The Bloody Battle of Bayamon
| Date | January 28, 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBC Super Featherweight Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Argüello wins by TKO in the thirteeth round | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxer |
 Alfredo Escalera
|
 Alexis Argüello
|
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|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | El Salsero | El Flaco Explosivo | |
| Hometown | Carolina, Puerto Rico | Managua, Nicaragua | |
| Pre-fight record | 40–7–2 (26 KO) | 64–4–0 (51 KO) | |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |
| Weight | 130 lb (59.0 kg) | 129.5 lb (58.7 kg) | |
| Style | Orthodox | Orthodox | |
| Recognition | WBC Super Featherweight Champion |
The Bloody Battle of Bayamón was a boxing fight held on January 28, 1978 at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, between defending WBC world Jr. Lightweight champion Alfredo Escalera, and former WBA world Featherweight champion Alexis Argüello of Nicaragua. It would be the first of two fights the two men would have against each other.
Alexis Argüello was born and raised in Managua. He had to fight on the streets as a child to earn money, and became the WBA world Featherweight champion by defeating Rubén Olivares by a thirteenth round knockout in Los Angeles. Because he defended his Featherweight crown successfully each time he was challenged for the title, Arguello became a mainstream star both in Latin America and the United States.
Escalera is a native of Carolina. Much like Arguello, he learned since he was a child to box and he was a member of a group of boxers from the area, like Wilfred Benítez, Wilfredo Gómez and Esteban De Jesús, to reach international fame status. He was crowned WBC world Jr. Lightweight champion on July 5, 1975 when he knocked Kuniaki Shibata out in the second round in Japan. Escalera proceeded to make ten title defenses before facing Arguello.
When the fight was announced, boxing magazines in the United States, Europe and Latin America began speculating on the fight's outcome. As a consequence, boxing fans beyond Nicaragua and Puerto Rico became interested as well, and television networks from several countries bought the rights to broadcast the bout.
During a press conference before the fight, Bayamón mayor Ramon Luis Rivera presented both fighters with the symbolic key to the city of Bayamón.
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