Isidro Garcia: The Underdog Boxer’s Inspiring Journey
Isidro García Ayala, known in the ring as “El Chino,” was a Mexican professional boxer who won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight championship in one of boxing’s most unusual late substitutions. He was in the audience at a December 1999 card in California when he was asked to replace a withdrawn opponent and fight for the vacant title.
A spectator steps into a title bout
García had already built a professional career and was a North American Boxing Organization (NABO) flyweight champion. Contemporary reporting by the Los Angeles Times says he arrived at Fantasy Springs in Indio as a spectator and accepted the fight on short notice. The bout was for the vacant WBO flyweight title; Puerto Rico’s José López was scheduled to face Alejandro Montiel before Montiel withdrew.
On December 18, 1999, García beat López by unanimous decision over 12 rounds. The WBO title-fight record confirms the result and vacant-title status.
Champion from 1999 to 2000
García defended the title once, stopping José Rafael Sosa in round six in Córdoba, Argentina, on August 19, 2000. Fernando Montiel took the championship from him by seventh-round knockout on December 15, 2000. García continued competing for several more years; he boxed in featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight bouts during his professional career. The BoxRec profile lists his ring name as “El Chino” and his WBO reign as December 1999 to December 2000.
About the video
The retained embed is labeled as Eric Morel vs. Isidro García. It is not the December 1999 title win over José López, and is not described here as that championship bout.
Sources
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
