Ray “El Leoncito” Medel Earned a Hometown World-Title
Ray Medel challenged Fidel Bassa for the WBA flyweight championship at San Antonio’s Freeman Coliseum on October 2, 1988. Bassa retained the title by unanimous decision after twelve rounds.
The path to the Bassa challenge
Medel’s recorded professional career began in December 1984. In June 1988, he defeated Olympic gold medalist Paul Gonzales by unanimous decision at San Antonio’s Sunken Gardens, adding a notable victory before his world-title challenge.
After losing to Bassa, Medel returned with victories over Mauro Diaz, Simon Contreras and Luigi Camputaro. Robert Quiroga defeated him by unanimous decision at the Freeman Coliseum in December 1989.
Later bouts and career record
Medel’s subsequent opposition included Gerardo Sanchez, Jesse Sierra and Ricardo Cepeda in 1990. His final listed appearance was a unanimous-decision victory over Angel Fernandez in Corpus Christi on March 30, 1994.
Known as “El Leoncito,” Medel finished with twenty wins and six defeats in the compiled professional ledger.
His 1990 schedule took him into regional featherweight title competition. Medel defeated Gerardo Sanchez by unanimous decision at Phoenix’s Celebrity Theater in July for the WBC Continental Americas championship. He then outpointed Jesse Sierra in San Antonio in August before losing a unanimous decision to Ricardo Cepeda in Fort Worth that November. Those appearances extended his championship experience beyond the flyweight division.
Sources
- BoxRec: Bassa–Medel world championship result
- BoxerList: Medel’s professional record and dated opponents
