Ernesto Marcel, World Champion Time Forgot
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
There will never be a Hall of Fame induction for the brilliant Panamanian World Featherweight champion Ernesto Marcel, who came along before Salvador Sanchez and Eusebio Pedroza, who fought the best between 114 and 130 pounds in his eight year professional career, and who retired a world champion at age 25.
Marcel, now 65 years old, fought between 1966 and 1974, and compiled a professional record of 40 wins, 4 defeats and one draw, with 23 knockouts. Known as ‘Nato’, which translated from the Spanish means flat nose, Marcel ended his career with a 15 round unanimous decision win over Alexis Arguello to retain the World Boxing Association Featherweight title.
Marcel opened his career 24-3-1, Marcel lost to Miguel Riasco, then beat Riasco twice. Marcel won and lost to Salvador Sanchez, and was stopped in the tenth round of a ten rounder against 16-0 Roberto Duran. Of Marcel’s 18 remaining fights, Marcel would win all 15 in his native Panama, but went 1-1-1 in foreign countries.
Marcel settled for a 15 round draw against WBC World Featherweight champion Kuniaki Shibata in November 1971 in Matsuyama, Japan, his first world title bid. In 1965 and 1966, Fighting Harada was somehow given two 15 round WBA and WBC World Bantamweight title wins over Eder Jofre in Japan, not a place for foreign fighters to win a decision per se.
Marcel won the WBA World Featherweight title by 15 round majority decision over Antonio Gomez in Venezuela in August 1972.
Ernesto Marcel Wins WBA World Featherweight Title, Black and White Footage, Spanish Commentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuIeW8hDIQY
Marcel defended his WBA title against Gomez, Spider Nemoto, and Arguello before retirement. Marcel also won a nontitle bout against future WBA Super Featherweight World champion Samuel Serrano, who would go on to fight in 18 world title bouts. Marcel lost a 10 round nontitle decision to five time world title challenger Leonel Hernandez, who lost to Serrano in 1981 in his last world title opportunity.
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