Miguel Canto

Titles: Flyweight champion 1975 to 1979

Record: 61-9-4 (15 K.O's)
    
Born: January 30, 1948 in Merida, Mexico
    
Years active: 1969-1982
    
Nickname: None

Miguel Canto proved that not all Mexican fighters are face first sluggers, 
and he was not a dangerous puncher. But that didn't mean fighting Canto was 
easy to fight. The Mexican champion was an action fighter who overwhelmed his 
opponents with a high punch rate and accurate counter punches. Canto's reign 
as champion lasted 4 years and encompassed 14 successful title defenses. 
Canto only stood 5'1', but had a unusually long reach which was put to good 
use with a crisp jab and fast combination punches. Mental toughness must 
be added to his long list of qualities. Incredibly Canto was stopped in 2 
of his first 3 fights and lost his first title bid. In 1972 he won the 
Mexican flyweight title before he challenged for the WBC flyweight title in 
1973 which he lost via a 15-round decision to Betulio Gonzalez. Two years 
later, he out boxed Shoji Oguma in Japan for the vacant crown, for four 
years after that Canto went unbeaten and set a division record by making 
14 successful title defenses. In one of those defenses he avenged a earlier 
title loss to Gonzalez twice and again defeated Oguma. On March 18, 1979 
Canto turned old overnight when he lost to mediocre Chan-hee Park in Korea, 
a rematch ended in a draw. Canto well past his prime fought on through 1982 
but lost four of his last five fights. Should be ranked as one of the 5 
best flyweights of all time.


Miguel Canto
Career record: 61 W, 9 L, 4 D (15 K.O's)

                            
                                              1969


     5 Feb   Raul Hernandez          Merida, Mexico          KO by 3
     5 May   Pedro Martinez          Merida, Mexico          W 4
     13 Aug  Pedro Carillo           Mexico City             KO by 4
     6 Dec   Vincente Pool           Chetumal, Mexico        W 8

                                              1970

     21 Jan  Rudy Granados           Merida, Mexico          W 10
     4 Feb   Joe Calvario            Merida, Mexico          D 10
     4 Mar   Vincente Pool           erida, Mexico           W 10
     21 Mar  Baby Albornoz           Chetumal, Mexico        KO 9
     8 Apr   Alex Basilio            Merida, Mexico          KO 8
     29 Apr  Ranita Torres           Merida, Mexico          D 10
     27 May  Vincente Pool           Merida, Mexico          W 12
     24 Jun  Chamaco Zetina          Merida, Mexico          W 12
     14 Oct  Tarcisio Gomez          Merida, Mexico          L 10
     11 Nov  Arturo Velazquez        Merida, Mexico          W 10
     9 Dec   Jose Medrano            Merida, Mexico          W 10

                                              1971

     21 Jan  Pedro Martinez          Cansahcab, Mexico       KO 2
     14 Feb  Francisco Montalvo      Cansahcab, Mexico       KO 6
     17 Mar  Marcus Gomez            Merida, Mexico          KO 6
     4 Apr   Tigre Bracamontes       Tizimin, Mexico         W 8
     29 Apr  Jose Luis Cetina        Merida, Mexico          W 10
     14 May  Gavilan Martinez        Tekax, Mexico           W 10
     2 Jun   Mario Garcia            Merida, Mexico          KO 10
     14 Jul  Pedro Lopez             Merida, Mexico          KO 3
     28 Jul  Domingo Ledezma         Merida, Mexico          W 10
     1 Sep   Roberto Alvarez         Merida, Mexico          W 10
     20 Oct  Alberto Morales         Merida, Mexico          W 10
     1 Dec   Luis Carlos Urrunaga    Merida, Mexico          W 10

                                              1972

     22 Jan  Constancio Garcia       Merida, Mexico          W 12
     15 Mar  Jose Vargas             Merida, Mexico          W 10
      5 Apr  Armando Villa           Merida, Mexico          KO 4
     20 May  Ricardo Delgado         Merida, Mexico          W 12
     26 Jul  Jose Luis Valencia      Merida, Mexico          W 10
     27 Sep  Jose Antonio Corral     Merida, Mexico          KO 3
     18 Nov  Alberto Morales         Merida, Mexico          W 12

                                              1973

     31 Jan  Ignacio Espinal         Merida, Mexico          D 10
     24 Mar  Tarcisio Gomez          Merida, Mexico          KO 2
     2 May   Rudy Billones           Merida, Mexico          W 10
     10 May  Luis Garcia             Tenosique, Mexico       KO 7
     29 Jun  Chamaco Rodriguez       Chetumal, Mexico        KO 5
     4 Aug   Betulio Gonzalez        Caracas                 L 15
             (For Vacant WBC Flyweight Title)
     17 Nov  Lupe Hernandez          Merida, Mexico          W 12

                                              1974

     13 Feb  Tony Moreno             Merida, Mexico          KO 5
     27 Apr  Manuel Montiel          Merida, Mexico          W 12
     8 Jun   Pablito Jimenez         Merida, Mexico          W 10
     17 Aug  Alberto Morales         Mexico City             W 10
     25 Oct  Ricardo Delgado         Valladolid, Mexico      W 10

                                              1975

     8 Jan   Shoji Oguma             Sendai, Japan           W 15
             (Won WBC Flyweight Title)
     8 Mar   Ignacio Espinal         Merida, Mexico          W 10
     24 May  Betulio Gonzalez        Monterrey, Mexico       W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     18 Jul  Lupe Madera             Cozumel, Mexico         KO 9
     23 Aug  Jiro Takada             Merida, Mexico          KO 11
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     13 Dec  Ignacio Espinal         Merida, Mexico          W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)

                                              1976

     13 Mar  Francisco Marquez       Mexico City             W 10
     15 May  Susumu Hanagata         Merida, Mexico          W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     3 Oct   Betulio Gonzalez        Caracas                 W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     20 Nov  Orlando Javierto        Los Angeles, CA         W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)

                                               1977

     24 Apr  Reyes Arnal             Caracas                 W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     15 Jun  Kimio Furesawa          Tokyo                   W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     17 Sep  Martin Vargas           Merida, Mexico          W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     30 Nov  Martin Vargas           Santiago                W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)

                                                1978

     4 Jan   Shoji Oguma             Tokyo                   W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     18 Apr  Shoji Oguma             Tokyo                   W 5
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     20 Nov  Tacomron Vibonchai      Houston, TX             W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)

                                                 1979

     10 Feb  Antonio Avelar           Merida, Mexico         W 15
             (Retained WBC Flyweight Title)
     18 Mar  Chan-Hee Park           Pusan, South Korea      L 15
             (Lost WBC Flyweight Title)
     9 Sep   Chan-Hee Park           Seoul                   D 15
             (For WBC Flyweight Title)

                                              1980

     16 Aug  Alfredo Hernandez       Merida, Mexico          W 10
     18 Oct  Orlando Maldonado       Guadalajara, Mexico     W D.Q 6

                                              1981

     22 Feb  Sung-Jun Kim            Merida, Mexico          W 10
     29 Mar  Gabriel Bernal          Villahermosa, Mexico    L 10
     6 Jun   Gabriel Bernal          Merida, Mexico          W 10
     29 Aug  Candido Tellez          Villahermosa, Mexico    KO by 4
     31 Oct  Alfredo Hernandez       Torreon, Mexico         KO by 7

                                              1982

     24 Jul  Rodolfo Ortega          Merida, Mexico          KO by 9