Alex Sánchez: WBO Minimumweight Champion
Puerto Rican minimumweight Alex Sánchez won the vacant WBO title on December 22, 1993, by stopping Orlando Malone in the first round. Sánchez made six successful defenses before Ricardo López stopped him in the fifth round in August 1997, unifying the WBC and WBO titles. BoxerList · Boxing History.
Building a minimumweight title reign
Known as “El Nene,” Sánchez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on June 5, 1973. He made his professional debut in October 1991, stopping Carlos Figueroa in the first round. The quick victory over Malone two years later brought him a championship in boxing’s 105-pound division.
His title defenses included early stoppages of Arturo Mayan and Carlos Juan Rodriguez in 1994, followed by a fourth-round win over Oscar Andrade. He also demonstrated his ability to complete championship distance, retaining the belt by unanimous decision against Rafael Orozco and Tomas Rivera in 1995.
The López unification and later challenges
Sánchez’s final successful defense came against José Víctor Burgos in March 1997. The subsequent meeting with López at Madison Square Garden on August 23 brought the WBO champion against the WBC titleholder. López’s fifth-round stoppage ended Sánchez’s reign after nearly four years.
Sánchez later met Burgos again, drawing in 2002 before losing their 2003 contest for the vacant IBF light-flyweight championship. He also challenged Iván Calderón for the WBO minimumweight belt in December 2003, losing by unanimous decision. Those later attempts distinguish his long championship career from the single reign he established in the 1990s.
Further career results
Sánchez’s later career extended into light flyweight and flyweight. He drew with José Víctor Burgos in San Juan in May 2002, then lost their February 2003 return for the vacant IBF light-flyweight title in Las Vegas. He also challenged Iván Calderón for the WBO minimumweight championship in Bayamón in December 2003, losing a unanimous decision. These separate title attempts came years after his own minimumweight championship ended and establish that his competitive record continued beyond the López unification bout.
Sources
- BoxerList: Alex Sánchez bout record
- Boxing History: López–Sánchez title unification
- BoxRec: Alex Sanchez profile
