Puncher from the Past: Jaime Valladares

Name: Jaime Ernesto “ Golden Boy” Valladares

Born: 2 September 1936 Quito, Ecuador

Died: 20 January 2003 Quito Ecuador

Career: 1952 to 1979 

Record: 76 fights, 59 wins (33 by KO/TKO), 6 losses (4 by KO/TKO), 11 draws.

Division:  Super Featherweight

Stance: Orthodox

Titles:  None

Major Contests

Scored wins over: Eugenio Espinoza, Don Johnson, Antonio Herrera, Julio Ruiz, Waldemiro Pinto.

Lost to: Eugenio Espinoza , Sebastiao Nascimento, Justiniano Aguilar, Hiroshi Kobayashi **, Ramiro Bolanos,

Drew with: Sammy Medina, Vicente Derado, Carlos Teo Cruz **,Hiroshi Kobayashi**, Ignacio Pina,

**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title

* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title

Jaime Valladares’ Story

Valladares is important in the history of boxing in Ecuador as the first Ecuadorian boxer to fight for a world title. He boxed in what is seen as the golden age in Ecuadorian boxing as he, Eugenio Espinoza and Daniel Guanin were all active and packing the crowds into the Iquito bullring or Julio Car Hidalgo stadium and it was said that “When Valladares fought the whole city was paralysed”.

Valladares built a following in his early teens boxing as an amateur and had his first professional fight on 12 February 1952 at the age of 15. With limited opportunities in Ecuador, he had his first fight in Cali, Colombia and despite his age he went straight into fighting ten round fights. By July 1963 had built a record of 39-0-5 splitting his time mostly between shows in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. Eugenio Espinoza had turned professional eight years later than Valladares and by July 1963 his record was 26-0-1, 1ND. In any country a domestic clash between boxers with combined total of 72 fights without defeat would be a huge event but even more so for  country such as Ecuador with a limited boxing history. The fight in front of a record crowd in Quito ended in an eighth round kayo victory for Espinoza. Valladares demanded a return and in September 1963 Valladares kayoed Espinoza in the eighth round. Valladares continued to fight but very much under the radar as far as international boxing. That changed when in fight No 60 Valladares stopped American Don Johnson again in front of a record crowd in Quito. Three fights earlier in January 1964 Johnson had outpointed 43-1 Howard Winstone in London so the win over Johnson saw Valladares crash into the world ratings. He was drawing such large gates that the money was now available to lure other international boxers to Quito and Valladares drew with experienced Argentinian Vicente Derado and with future WBA/WBC lightweight champion Carlos Teo Cruz. He decisioned Colombian Antonio Herrera, who had beaten Joe Brown a month earlier, but lost to Sebastiao Nascimento. In May 1966 he drew with Hiroshi Kobayashi in Ecuador but suffered a set-back in a points loss against Panamanian Justinian Aguilar, who two fights later would floor and stop future WBA light welterweight champion Alfonso Frazer. He stayed active drawing with Ignacio Pina and scored wins over Julio Ruiz and Brazilian Waldemiro Pinto. He caught a lucky break when Hiroshi Kobayashi, who Valladares had drawn with in 1966, knocked out Yoshiaki Numata in December 1967 to win the WBA and WBC super featherweight titles. That previous draw with Valladares made a good case for Kobayashi to face Valladares in a title defence.  When they met Tokyo in October 1968 Valladares was only 32 but had been fighting for 16 years and had 72 contests. I twas said that with a limited number of  TV’s or satellite the whole country came to a stop as the citizens crowded around radios to listen to the fight. Going by the commentary alone, provided by Ecuadorian broadcasters, most Ecuadorian fans felt Valladares had won but that was dreamland. Kobayashi was too strong and aggressive and Valladares spent the whole fight on the backfoot circling Kobayashi. A right saw him drop to one knee and put a glove on the canvas in the tenth. He was floored again in the twelfth but lasted the full fifteen rounds losing by a big margin on all three cards. Valladares’ career was virtually over. He had just one fight in 1969 and one in 1970 losing both inside the distance and retired. Money problems forced him back to the ring for one fight in 1979 and once again the Julio Car Hidalgo Coliseum was packed. He won the fight on a disqualification and that was the end of Valladares who was 43 by then. He had been nicknamed the “Golden Boy” but there was no gold left for his retirement. His ex-wife and two daughters left him to live in the USA and he had no job so no income and lived on the little money he had left over from his boxing career. For a while he trained boxers at the Julio Car Hidalgo Coliseum. Eventually he was awarded a life time pension of $300. That only stretched so far and he was living in poverty when he died alone in Quito in January 2003 at the age of 66. He apparently died from a heart attack but with no family or close friends his body was not found for three days. His former opponent Espinoza and ex-boxer Daniel Guanin quickly raised the money to pay for his funeral which was attended by many of Ecuador’s leading sportsmen but no family and a sports group paid for a small pavilion where his body rests.

When the former “Golden Boy” died all that was found in his apartment was some broken trophies, some dirty medals and , for the very religious Valladares, a painting with the image of the Jesus of Great Power. A sad end to a historical person.