On This Day: Carlos Zarate Defeated Alfonso Zamora 1977
Carlos Zarate vs. Alfonso Zamora
On April 23, 1977
Mexican world champions entered the ring with a combined record of 75 wins including 74 knockouts – Carlos Zarate vs. Alfonso Zamora was one of the most anticipated fights between Mexicans in boxing history.
Zarate arrived as the bantamweight champion of the World Boxing Council and Zamora, as a bantamweight champion of the World Boxing Association.
The bout was held at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and when the bell rang that fabled night, the crowd was eager to see the fight because, with the accumulated KO percentage of both, everyone knew it’d NEVER go the distance.
After the first round, a strange twist transpired, when a man came into the ring to interrupt the fight.
When the combat resumed, Zarate pressed forward, seeking to punish Zamora’s liver, beginning to decipher the style of Alfonso, who boxed well and hit back hard to the body.
In the second round, Zárate quickly returned to short distance fighting. This time he found the mark with a couple of rights which staggered Zamora. While Zamora seemed to be in trouble for the first time in the fight, he threw a pair of hooks that landed hard on Zárate’s head.
When the third round began, there was an explosion in the crowd. A fan had lit a firework and the crowd panicked, but the boxers never once took their eyes off each other. Near the end of the third, Carlos was able to connect a left hook while Alphonso threw a punch in the same fashion. Zamora staggered on to the ropes and then Zárate pounced to connect multiple blows, sending Zamora to the canvas. The bell rang to finish the round and Zamora received just a brief respite.
When the bell rang to start the fourth round, Zárate pounced on Zamora. He did not mind receiving punishment, as he just want to finish Zamora. He quickly sent him back to the canvas. Zarate was able to land another straight right, followed by a left hook and Zamora was down for the third time.
Before Zamora could start to rise, his corner threw the towel in. The bout was over, but the fight was not. Alfonso Zamora Sr, Representative of Zamora, immediately jumped into the ring and ran to throw a punch at the manager of Zarate. The security team intervened and after some time, order was restored.
Alfonso Zamora, after suffering his first defeat, fought eight more times and retired in 1980.
Carlos Zarate fought until 1988 and climbed up to the super bantamweight division, although he never was able to win that title.
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