Heaven Can Wait

By James Blears

On this day of August 12th, we are standing, square and around,  in the Panteon  of Santiago Tianguistengo, Estado de Mexico, in torrential rain, whistful, reminiscing about the brief but lasting brilliance of Salvador Sanchez,  who shone like a comet on the cusp of the horizon. An Eternal Beacon.

Reigning WBC featherweight champion with a record of 44-1-1, 32 KO’s and forever aged twenty three.

For true and discerning fight fans, who can ever forget those two legendary wars of attrition against Danny “Little Red” Lopez, the cannonade stand and deliver ate in eight KO of Wilfredo Gomez, or the final grandstand TKO of young, aspiring and inspiring Azumah “Prof” Nelson?

There was then talk of match up against WBC lightweight champion Alexis Arguello. But Sal’s car in collision with the back of a trailer on the
Queretaro to San Luis Potosí Highway,  forever extinguishing that and his so promising young life.

Over the years Wilfredo Gomez, Juan La Porte and other fellow champions have come here to pay tribute to an All time Great,  who is also admired by Roy Jones Jr,  Sugar Ray Leonard and many other icons, not just for his punching power, but also for his defence, masterly ring generalship and catlike reflexes. A natural. It’s impossible to be neutral about greatness.

Both Sal and the wondrous  Julio Cesar Chavez had the same Coach, the late great Cristobsl Rosas. Julio’s final famed tallly, as a three division champion was 107-6-2, 85 KO’s.

If…they had fought and it’s an impossible, fleeting day dream, it would have probably been at super featherweight. Julio held thd WBC title between 1984-1987.

Although Sal and Julio had very different styles, physicality they matched up fittingly well.

Salvador was five feet six inches tall with a sixty eight in reach. Julio, just one and a half inches taller and the same reach.

Holy Moses whaf a fight and what a night it would have been, emerging from the rushes.

Ruben Castillo who fought both Sal and Julio was not able to attend this event, but in a phone call he said said they were as different as chalk and cheese.

Salvador threw and landed more punches but Ruben went the full distance to loose a decision.

Julio stopped Ruben in six rounds. Ruben had six stitches in his left eyebrow afterwards,  a fractured right cheekbone and two broken ribs. Ruben laughs as he says that never,  in his born days and eighty two pro fights was he hit so hard!

Ruben firmly declined Don King’s offer of a rematch with Julio, questioning the sanity of it.

He says that he found Salvador a quiet person while Julio is more outgoing, gregarious and loquacious.

Juan LaPorte who came  all the way from Puerto Rico to pay his respects said Sal was a gentleman a superb thinking intelligent fighter and generous. After their fight Sal told him he would certainly be a world champion and so it was. An opponent but then a friend.

Municipal President Erika Patricia Olea De La Torre said Sal is remembered and honored chin every corner of his home town and Mexico. His memory will always be cherished.

Mariachis seronaded  at the service of remembrance.