Michael Carbajal
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| Image:Olympic-rings.png | ||
| Silver medal | 1988 Seoul | Boxing Men's Light Flyweight |
Michael Carbajal (born September 17, 1967) is a Phoenix, Arizona, USA native who was a four-time world boxing champion. He is nicknamed "Little Hands Of Stone", after his favorite boxer, the legendary "Hands Of Stone", Panamanian Roberto Duran.
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Early career
Owner of a stellar amateur record, Carbajal went to the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea. He cruised through his initial bouts there, and then, in the Junior Flyweight final, he was denied a gold medal by the judges, although many observers felt that Carajal had dominated his opponent throughout the match. This decision, along with Roy Jones, Jr.'s defeat-by-decision, also at the final bout in the same games, was considered one of amateur boxing's most controversial decisions ever made.
Seven months after the Olympics, in February of 1989, Carbajal made his debut in front of a national television audience as part of the card where Duran became a four-time world champion by beating Iran Barkley in Atlantic City. In his first fight, Carbajal outboxed another future world champion, Will Grigsby.
Carbajal followed that win with a spectacular first-round knockout of Silviano Perez on NBC. Carbajal started raking up win after win, and in his tenth bout, he met the former WBO world champion Pedro Feliciano, "Kikiriki," handling him a ten-round beating. Four more wins followed, and America began to realize that it had its first Junior Flyweight superstar ever.
On July 29, 1990, Carbajal faced the tough Maungshai Kittikasem, who came to Phoenix from United States to defend his IBF world Junior Flyweight championship. Carbajal methodically took apart the champion in front of another NBC national audience and in round 7, after a scary combination of punches left Kittikasem laying defenseless against the ropes, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight, making Carbajal the world champion for the first time in his career.
Champion
Fame and endorsement deals from Phoenix companies and other companies that targeted the Phoenix market came along with the title for the young champion, but with them came trouble. Carbajal began a string of six title defenses against such tough challengers as Leon Salazar, Hector Patri and Robinson Cuesta. Boxing fans longed for a fight with WBC world champion Humberto Gonzalez, also known as "Chiquita," so the fight was scheduled for March 13, 1993. Carbajal was going to become the first Junior Flyweight in history to earn one million dollars for a fight, and the surrounding hype almost resembled that of a heavyweight championship bout. It was the first Junior Flyweight championship bout to headline a Pay Per View event.
Carbajal was downed in rounds 2 and 5, and he was bleeding from his right eyebrow when he blasted a tremendous left hand to the side of Gonzalez's chin in the seventh round. Gonzalez turned sideways, and another right hand sent him flat to the canvas. He could not beat the count, and Michael Carbajal had unified the world's Junior Flyweight championship in Ring Magazine's fight of the year.
More television enodorsement deals followed, including television ads for Diet Pepsi and Emergency Chiropractors, but trouble seemed to follow, as well. He was accused of firing gunshots onto the roof of a party in Scottsdale, and his sister was accused of being involved in a midnight altercation at a Phoenix gas station. This unwanted attention seemed to take its toll on Carbajal, and after two defenses, he fought Gonzalez once again in a pay-per-view match in Los Angeles, California. This time, Carbajal was outboxed and couldn't find the right punch to end it, so he lost a split decision for the first defeat in his career.
Comeback
Carbajal next took on tough Abner Barajas, winning by a fifth-round knockout in Laughlin, Nevada, and then was given another shot at a world title by the WBO world champ Josue Camacho, who came from Puerto Rico to the challenger's hometown to defend his title. In front of another national audience, this time on ESPN, Carbajal put on a brilliant performance and won a unanimous twelve-round decision over Camacho, who was never even rocked despite being blasted on several occasions with combinations to the head and body, and who left the ring with a record of fifteen wins and three losses (with six knockouts) after the defeat.
A world champion again, Carbajal set to try to recover his International Boxing Federation and WBC belts against Gonzalez in a third unification bout between the boxers, and in November of 1994, two months after the Camacho victory, they met once again, this time in Mexico City. Once again, it was a split decision, and once again, Carbajal came out on the losing end. He wouldn't give up, however, and he kept training under the guidance of his brother, Danny Carbajal, the only man ever to train Michael.
He put another string of seven wins together, against former world champion Jose Quirino, who was beaten in one round, and tough Mauro Salas, who lasted seven. Then he met two-time world champion Melchor Cob Castro in Las Vegas for Castro's International Boxing Federation Junior Flyweight title. Castro had won the title after Gonzalez had retired. Carbajal beat Castro by unanimous decision.
His third title reign lasted 22 months and three defenses, including an eighth-round knockout of tough two-time challenger Tomas Rivera), before he lost his crown again. On January 18, 1997, Carbajal suddenly looked aged and was unable to do anything against the charges of Colombian Mauricio Pastrana. Carbajal still made the fight close, but lost a twelve-round split decision.
After that, a fight that should have taken place long before came up, as Carbajal met Canada's Scotty Olson in San Antonio, Texas. Carbajal showed he had more left than Olson did, and dominated the fight until a spectacular right hand sent Olson down for the count in round 11.
The win over Olson gave Carbajal a minor title, but in July of 1997 in Las Vegas once again, he was shockingly handled by South Africa's Jacob Matlala. Matlala handed Carbajal his first knockout defeat ever, finishing the past-his-prime former world champion in round nine. Carbajal did not fight for 19 months after this defeat.
Second comeback, and retirement
Although counted out by most boxing experts when he announced a comeback early in 1999, Carbajal still had one last hurrah left in him. He won three bouts, and on July 31, 1999, he took the short flight from Phoenix to Tijuana to challenge WBO world Junior Flyweight champion Jorge Arce, who was fighting in his hometown. Arce dominated Carbajal for nine of the first ten rounds, but the older man showed he was still dangerous when he floored the 20-year-old Arce in the eighth round. The fight moved along, but Carbajal's lightning struck in the 11th. This time, Carbajal struck with a devastating overhead right that sent Arce helplessly into the ropes. The referee stopped the fight, and Michael Carbajal was a world champion for the fourth time.
After this fight, Carbajal understood it was time to retire, and he did so the way every boxer would like to do it--as a world champ. Carbajal is trying to live a quieter life nowadays in Phoenix, but he does many public appearances. He enjoys meeting his public and signing autographs for his fans, and remains at his old fighting weight.
Michael Carbajal and former rival Humberto Gonzalez were elected together, to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in 2006. Carbajal owns two boxing gyms in Phoenix.
His career record was 49 wins against four losses, with 33 wins coming by way of knockout.