Salvador Sanchez: I May Be “New School” But this Warrior is One “Old School” Champion I Love!
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By Jesse “New School” Wright
Salvador Sanchez fought in the ring the same way he lived life: at full speed. Boxing is a sport where it is all too common to see a guy get too much too soon and self-destruct before reaching his full potential. In the case of many, the result is an inflated ego causing poor lifestyle choices leading to upset defeats. Sanchez didn’t have that second chance. In one of boxing’s most tragic stories of what could have been, Sanchez died when he crashed his Porsche at just 23 years of age. The fact that he was inducted in to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991 speaks volumes to how great he could have been. He was taken from us too soon, but the standard he set for great Mexican fighters is still very much alive.
The modern era of boxing is plagued by guys who are overly picky about who they fight. The term “throw back” is used for any fighter who is willing to fight anyone, anywhere at any time. Sanchez is who that term is used for. He fought for his first title at Bantamweight against Antonio Becerra at just 18 years of age! What’s more, he lost the fight via split decision. The fact that he lost says more about him than a victory. Many fighters wouldn’t have enough gall to take a risk like that so early in a career. That would be the only loss of his career. When Sanchez passed, he was 44-1-1, 32 KO’s. He fought all of the greats and never thought twice about it.
The expectation we have for Mexican boxers today can be traced back Salvador Sanchez. Mexican fans take extreme pride in their fighters and hold them accountable. Sanchez gave them everything and more. Outside of the ring he was charmingly charismatic, but once inside of it relentlessly barbaric. He strutted to the ring with a perm and a robe that brightly reflected the lights shining on to him. He danced and threw his hands up before the fight ever started. He fought fearlessly. He was talented enough to win a fight without making it a war, but still took it there. His fights devolved in to a contest of who was more of a man. He tested his opponents will and never questioned his own. He oozed machismo and dared opponents to outdo him. Throughout it all, he never even looked nervous.
Sanchez’s most memorable match was against then undefeated Puerto Rican Wilfredo Gomez (32-0-1 at the time) in 1981. Gomez was a game competitor who stepped up in weight to fight Sanchez at Featherweight. What transpired was a beautiful disaster that all Mexico vs. Puerto Rico fights must live up to today. Sanchez came out throwing a high volume of punches, every one of them with the intent to hurt Gomez. He utilized almost no defense letting his hands go in wild flurries. It was as if Sanchez was inviting Gomez to hit him just to show he didn’t have the ability to hurt him. It might have looked like he was fighting carelessly, but the precision of each punch was impeccable. This wasn’t volume punching for the sake of winning early rounds; Sanchez was making a statement. He made it very clear that he could hurt Gomez, but Gomez couldn’t hurt him. Gomez was out on his feet several times in the first four rounds. By the eighth round Sanchez knocked him out. Gomez dropped back down to junior featherweight and never came back.
If it weren’t for his untimely death, Sanchez would have probably been the greatest featherweight of all time. His limited body of work certainly makes a strong case. His legacy lives on through the Mexican stars of today. Canelo Alvarez emulates Sanchez’s confident image and machismo driven attitude. For a long period of time he took on all comers and ducked nobody. Even when there is a hint of him avoiding a fight the Mexican fans seem to call him out immediately. When Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares fought last fall, it was as if they both had something to prove in the form of their Mexican pride. The result was an incredible display of will and heart in a nonstop battle. Gennady Golovkin and Abel Sanchez coined the term “Mexican Style” in reference to the entertaining all action style of the Mexican greats. We have Salvador Sanchez to thank as one of the original pioneers of the warrior Mexican style. Although his time was brief, his influence on the sport is positively everlasting.
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