Raúl Pérez Followed a Seven-Defense Bantamweight Reign
Raúl “Jíbaro” Pérez became WBC bantamweight champion by defeating Miguel “Happy” Lora in Las Vegas on October 29, 1988. The Mexican boxer later added the WBA super bantamweight championship.
The bantamweight championship reign
An orthodox boxer from Tijuana, Pérez defeated Lora by unanimous decision. His WBC reign included seven successful defenses before Greg Richardson took the title by unanimous decision at the Forum in Inglewood on February 25, 1991.
His championship-period opposition included Gaby Canizales, Diego Avila and Cardenio Ulloa. The sustained run at bantamweight formed the longer of his two world championship reigns.
A second championship division
Pérez defeated Luis Enrique Mendoza by split decision at the Forum on October 7, 1991, to win the WBA super bantamweight title.
Wilfredo Vázquez ended that reign by technical knockout in Mexico City on March 27, 1992. Pérez continued competing afterward, including later meetings with Genaro Hernández and Luisito Espinosa.
Before his first world championship, Pérez had already defeated Vázquez by unanimous decision at the Forum in August 1988. He also beat former champion Prudencio Cardona during his development in Tijuana. Later victories included a knockout of Valentín López in Palm Springs in March 2000. His final listed appearance was a stoppage defeat against Héctor Velázquez in Las Vegas that August.
Sources
- BoxRec: Pérez’s identity and two championship reigns
- BoxRec: Pérez’s seven WBC title defenses
- BoxerList: Pérez’s dated opponents and championship results
