Cecilio Lastra vs. Sean O'Grady '1978'

Wednesday, February 1, 1978

With the WBA Featherweight Championship Bout cancelled, Pat O'Grady tried to make a
plea to Cecilio Lastra and his manager, to fight Sean O'Grady in a 'Non-Title' bout.

Without the NBC Television Broadcast, Pat O'Grady offered Cecilio Lastra a
percentage of the gate, but with no fight purse guarantee.

During this, the WBA informed Cecilio Lastra, that if he fought Sean O'Grady at the 126 lb.
weight level and lost, he would be stripped of his WBA Featherweight Title.

Pat O'Grady, still in an effort to salvage the fight, suggested that the bout be an
over-the-weight' bout at 129 lbs., so that Cecilio Lastra could still keep his title
even if he lost.

Trying to scramble, Pat O'Grady tried bargaining with the local NBC-affiliate, to
broadcast the fight in the local Southwest-region, and for a minimal site fee of $15,000.
The NBC-affiliate KFOR-TV agreed, but would only offer up $7000.

As the 'secondary promotion' fell apart, Cecilio Lastra, his manager and travelling
associates had enough of the 'second-rate production', and announded that they
were returning back to Spain.

Cecilio Lastra did get to keep his initial non-refundable pre-fight purse of $12,500, as
well as the Round-trip Airline travel. All other boxing related expenses accrued by
the Cecilio Lastra Team in Oklahoma City were covered by Magna Verde Promotions.

 

Some Facts About The WBA Featherweight Championship;

WBA Featherweight Champion, Alexis Arguello (Nicaragua) vacated his Title on June 19, 1976.

The WBA had a bout for the Vacant Title on January 15, 1977, between the #1 Challenger,
Rafael 'El Brujo' Ortega (Panama) 19-2-5 (6 KO's), versus #2 Challenger, Francisco 'Toro' Coronado (Nicaragua) 14-9-0 (9 KO's).

Rafael Ortega won a 'close' 15-Round Unanimous Decison over the 'mediocre' Francisco Coronado, in Panama.

Next up for Rafael Ortega (with a connection in the WBA offices in Panama), he got an 'easy defense' and 'nice purse of $55,000'
to fight in Japan.

In May 1977, Rafael Ortega won an 'easy' 15-Round Decision over #9 WBA Flipper Uehara 13-4-1 (4 KO's) in Japan.

Rafael Ortega was supposed to go to South Korea in August 1977, for another 'easy defense' and 'large fight purse',
but the bout with OPBF Featherweight Champion, #2 WBA Bok-Soo Hwang 18-2-0 (6 KO's) fell through,,,,, when the
South Korean Promoters could not come up with the $80,000 fight purse.

Around this time, in July 1977, Pat O'Grady was making some noise about his son Sean O'Grady getting a Title Shot at the
WBA Crown, but the WBA Executives in Panama would not respond, as the 'inside connection' for Rafael Ortega
was looking to protect his Fighter and the Title that he currently held.

 

Some Facts About The WBA Featherweight Championship;


In August 1977, Pat O'Grady again inquired about getting WBA Featherwight Champion,
Rafael Ortega (Panama) to come to Oklahoma City, to have a Championship bout for his son Sean.

The Champion and his manager wanted $80,000, the going rate to 'sell the championship'.
Pat O'Grady backed off, when he couldn't come up with that cash. At the time, Sean was
rated #5 WBA as Super Bantamweight, (122 lb. division), and was not in the Top 10 of the WBA Featherweights.

The 18 1/2 year-old Sean O'Grady was having difficulty getting down to the 122 lb. Super-Bantamweight level.
At 5' 8" and 122 lbs, Sean's 'string-bean rail-thin body' was growing, and would now move up to
the 126 lb. Featherweight Division.

In The Meantime;

On August 20, 1977, in the WBA Featherweight rankings, #3 WBA-ranked, Cecilio Lastra of Spain 24-1-0 (17 KO's),
who was 'in-line' for a Title shot (in October 1977) was upset by little-known and then un-ranked Spaniard Roberto Castanon
18-0-0 (12 KO's), by TKO 11, in a bout for the Spanish Featherweight Championship. Roberto Castanon had never fought past '8' Rounds before that bout.

The proposed bout between Rafael Ortega and Cecilio Lastra in Spain (pre-scheduled for October 1977) was put on the 'back-burner'.

 

WBA Featherweight Rankings (October 1977)

** Rafael Ortega (Panama).............21-2-5 (6 KO's)
#1 Rodolfo Francis (Panama)...........24-2-0 (21 KO's)
#2 Bok-Soo Hwang (South Korea)....19-2-0 (6 KO's)
#3 David Kotey (Ghana).................35-3-2 (22 KO's)
#4 Ruben Castillo (United States).....28-0-0 (15 KO's)
#5 Roberto Castanon (Spain)...........21-0-0 (13 KO's)
#6 Manuel Masso (Spain)................26-0-0 (14 KO's)
#7 Cecilio Lastra (Spain).................25-2-0 (17 KO's)
#8 Pedro Nino Jiminez (Spain)..........38-4-2 (19 KO's)
#9 Eusubio Pedroza (Panama)..........16-3-0 (10 KO's)
#10 Sean O'Grady (United States)....50-1-0 (45 KO's)
#11 Spider Nemoto (Japan)..............25-7-2 (4 KO's)

The Champions (At Featherweight (126 lbs.) and Super-Bantamweight (122 lbs.) @ October 1977
** WBA Featherweight Champion................Rafael Ortega (Panama)
** WBC Featherweight Champion................Danny 'Little Red' Lopez (United States)
** WBC Super-Bantamweight Champion.......Wilfredo Gomez (Puerto Rico)
** WBA Super Bantamweight Champion.......(Title vacant, as this was a newly created division for the WBA)

Note: I don't believe Pat O'Grady wanted Sean O'Grady to have any part of WBC Super-Bantamweight Champion
Wilfredo Gomez, and/or another tangle with WBC Featherweight Champion Danny 'Little Red' Lopez at 126 lbs.

Note: The 'safe choice' was WBA Featherweight Champion, Rafael Ortega, who was 'not a big puncher'.

 

Cecilio Lastra (Cantabria, Spain),,,,,,along the northern coast.

After Cecilio Lastra upset Rafael Ortega on December 17, 1977 for the WBA Featherweight Championship
in Cantabria, Spain in front of 6300 hometown fans,,,,,,,,,,

Pat O'Grady immediatley went to work on new WBA Champion, Cecilio Lastra and his Manager Luis Mardaras,,,,,
to lock up a WBA Title fight before anybody else could act.

Cecilio Lastra only received ($17,000 U.S. Dollars) for his fight purse in his Title winning effort versus Rafael Ortega.

To come to Oklahoma Ciity to fight his son Sean O'Grady in February 1978,,,,,,,
Pat O'Grady offered Luis Mardaras $25,000 ($12,500 as an up-front pre-fight non-refundable guarantee,
with the other $12,500 paid on the day of the fight), plus 40% of the overseas ancillary rights, which would come to approximately another $30,000,,,,,,,,,,which would give Cecilio Lastra a net of $55,000.

Pat O'Grady also conjurred up another 'part-of-the-deal', by guaranteeing Cecilo Lastra an immediate
re-match within 90-days for the same amount, in the event that he lost the bout to his son Sean.

This content is protected

 

January 1978,,,,,,,,,,

In his 'haste' to sign and lock-up new WBA Champion Cecilio Lastra, to fight his son Sean on February 5, 1978

Pat O'Grady forgot to go through the 'corrupt' World Boxing Association office based in Panama.

The WBA Championship Committee did not get the 'particulars' of the proposed
Title Defense, and later in early-February, would not sanction the bout.

 

Some Facts About The WBA Featherweight Championship

Rafael Ortega and Cecilio Lastra had signed an agreement letter (in August 1977) to face each
other in September 1977, but,,,,,,,

,,,,Cecilio Lastra (#3 WBA-ranked at the time) was upset by (L TKO 11) to then un-ranked
Featherweight Roberto Castanon, on August 20, 1977, and the WBA Title fight was put on the back-burner.

Cecilio rebounded with a quick win on September 24, 1977 {W Dec 8} over non-entity, Antonio Rodriguez 10-4-2 (2 KO's)

The WBA Title bout was then re-scheduled to December 17, 1977, and in Santabria, Spain, where Cecilio Lastra, now ranked #7 WBA won in an upset over Champion *Rafael Ortega.

In the meantine,,,,,,on November 26, 1977

In Panama,,,,, Rodolfo 'Bebe' Francis, 24-2-0 (21 KO's) the hard-punching Panama Featherweight, and the #1 WBA Featherweight
took a 'tune-up bout' against fellow countryman Eusubio 'El Alacran' Pedroza 16-3-0 (10 KO's), the #9 WBA Featherweight.

In a 'major upset', Eusubio Pedorza stopped (TKO 7) the 'Top-Ranked' Rodolfo Francis. That victory catapulted Pedroza to
the #1 WBA Featherweight, and put him 'in-line' as the 'mandatory challenger'.

 

TKO,,,,,,,,,

Cecilio Lastra was 'No Bum',,,,,,,,,,,

The Spaniard was a tough 5' 5" southpaw,,,,,,,,,with quickness and good power.

Amateur Record; (121 bouts)...101-12-8 with '14' International Wins

He was part of the,,,,,,, "Fabulous Four Featherweights from Spain in 1978"
* Cecilio Lastra
* Roberto Castanon
* Manuel Masso
* Pedro Nino Jiminez