Marco Verde seeks to emulate Alfonso Zamora's milestone

It was 1975 when Alfonso Zamora forged a valuable chapter for Mexican boxing. After two years as a professional, the capital native won an Olympic medal with a world title. No other Mexican has been able to emulate him. However, in Marco Verde 's eyes there is a fire that drives him to break the paradigm.

With Marco Verde's silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Mexico reached 14 medals in its history, but very few of those achieved transcendence by testing their fists in professionalism.

The most recent and active case is Misael Rodriguez . On January 15, the man from Chihuahua extended his unbeaten streak to 15 fights , seven by knockout. However, after the Rio 2016 games where he won bronze (75kg) and after his victorious professional debut over Brian True (April 2017), the Chinese boxer has sought the opportunity to fight for a world title.

"It's great to be back, it feels great. My mind is not on a rematch, it's on a world championship," said Misael after beating Omar Chavez by unanimous decision on the night of January 25, in San Luis Potosi.

Francisco Cabañas (2002) was the first Mexican to win an Olympic boxing medal . He did so in Los Angeles 1932, a silver medal that encapsulated a dramatic history, as he was close to not participating due to the lack of support from the Mexican Olympic Committee and a controversial final, due to the judges' favoritism towards the Hungarian Stephan Enekes.

Upon his return, Cabañas Pardo decided to turn professional , but only had a couple of fights that year: a loss to Gonzalo Rubio and a win over Guillermo Saucedo . He then became the coach of the Mexican boxing team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

ZAMORA BROKE THE MOLD

At the 1972 Munich Olympics, Alfonso Zamora won the silver (51-54 kg), which marked his debut as a professional, with a record of 33 victories , 32 of which were by knockout. On 14 March 1975, he won the WBA bantamweight title by beating South Korean Soo-Hwan Hong ; he defended the title until 1977 after losing to Panamanian Jorge Luján (five successful defences).

"I feel that boxing has changed a bit, I have already faced almost half the world, but I am excited to see a good rival. And of course, (because of Alfonso Zamora's legacy) I want to win not just one, but many titles, I want to surpass him," said an inspired Marco Verde after closing his amateur cycle.

PARADOX OF MEXICAN BOXING

In Los Angeles 1984 , Hector Lopez won the silver medal in bantamweight. The capital native, known by the nickname “El Torero”, at 17 years old was the first Mexican to compete for an Olympic gold medal .

In January of the following year, the already renowned Hector Lopez made his professional debut in a charity event organized by the WBC, where he defeated Roberto Solis in El Toreo. But his dream was to become a world champion ; he tried three times: against the undefeated Mexican Miguel Angel Gonzalez in 1993, for the WBC lightweight title; in 1995 against Sammy Fuentes and in 1999 against Randall Bailey for the WBO light welterweight belt.

Olympic history does justice to Juan Fabila Mendoza by remembering him as the only Mexican medalist at the 1964 Tokyo Games. His bronze (51-54 kg) ended a 28-year absence from the podium in this discipline.

Upon his return to Mexico he turned professional until his retirement in 1973 , with a record of six wins and two losses.

Ricardo Delgado also tried his luck in professional boxing after being the first Mexican to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games .

The winner of the flyweight division in Mexico 1968 accumulated 26 fights as a professional, however, he was disappointed with that face of boxing by not having the opportunity to fight for a world title nor a good manager despite his good performances, while he described it as a " mafia "; in his debut he won by knockout against the Korean Woori Moo Huk , in Los Angeles, California.

Although his professional activity was fleeting, the same gold medalist as Delgado but at featherweight, Antonio Roldán, met the high expectations in his debut the following February, by beating the American Jerry William , in a function held in the extinct arena of El Toreo Cuatro Caminos, in Mexico City.

In 1969 he defeated fighters like Joe Pacheco , Francisco Valenzuela and José Montoya , as did Víctor Zarazúa in 1971. This record of five wins was accompanied by a draw and three losses , which culminated in his retirement in 1974.

The Mexican Olympic medallist received a bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Summer Games, thanks to Juan Paredes (57 kg). In various interviews he recalled his return to the country, with an emotional welcome at the capital's airport and a big party in his neighbourhood, in Azcapotzalco.

After the joy, Paredes again faced a lack of financial resources, with a family that was growing with the arrival of a second child. He considered professionalism out of necessity , so he debuted the following year, with a victory over José Castillo , in Ciudad Victoria; he retired in March 1989, with a record of 23-11, 19 wins by knockout.

Mario González Lugo , a talent captured by Raúl “ Ratón ” Macías in 1985, then president of the Mexican Amateur Boxing Federation, led him to be part of the delegation that competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games .

He arrived at the summer competition with a record of 61 wins (25 by knockout) and nine losses. A shoulder injury (sprained joints, with total ligament rupture) hampered his performance, but at just 20 years old, the man from Puebla managed to win a bronze medal in the flyweight division.

He came to professional boxing late, almost at the age of 28. After failing to qualify for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Mario González made four appearances as a professional in 1998, with two wins by knockout and two knockouts due to the same condition.

It took 12 years for a Mexican to climb onto the Olympic podium again. Cristian Bejarano won bronze in the 60kg division at Sydney 2000. A year later he began a brilliant professional career.

He was undefeated from March 2001 , when he made his debut against Roger Smith , until September 29, 2007, the date of his last fight, also in Chihuahua, against César Bazan .

With Paris 2024 still in mind and the danger of boxing being left off the Los Angeles 2028 programme, Sinaloa native Marco Verde is today an inspiration in search of a greater legacy.

"It is always important to have winning athletes, because they motivate others, like Erick Morales, Marco Barrera, Juan Manuel Márquez, Gallito Estrada or Canelo Álvarez did in their time. Marco, as an Olympic medalist, had a great boom among the children who saw these games. When they see that there is a Mexican winner, it is like something that motivates the children and I think that Marco came to show that things can still be done in the amateur category," says Eddy Reynoso, manager of Verde with the Canelo Team.

Memorable fists, worthy of Olympus, but trapped in the paradox of not objecting to a world champion belt , in addition to the fame and money that the business implies.

BFG