Ayub Kalule vs Emiliano Villa

April 17, 1980

WBA Light-Middleweight Championship

* Ayub Kalule (Denmark)
vs.
#8 Emiliano Villa (Columbia)

Did Emiliano Villa of Columbia deserve a shot at the WBA Title.

 

Thanks Flea,,,

Got some of the Scoop on Emiliano.

A lanky 5' 10" southpaw, with very good boxing skills. A boxer-puncher style, with
a good basic straight 1-2 punch. Has good ring generalship, and likes to box from
a distance.

Was a highly regarded Amateur in Columbia. Won several National Tournaments at
Lightweight (1970/1971/1972) at (-60 kg) 132 lb. Lightweight Division.

Amateur record listed at 124-9, including several International wins.

As a 20 year-old, represented Columbia at the 1972 Olympics, and moved up in weight
to compete at Light-Weltwerweight (-63.5 kg) 139 lbs.

Lost in the 'Second Round' to Great Britains Graham Mouton, by a close Decision.

Turned professional in January 1973 as a 140lb. Light-Weltwerweight, and won his first 11-bouts.
Got matched up with former WBA Light-Welterweight Champion Alfonso 'Peppermint' Fraser in
March of 1974. Boxed well and battled Fraser evenly through 7-Rounds, before being stunned and hammered
along the ropes, and getting stopped in 8th round.

Bounced back by going 13-0-1 in his next 14-bouts, including;
* winning a 10-Round Decision over Everaldo Costa Acevedo (August 1974)
* fighting a 12-Round Draw with Bernardo Prada for the Columbian Light-Welterweight Title (December 1974)
* winning a 10-Round Decision over Leonico Ortiz (October 1974),
* winning the Columbian Light-Welterweight Title by defeating Reinaldo Chico in 12-rounds (September 1975),
* defeating Alfonso 'Peppermint' Fraser in a rematch by a 10-round Decision (October 1975),
* and retaining his Columbian Light-Welterweight Title be defeating nemesis Bernardo Prada by a 12-Round Decision (October 1975).

Note: Everaldo Costa Acevedo would go on to challenge Carlos Palomino for the World Welterweight Title (September 1977)

Note: Leonico Ortiz would go on to challenge Roberto Duran for the World Lightweight Title (December 1975)

Note: Bernardo Prada would go on to fight Sugar Ray Leonard {November 1978}

By January 1976, improved to 24-1-1 (12 KO's), and earned a #4 WBA Light-Welterweight ranking.
Was ranked #6 by Ring Magazine in January 1976.

 

Thank You,,,,,,,,,,,Men,,,,,:good

Emiliano Villa had some excellent fights on his resume'.

All of his first 26-bouts were fought in his home country, Columbia.

Went to Argentina in January 1976, and took on the 'Great' Nicolino Loche.

Lost a 'razor-close' 10-Round Decision to the man with a (114-4-14) record
and #3 WBA Light-Welterweight Ranking.

The 24 year-old, rebounded with a quick win, improving to 25-2-1 (13 KO's), and then got offered
a bout with 'El Radar' Wilfred Benitez, for a shot at the WBA Light-Welterweight Title
in May 1976, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Took on the 17 1/2 year old 'Wunderkind' Benitez in his backyard in San Juan, and among 10,000
partisan Puerto Rican fans.
Fought evenly with the WBA Champion over the first 5-Rounds, and competitively in rounds 6 thru 10.

But, Wilfred takes over in Round 11, and boxes smartly over the last 5-rounds, winning by a wide-amrgin
on the scorecards.

Received a fight purse of $30,000, the highest of his career up to that point.

 

Mr. Francis

Graham won a split-decision (3-2) over Emiliano Villa
the Second Round of the (-63.5 kg) Light-Welterweight division.

Emiliano was a pre-tournament favorite to get to the Medal Round.

 

I have only seen '2' tapes of his bouts. I have to search a bit.

Didn't he get 'jobbed' in one of those European Boxing Union
Championship bouts.

 

July 31, 1976

Just 2-months after battling Wilfred Benitez for the WBA Light-Welterweight Title,
Emiliano Villa's Manager/Promoter, Ramiro Machado accepts another tough bout for his
fighter.

A July 31, 1976 bout versus WBA Lightweight Champion Roberto Duran.

This bout will be at 141 lbs., and a scheduled non-title 10-Rounder, to be held at the
Gymnasio Nuevo Panama, for a Saturday afternoon head-liner.

18,000 Panamanian pro-Roberto Duran fans turn out, to watch Roberto and Emiliano
Villa go toe-to-toe for '5' heated rounds. At the beginning of Round 6, the
(56-1-0) Duran lands a bomb of a straight right, that drops Emiliano for the first time in his
career. Villa gets up and survives the round by boxing at a distance.

But in Round 7, Emiliano tries to go straight at Duran and attempts to go toe-to-toe again, but
is hammered, and is dropped for the 10-count by a wicked right hand to the temple.
Emiliano has a delayed reaction, then collapses to the canvas on his back, and spread-eagled.

Emiliano drops to 25-4-1, but still is regarded as a Top 10 Light-Weltweight.
The Columbian receives $25,000 for his effort in Panama.

 

The Emiliano Villa versus Roberto Duran bout in July 1976 answered several questions.

A) Villa had gone 15-Rounds with WBA Light-Welterweight Champion only 2-months earlier.

B) Duran KO'd Emiliano in 7-Rounds, indicating that Roberto would not have a problem handling a potential bout with Wilfred at 140 lbs.

C) Antonio Cervantes (Emiliano Villa's countryman and sparring-mate) was thinking
about facing Roberto Duran at 140 lbs., and in Panama. The July bout with Emiliano
confirmed what Cervantes was thinking quietly, 'No way am I fighting Duran in Panama.'

D) The WBA assured Emiliano Villa's manager, that if he took the bout Duran and performed well, he would be
guaranteed a title shot for a WBA Championship in the future, either at 140 lbs. or 147 lbs.

 

lora,,,,,,,,

I would agree,,,,,,,,,,,,that many of the rounds that Emiliano fought
with Wilfred Benitez were fairly close, but on the Scorecards it was pretty much a 'paint job'.

Benitez did a little more in each round, to get the nod.

Wilfred fought a 'smart school-type fight', by taking the rounds with a little more activity.

Scorecards all for Wilfred Benitez.
* 150-138 (12-0-3 in Rounds)
* 149-137 (13-1-1 in Rounds)
* 147-138 (12-2-1 in Rounds)

Ain't no way that Emiliano Villa would get a Decision, not in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Even if he knocked Wilfred down in every round.