Today in Boxing History: Pascual Perez Decisions Yoshio Shirai

On this day in 1954, Pascual Perez won the world flyweight title with a 15-round decision over Yoshio Shirai in Tokyo.

The Argentinean fighter began his career with a prolific start, winning 22 of his first 23 fights by knockout. In July of 1954, he drew with champion Shirai in a non-title bout, setting the stage for rematch with the flyweight belt on the line. This time, Perez convincingly won the bout and became Argentina’s first world boxing champion.

The two met for a rubber match in May of 1955, with Perez knocking out Shirai in the fifth round. Shirai retired after that bout. Perez held the title for five years before losing it to Pone Kingpetch in April of 1960.