Antonio Esparragoza

Antonio Esparragoza Betancourt (born September 2, 1959 in Cumaná) is a former boxer in the featherweight division from Venezuela.

Amateur career

Esparragoza represented Venezuela as a Featherweight at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.

• 1st round bye
• Lost to Peter Hanlon (Great Britain) 1-4

Professional career

Esparragoza turned pro in 1981 and after largely fighting unproven fighters in his native Venezuela was granted a shot at Lineal & WBA Featherweight Titles holder Steve Cruz in 1987. Esparragoza pulled off an upset with a TKO in the 12th round. Esparragoza defended the titles seven times before losing the belts to Yong-Kyun Park in 1991 via unanimous decision. He retired after the loss.

Due to his incredible knockout power, Esparragoza is ranked at 75 in Ring Magazine's list of 100 Greatest Punchers.

References

• Professional boxing record for Antonio Esparragoza from BoxRec
• sports-reference