Today in Boxing History: Alexis Arguello TKOs Alfredo Escalera

On this day in 1978, Alexis Arguello won the WBC super featherweight title with a 13th-round stoppage of Alfredo Escalera in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. It was the second championship of Arguello’s career.

Arguello won his first title, the WBA featherweight belt, in 1974, with a 13th-round knockout of Ruben Olivares. He then defended it four times before moving up in weight to challenge in the super featherweight division. Escalera had won the title in 1975 when he knocked out then-champion Kuniaki Shibata in the second round. Arguello would be his 11th title defense.

The fight earned the nickname, “The Bloody Battle of Bayamon,� because of the brutal punches traded between its two participants. Escalera, however, suffered the most damage from the exchanges. By the tenth round, his nose was broken, and his ears and mouth were cut. Yet he continued to stand toe-to-toe with Arguello, occasionally rocking him with one of his bombs. But in the 13th round, Arguello caught Escalera with a flurry of shots, and referee Arthur Mercante stopped the bout.

The two met for a rematch with similar results in April of 1979. This bout also ended with a knockout of Escalera, minus the technicality, in the 13th round.

Arguello defended the super featherweight belt eight times before capturing the WBC lightweight title in 1981. Escalera continued fighting until 1983 but never again challenged for another world title.