.
EPILOGUE
To conclude, allow us to say that “El Chango”, the “Child”, “El Neverito de La Lagunilla”, was born in Leon, Guanajuato, on Could 21, 1915. He died on the age of 65 on November 23, 1980. Shortly earlier than his dying, he was seen begging within the neighborhood of the well-known Garibaldi Sq. and it was reported that he was out and in of hospitals a number of instances, together with his thoughts misplaced.
His sad life led to a shelter for the indigent aged in Mexico Metropolis. Earlier than going to mattress he chatted for some time with a gaggle of his fellow victims, loved a frugal dinner of a few tortillas and went to mattress to sleep. He by no means wakened.
