Daniel Herbert pays tribute to Brazil’s first world champion
EDER JOFRE, who died on October 2 aged 86, was for a lot of the best bantamweight who ever lived. He was Brazil’s first world champion and stays its most celebrated boxer, matching ability with punching energy to compile a formidable report in a time of robust competitors.
The Sao Paulo man was world 118lbs king for the first half of the Nineteen Sixties, profitable a model of the title after which unifying earlier than dropping twice to Fighting Harada. Lack of motivation and weight-making woes made him retire – solely to return and win a world belt up at featherweight in the early Nineteen Seventies.
Agent Don Majeski, who has been concerned in the sport since the Nineteen Sixties, rated Jofre as the best bantamweight in historical past when interviewed by this publication.
And when BN produced its 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time work a decade in the past, Jofre was ranked No. 28 total and the highest bantamweight. (Next best was Ruben Olivares at No. 54).
The naked stats are startling. In 78 fights, the solely man to ever beat him was Harada (in Jofre’s 51st and 53rd professional fights). He was held to a draw 4 occasions (twice by one man), however beat all three of these fighters in returns.
His powerfully constructed 5ft 4ins body generated nice energy in both hand, with 50 of his 72 wins inside the distance. His first 9 bantamweight title wins all got here earlier than the ultimate bell.
And Jofre didn’t reside in an period of avoiding harmful challengers. He received bantamweight title fights in the USA, Venezuela, Japan, the Philippines and Colombia.
He was satisfied he’d accomplished sufficient to win the first battle towards Harada, a former world champion at flyweight who after his bantam reign would go very shut to changing into international ruler at featherweight (when being a three-weight world champion was extraordinarily uncommon).
Jofre got here from a household steeped in boxing. His father, grandfather and an uncle had been all boxers, with father Jose opening a gymnasium and coaching his son all by means of his profession. Eder had his first beginner bout at 9 and would develop into ok to symbolize Brazil in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, however defeat to Chile’s Claudio Barrientos in the quarter-finals prompted him to go professional.
He moved shortly, boxing a 10-rounder in solely his third paid battle, and by 1960 dominated South America. When world bantam king Jose Becerra retired in August that 12 months, the NBA (forerunner of the WBA) and EBU organized eliminations to crown a successor.
In November 1960 Jofre knocked out Eloy Sanchez with a proper cross in six to develop into champ for the NBA, however when France’s Alphonse Halimi – his EBU counterpart – refused to battle him, the Brazilian beat Italy’s Piero Rollo (KO 10) to earn Ring Magazine recognition.
In January 1962 any remaining confusion was cleared up when Belfast’s Johnny Caldwell, who had crushed beat Halimi, travelled to Sao Paulo and was hammered in 10 rounds by the good Brazilian. Caldwell jabbed and moved however couldn’t maintain off the aggressive and highly effective native.
Of his subsequent 5 title fights, 4 had been on the street – one thing Jofre put down to his nation being poor. He stated, “When I was defending the title in Brazil I was not making enough money. When I fought in an opponent’s country I could usually make more.”
Gradually, his motivation waned as coaching grew to become a chore and weight-making – by no means straightforward for him – took its toll. His luck ultimately ran out in 1965 when Harada received a cut up resolution in Nagoya that left Jofre fuming.
“Even the people in Japan thought I won,” he stated. “Harada’s style was moving forward. He butted me and did a lot of holding.”
A Tokyo rematch a 12 months later noticed Harada win unanimously – and this time there was no argument, simply Jofre’s mistake in coming in too mild at 116lbs (2lbs inside the bantam restrict).
He introduced his retirement in January 1967 and if he’d by no means boxed once more he would nonetheless have been considered one of the greats. Yet remarkably by August 1969, at 33, he was again in the ring as a featherweight, beating Rudy Corona in Sao Paulo.
He boxed steadily towards good opposition nevertheless it was nonetheless a shock when in May 1973 he received a cut up resolution over Spanish-based Cuban Jose Legra for the WBC 126lbs belt. He was then 37 years previous.
He made one defence, a four-round KO of one other comebacking champ in Mexican Vicente Saldivar, earlier than being stripped in June 1974 for failing to battle Venezuela’s Alfredo Marcano. But he had an excellent purpose: his father was affected by most cancers at the time, and certainly would die later in 1974.
Jofre would field seven extra occasions, ending aged 40 with a win over respectable Mexican Octavio Gomez in October 1976. He give up as a result of he not had the ambition to develop into champion once more.
In retirement he grew to become a coach and developed enterprise pursuits together with proudly owning supermarkets. He parlayed his reputation right into a stint as member of Brazil’s Congress and in 1994 was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
He stated with justifiable pleasure, “I would have received much more recognition had I been based in the United States, but I feel very happy being the first fighter from Brazil to be honoured in the Hall of Fame.”
Eder Jofre’s place in boxing historical past is assured.
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