On Sunday, July 21, the boxing world was rocked by the sad news of the death of former World Boxing Association lineal Bantamweight world champion Richie Sandoval of a heart attack at the age of 63.

Sandoval, of Mexican descent and born in Pomona, Southern California, on October 18, 1960, was an elite fighter who was drawn to boxing as a teenager, possibly influenced by his older brother, Alberto, who excelled in the ring and faced such Mexican stars as Alfonso Zamora and Lupe Pintor, who defeated him in hard-fought contests.

At the amateur level, Richie was national light flyweight and flyweight champion in 1978 and 1979. He also participated in the 1978 World Championships in Belgrade without much luck and was a silver medallist in the Pan-American Games the following year in Puerto Rico. In 1980, he was part of the US national team for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but did not compete due to his country’s boycott in protest of the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan. Richie concluded his amateur career in 1980 with an outstanding record of 35 wins and 11 losses.

THE ROAD TO GLORY

On November 5, 1980, at the Silver Slipper Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, Sandoval made his professional debut against fellow debutant Gerardo Pedroza, whom he defeated in 1 minute and 27 seconds of the second round.

After that, he racked up 9 quick wins before being stopped in his streak by Harold Petty, whom he defeated on points in 10 rounds at the Pavilion Hotel in Las Vegas in January 1982.

With an unblemished record of 22-0-0 and 16 KOs, the Mexican-Californian was given a world title shot on April 7, 1984 at the Sands casino-hotel in Atlantic City against solid champion Jeff Chandler, a tough counter-puncher and heavy favourite to retain the WBA bantamweight title he had won in November 1980 and was defending for the tenth time. Sandoval, 23, shocked everyone: he sent the 28-year-old champion to the canvas in the 11th round, the first knockdown of Chandler’s career (33-1-2, 18 KOs), and beat him mercilessly until referee Arthur Mercante stopped the fight at 1 minute and 20 seconds of the 15th round. It was the last fight for Chandler, who retired due to the risk of being blinded by a retinal injury. 

THE FALL AND THE ADIOS

In his first defence, Sandoval faced the first challenger in the WBA rankings, Venezuelan Edgar Roman, on September 22, 1984, and beat him on cards of 150-132, 149-129 and 149-137 in Monte Carlo.

Next, he faced, also with the title on the line, Chile’s Cardenio Ulloa on December 15, 1984 at the Miami Convention Center, and after recovering from a surprise knockdown in the third round, he knocked him out in the eighth.

He was already beginning to have serious weight problems when he faced successive 10-round fighters: California’s Frankie Duarte, Mexico’s Jose Gallegos and Diego Avila, and Ecuador’s Hector Cortez, all in the featherweight class, 8 pounds over his usual weight of 118 pounds. Sandoval was to face his most serious challenger, Texan-Mexican Gaby Cañizales, who had a record of 28 wins by KO in 34 fights and only two defeats by points. For regulatory reasons, Sandoval had to face Canizalez or he would be stripped of his title.

The bout was scheduled for March 3, 1986 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, as part of the Marvin Hagler vs. John Mugabi and Thomas Hearns vs. James Shuler fights, organised by promoter Bob Arum. Sandoval, more than 10 pounds overweight, spent three days drinking only water and without solid food. This made him easy prey for Cañizales. He went down for the count in the first round, went to the canvas again in the fifth and, after dropping three more times in the seventh, referee Carlos Padilla stopped the fight at 2 minutes and 56 seconds. Shortly after, the former champion collapsed in his corner and was rushed to hospital. For three days, Sandoval struggled between life and death. Doctors said he survived by a miracle. He never stepped back into the ring.

Richie Sandoval disappeared from the scene for a long time until he reappeared on 21 August 2017 in a special ceremony: his induction into the Nevada State Boxing Hall of Fame alongside other greats such as former kickboxer and actress Lucia Rijker, Michel Carbajal, Thomas Hearns, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Michael and Leon Spinks, Salvador Sanchez and Ken Norton.

Seven years later, just a few days ago, the media reported, to the dismay of boxing fans, the passing of Richie Sandoval (who won 29 fights, 17 by KO, with only one defeat in the ring), a former WBA world champion and a true bantamweight fighter.