Rodolfo Casanova, also known as ''Baby'' Casanova or ''Chango'' Casanova (June 21, 1915 – November 23, 1980) was a Mexican professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. He was also the first Mexican to fight a Puerto Rican in the Mexico – Puerto Rico boxing rivalry.

Early life

Rodolfo was born during the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

, his father Don Rafael Casanova died in that war. His mother moved the family to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

after the death. Casanova grew up very poor and started boxing only after his older brother Carlos, an amateur boxer, had no official government backing to attend the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

Professional career

World Bantamweight Championship

In his first attempt at a world title, Casanova lost to

Sixto Escobar Sixto Escobar (March 23, 1913 – November 17, 1979) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he was Puerto Rico's first world champion and a two-time Undisputed Bantamweight World Champion. Escobar was bo ...

the World Bantamweight Champion. This would be the first world title fight between a Mexican and a Puerto Rican.

References

External links

* Boxers from Guanajuato Sportspeople from León, Guanajuato Featherweight boxers 1915 births 1980 deaths Mexican male boxers 20th-century Mexican sportsmen {{Mexico-boxing-bio-stub