Francisco Guilledo (1925)

Francisco Guilledo aka Pancho Villa is considered by many to be the greatest Asian fighter in boxing history. Just over five feet tall, Villa was explosive in the ring. He had fought 105 times by the time of his death at the age of 24. Born in the Philippines, his reputation brought him to the attention of promoter Frank Churchill in Manila. Impressed with the 80-pound fighter, Churchill began handling Villa and, reportedly, named him after the famous Mexican bandit, Pancho Villa.

Villa fought in the Philippines from 1919 to 1922. In that time, he lost only three fights and captured two Filipino titles. Churchill later brought Villa to the United States, and in his debut fight in the US Villa knocked out Johnny Buff in eleven rounds to win the American flyweight title. Later, he would fight British flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde where Villa In the seventh round beat out Wilde in a TKO. Because of his popularity, Jimmy Wilde, a hard-punching British-born boxer, was forced to come out of his early retirement to challenge Villa. In June 18, 1923 at the Polo Grounds in New York 20,000 fans White, Black, and Asian fans screamed "Villa! Villa", he knocked out the defending champion Jimmy Wilde in the 7th round to capture the World Flyweight title.

Pancho Villa returned to the United States in 1925 for a rematch fight against Jimmy McLarnin, little did he know that it would be his last. Before the fight, Villa was diagnosed with an infected tooth, but he still opted to continue the fight against McLarnin for the fans; however, the infection worsened to the point where his face was completely swollen. Within a couple days, his trainer Whitey Ekwert rushed him to the hospital where it was discovered that the infection had spread to his throat. He later went into a coma and died at the hospital of Ludwig's Angina the following day, July 14, 1925.

Villa’s success became the legendary fighting spirit of the East and inadvertently dispelled the common belief of filipinos being docile, 'little brown brothers' . In a time, where overt racism was common, specifically in forms of scientific racism, Villa dominated the world boxing stage and captured fans of all colors and nationalities and empowered a nation. Upon Villa's return to the Philippines, he received a hero's welcome in Manila on September 1924. Villa was commemorated as a national hero for being the very first Filipino world champion, and in 1961, it was only fitting, he was enshrined into the Ring Magazine boxing Hall of Fame and later in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

-Calvin Wong