Francisco Guilledo
Pancho Villa ( born August 1, 1901 in Iloilo, Philippines as Francisco Guilledo, may Francisco Tingson; † July 14, 1925 in San Francisco) was a Filipino flyweight boxer.
After he was often involved in fights in his village, hearing the boxing Frank Churchill in Manila randomly from him and took him under contract. He named it after the legendary Mexican bandit and revolutionary Pancho Villa, in order to market it better.
Earlier in his career he boxed exclusively in the Philippines, 1922, he then moved on in USA. In the "No Decision era," he lost so-called " newspaper decisions " ( officially without judgment ) against Abe Goldstein and Frankie Genaro. However, he managed to get a fight to the (open) U.S. Championship and to win by knockout. A second point defeat against Genaro was controversial.
As the aging Welsh legend Jimmy Wilde inactivity in the U.S. was looking for an opponent to defend the world title after two years, was chosen instead of the marketable Villa Genaro. Villa had no chance Wilde and won by knockout in the seventh round. He thus became the first Filipino world champion in the history of professional boxing.
Mainly it applies because of this struggle as one of the best flyweight of all time, but its exact position is debatable, since Wilde was far after the long inactivity of his best. Thus, the Ring Magazine Wild at number one, Genaro at position four, but Villa is not in the top five. Others, such as the Associated Press made sure to place him because of this struggle against Wilde, usually then rank one.
His last fight was a defeat on July 4, 1925 in a non-title fight against Jimmy McLarnin. Ten days later, Villa died after a tooth infection abducted at the age of only 23 years.
1994 was held Villa induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.