Manuel "Mantecas" Medina
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Born March 30th, 1971 in Tecuala, Nayarit, MEXICO.
Medina, who began his career as a professional fighter at the age of 14 years, has held versions of the World Featherweight title five times (IBF three times, WBC one, and WBO times), between 1991 and 2003.
Medina had his first chance at becoming a world champion, when, on August 12, 1991, he faced IBF world Featherweight champion Troy Dorsey in Inglewood. Medina became a world champion by defeating Dorsey by a twelve round decision.
Medina lost the championship to Johnson by a twelve round decision on their February 26, 1993 rematch, held in France.
Medina's next fight was televised nationally in the United States, as he became world Featherweight champion for the second time, defeating Alejandro Gonzalez on September 23 of '95, with a twelve round unanimous decision, at Sacramento, California, for the WBC world Featherweight title. He lost the title, a twelve round decision to Luisito Espinoza on December 11 at Tokyo, Japan.
On April 24, 1998, Medina joined Carlos De Leon, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Edwin Rosario, Evander Holyfield and a small number of other boxers in the exclusive group of fighters to reign as world champions three or more times in the same division, when he outpointed defending IBF world champion Hector Lizarraga over twelve rounds in San Jose, California.
Medina lost the championship to Paul Ingle.
The fight against Ingle, held on November 13 of the same year, in Hull, England, went on to be considered one of the fights of the year by boxing fans, experts and magazine writers alike. Medina and Toledo had a rematch on November 16, 2001, with Medina joining Robinson as four time world champions in the same division when he knocked Toledo out in the sixth round.
His next fight was filled with controversy. Faced against former two division world champion Johnny Tapia on April 27, 2002, Medina lost the title by a twelve round majority decision at the Madison Square Garden in New York city. The decision was critizized for months to come by writers from such publications as Ring and KO Magazine.
Medina got his chance at becoming world Featherweight champion for the fifth time. WBO monarch Scott Harrison was a British Olympic hero and fan favorite. They fought on July 12 at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. Medina made history and joined Robinson as the only two fighters in history to be five time world champions in the same division, by defeating Harrison, who until then had been defeated only once, by a twelve round split decision.
A boxing magazine from the United States then called Medina the gambler's nightmare, because of his tendency to win world Featherweight titles, lose them quickly, then regain them just as quick.
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