Antonio Esparragoza Betancourt (born 2 September 1959) is a Venezuelan former boxer who is a former
WBA Featherweight Champion of the World.
Amateur career
Esparragoza represented Venezuela as a Featherweight at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Below are the results from that tournament:
* Round of 64: bye
* Round of 32: lost to
Peter Hanlon (Great Britain) by decision, 1-4
Professional career
Esparragoza turned pro in 1981 and after largely fighting unproven fighters in his native Venezuela was granted a shot at ''Lineal'' & WBA Featherweight Titles holder
Steve Cruz in 1987. Esparragoza pulled off an upset with a TKO in the 12th round. Esparragoza defended the titles against seven contenders before losing the belts to
Yong-Kyun Park in 1991 via unanimous decision. He retired after the loss.
Due to his incredible knockout power, Esparragoza is ranked at 75 in ''Ring Magazine's'' list of 100 Greatest Punchers.
See also
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Lineal championship
In combat sports where champions are decided by a challenge, the lineal championship of a weight class is a world championship title held initially by an undisputed champion and subsequently by a fighter who defeats the reigning champion in a mat ...
*
List of featherweight boxing champions Championship recognition
Public Acclamation: 1884 to 1921
Champions were recognized by wide public acclamation. A heavyweight champion was a boxer who had a notable win over another notable boxer and then went without defeat. Retirements from the ...
References
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sports-reference
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1959 births
Living people
People from Cumaná
Olympic boxers of Venezuela
Boxers at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Venezuelan male boxers
World Boxing Association champions
AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists
Featherweight boxers
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