Eusebio Pedroza is a retired boxer from Panama….who held the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight championship from 1978 to 1985…with his 19 successful defenses of his title as world featherweight champion….is the all-time record for his division….who started out as a professional boxer on December 1, 1973 with a four round knockout win over Julio Garcia. His first 15 bouts were all in Panama….where he went 14-1 including a win over Jacinto Fuentes…a boxer who would later draw and lose to the legendary Wilfredo Gómez. Pedroza traveled in the last week of March 1976, to Mexicali, Mexico….to challenge WBA world bantamweight champion Alfonso Zamora for the world title….only to suffer his 2nd loss in his first championship try, After returning to Panama, he beat Pablo Jimenez by a decision in ten….then lost to Oscar Arnal in Venezuela by a knockout in six. He would not lose again for nine years….becoming a legend in the sport of boxing.
In April 1978, the WBA featherweight champion, Cecilio Lastra of Spain, travelled to Panama to defend his title on April 18 against Pedroza….who knocked him out in round 13 to become world featherweight champion….after which he traveled the world to defend his title for the next seven (7) years…..for Eusebio Pedroza was not afraid to go into his oppoent’s back yard. Among his 19 successful defenses were a fight against Enrique Solis in Puerto Rico….a 15 round decision win….one in Japan against former world champion Royal Kobayashi…who he knocked out in 14….then one in South Korea against Sa Wang Kim….a knocked out in 8….one in Houston, TX against the former three time world champion and fellow Hall of Famer Rubén Olivares…who lasted only 12 rounds….then cam the fight in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea versus Johnny Aba….who lost in 11…then there were the two against future world junior lightweight champion Rocky Lockridge….one in New Jersey….the other in Italy….as both went the distance with Pedroza winning both…with this fight being followed by his return to Venezuela to knockout Carlos Piñango in seven….then he returned to New Jersey to defeat Juan Laporte by decision…followed by a return to Italy to beat Jose Caba by decision….then he took the fight to Benard Taylor in his hometown in North Carolina….retaining his title with a draw against. He also defended in his home country many times during that span, and became a household name in Latin America, his face appearing on the cover and posters of Ring En Español and Guantes magazines multiple times.
Pedroza rose off the canvas in 1984 to knock out Gerald Hayes in ten, and he tied the record for division defenses with a win over Angel Levi Mayor, once again in Venezuela. On February 1985, he made history by beating the former world bantamweight champion Jorge Luján to defend his title for the nineteenth time. Pedroza finally lost his title in England, being defeated by Ireland’s Barry McGuigan at London by a 15 round decision on his 20th defense. During Pedroza’s reign, talks surfaced of a unification bout against World Boxing Council featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez. These hopes were dashed when Sanchez died in an automobile accident in 1982. He retired with a record of 42 wins, 6 losses and one draw, with one no contest, and 25 wins by knockout. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.
Rick “Rocky” Lockridge is an American former professional boxer….who is best known for handing Roger Mayweather his first defeat….a first-round knockout in just 98 seconds….earning him the WBA super featherweight title on February 26, 1984,,,,and lost his title to the legendary Wilfredo Gomez on May 19, 1985. He would later win the IBF super featherweight title on August 9, 1987 against Barry Michael…..then losing this title on 23 July 1988.
Throughout the past two decades….Lockridge has suffered drug problems causing him to became homeless….after which he suffered a stroke that forced him to walk with a cane. He was featured on A&E’s Intervention TV series….where he claimed that the intervention and the help of his sons saved his life. His appearance on the show is noted for a famous moment where his son Lamar says, “Somewhere deep down in my heart, I still love you.”….which caused Lockridge to break down crying hard enough to the point where he was screaming at the top of his lungs. This spawned the internet meme “Best Cry Ever”. Additionally, he was caught on video defending himself by knocking out a bully with a single one two jab-cross combination near a convenience store.from this lil ole sportsphile’s opinion….no matter what troubles Rocky had to face….he is my kind of athlete.In interviews, he has expressed a desire to be drug-free, stating that he had never been this clean, even in his fighting days. “I feel so good today that if I hadn’t suffered the stroke I would go for a title shot,” he stated. He is also interested in becoming a boxing trainer.
Because this 2nd fight between Eusebio Pedroza and Rocky Lockridge was such a great fight…..one which went the distance with non-stop action from both fighters…..with Pedroza winning by decision….I have to apologize for the video ending at the end of the 13th….for every now and then….Bone Daddy’s video recordings….were for some reason or another….shall we say….INCOMPLETE…..and I wonder if that was cuz he was in the bar business.!?!….but it is still worth the watch.
