Former WBC World Flyweight Champion Antonio Avelar of Mexico has passed away. The details of his death are unknown, but WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán expressed his condolences yesterday. Avelar was 66 years old. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and retired with a professional record of 39 wins (32 by KO), 13 losses, and 1 draw.
Avelar made his professional debut in April 1975. Despite suffering setbacks against domestic rivals such as Freddy Castillo and Gabriel Bernal, he steadily climbed the rankings. In February 1979, he earned his first world title shot, challenging Miguel Canto (Mexico) for the WBC flyweight title. Although Avelar lost a 15-round decision to the highly skilled Canto, the fight marked Canto’s 14th successful title defense. Canto would go on to lose the title the following month in South Korea to Chan-Hee Park (South Korea, 17 wins, 6 KOs, 4 losses, 2 draws).
After his loss to Canto, Antonio Avelar went on an impressive eight-fight winning streak (seven by knockout), rising to the No. 1 spot in the WBC flyweight rankings. He traveled to Japan as the mandatory challenger to challenge Shoji Oguma (Shin-Nihon Kimura Gym), who had taken the WBC flyweight title from Chan-Hee Park (Korea). On May 12, 1981, at the Mito City Gymnasium in Ibaraki Prefecture, Avelar engaged in a fierce battle with Oguma. In the 7th round, Avelar landed a devastating left hook and won by knockout at 56 seconds, capturing the world title.
Avelar, who earned an exceptional ¥15 million purse as the challenger, became world champion with a streak of eight consecutive knockouts. On August 30 of the same year, he successfully made his first title defense in Seoul, South Korea, by stopping Tae-Shik Kim (17 wins, 13 KOs, 3 losses) with a brutal 2nd-round KO. At just 22 years old, a long and dominant reign was expected.
However, on March 20, 1982 (March 21 Japan time), in his second defense held in Tampico, Mexico, Avelar was knocked out in shocking fashion in the first round by a left hook from Prudencio Cardona (Colombia, 39 wins, 27 KOs, 23 losses, 1 draw). He collapsed face-first onto the canvas and remained motionless, suffering a dramatic loss of his title.
Avelar later moved up in weight and continued his career. He split two fights with Gilberto Roman (Mexico), the former WBC super flyweight champion who defended the title 11 times. Avelar also scored an 8th-round TKO victory over Wilfredo Vázquez (Puerto Rico), who would go on to become a three-division world champion.
On July 25, 1987 (July 26 Japan time), Avelar made one last attempt at a world title, challenging WBC bantamweight champion Miguel “Happy” Lora (Colombia), who was riding a 27-fight win streak, in Miami, Florida. Avelar lost by 4th-round TKO in what would be his final professional bout.
Avelar left a strong impression with his dramatic win over Oguma and dominant first title defense in Korea. However, his shocking KO defeat to Cardona remains one of boxing’s most unforgettable moments. May he rest in peace.
Antonio Avelar left lasting memories in Asia, especially in Japan and Korea. Your fights will be remembered and talked about for years to come. Rest in peace.
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