Jose Bonilla: Venezuelan Boxing Legend’s Inspiring Journey
José Bonilla (November 19, 1967–June 14, 2002) was a Venezuelan flyweight boxer from El Tigre, Anzoátegui. He held the WBA flyweight title from 1996 to 1998.
WBA flyweight champion
Bonilla won the WBA flyweight championship on November 24, 1996, with a 12-round unanimous decision over Saen Sor Ploenchit. He made three successful defenses: against Hiroki Ioka in February 1997, Evangelio Pérez in August, and Keiji Yamaguchi in November. The video above shows his sixth-round stoppage of Yamaguchi in Osaka.
Bonilla lost the title to Hugo Rafael Soto by split decision on May 29, 1998. He continued to box afterward, with his final recorded bout in October 1999. He died in 2002, aged 34.
Building toward the world title
Bonilla turned professional in 1990, beginning with a four-round decision over Alexis Díaz. He later won the Venezuelan flyweight title against Edison Torres in November 1992 and added the WBA Latin American flyweight championship with a twelve-round victory over Julio Gudiño in April 1993.
Those domestic and regional achievements preceded the world-title win in Thailand. Against Saen, Bonilla prevailed on all three scorecards, ending the defending champion’s unbeaten run. His first world-title defense against Ioka then brought a seventh-round stoppage, while the Pérez contest required the full twelve rounds. The Yamaguchi victory completed his three successful defenses.
After losing the championship to Soto, Bonilla sought another title opportunity against Mauricio Pastrana in October 1998, losing a unanimous decision in a WBA interim flyweight contest. His subsequent schedule included a win over Ilson Díaz and a draw with Joel García before the final listed bout. These results connect the championship reign with a longer professional career that included both regional success and further world-level challenges.
Sources
- World Boxing Association: Flyweight title history
- Associated Press via The Washington Post: Bonilla retains title against Yamaguchi
- Boxing Meikan: José Bonilla fight record
Career records and reporting: boxrec.com.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
