Rafael Herrera (born 7 January 1945) is a Mexican former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

. He won the Undisputed Bantamweight Championship in 1972 and was a two-time WBC bantamweight champion.

Professional career

Herrera turned pro in 1963 and in 1972 defeated

Rubén Olivares Rubén Olivares Avila (born January 14, 1947) is a Mexican former professional boxer and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champion ...

by TKO to capture the Lineal, WBC and WBA bantamweight titles. He lost the titles in his first defense to Enrique Pinder. Pinder was stripped of the WBC title after this fight for failure to defend against Rodolfo Martinez. Herrera fought Martinez for the vacant WBC bantamweight title the following year and won by TKO, a fight in which Martinez down four times (twice in 4th, twice in 11th), and Herrera was down in the 8th. He defended the title twice before losing it in 1974 in a rematch with Martinez. The outcome of the bout was controversial, as Herrera was on his feet at the count of 7 after being knocked down and was asked by the referee if he could continue. Herrera nodded "yes" but a split second later the referee raised Martinez' hand and declared him the winner. Herrera lurched forward but the referee contained him. The ensuing conversation between Herrera and the referee was heard on the national TV broadcast.

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

* WBA bantamweight champion (118 lbs) * WBC bantamweight champion (118 lbs) (2×)

''The Ring'' magazine titles

* ''The Ring'' bantamweight champion (118 lbs)

Regional/International titles

* NABF bantamweight champion (118 lbs)

Undisputed titles

* Undisputed bantamweight champion

Personal life

Born into a large working-class family, Herrera originally wanted to be a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

. In 1971 he married Leticia, his longtime wife with whom he had two daughters.

References

External links

*
Rafael Herrera - CBZ Profile
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Rafael 1945 births Living people Boxers from Jalisco Mexican male boxers Bantamweight boxers World bantamweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions The Ring (magazine) champions 20th-century Mexican sportsmen