Frankie Billy Randall (born September 25, 1961) is an American former professional boxer from 1983 to 2005….who was a three-time light welterweight world champion….having held the WBA, WBC and lineal titles between 1994 and 1997. Randall is best known for being the first boxer to defeat Julio César Chávez….whose record at the time of their 1994 fight stood at 89 wins and a draw.
He turned pro in 1981 after a career as an amateur boxer….who won his pro debut in June of that year…. but was inactive in 1982….and did not fight again until February 1983….after which he fought and won 23 times between 1983 and June 1985….when he fought former and future champ Edwin Rosario and lost a unanimous decision over 10 rounds.
On July 4, 1986, Randall drew with Freddie Pendleton for the USBA regional lightweight title….then watched Pendleton get a title shot instead of him….then in October 1987, Randall was knocked out by Mexican lightweight champion Primo Ramos for the NABF regional belt….after which he signed with promoter Don King and spent the next six and a half years fighting on the under cards of various championship fights promoted by King…..when he won all 17 of those fights….whereby on January 30, 1993, he earned another title shot when he knocked out Rosario in the seventh round of a rematch.
Edwin “Chapo” Rosario Rivera (March 15, 1963 – December 1, 1997) was a world champion professional boxer….who competed from 1979 to 1997….wherein he won the lightweight championship of the world three times….as the WBC lightweight champion (1983–84)….the WBA champion (1986–87)….and the WBA champion again (1989–90)….then Edwin Rosario won a 4th world championship after moving up to the junior welterweight division by claiming the WBA title….and holding that crown from 1991 to 1992.
After Rosario won a comeback fight against Frankie Randall, the future world champion, in London….as seen in this video herewith….when he had to wait another year before an opportunity to regain the title. On June 13, 1986, he met the world champion Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho at Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight was televised by HBO….and although Rosario shook Camacho badly in the fifth round and rallied down the stretch….Camacho swept the middle rounds….and won by a split decision of the judges. Because of the closeness of that bout, the WBA gave Rosario a chance to challenge Livingstone Bramble….who was the WBC world lightweight champion…..whom Rosario went to Miami and defeated by knockout in the second round to become world lightweight champion for the second time.
