Born September 17, 1967 in Phoenix, AZ. Introduced to boxing by his father, Manuel, Carbajal began competing as a teenager. In 1988 he represented the United States in the Seoul Olympics and the 5'5 ½ ” boxer captured a silver medal at 106 pounds, however many observers believed he deserved the gold.

Following the Olympics he turned professional in 1989 with his brother Danny serving as his manager / trainer. Carbajal defeated future junior flyweight champion Will Grigsby in his pro debut and would not lose for nearly five years. In only his 15th contest, he defeated Muangchai Kittikasem on July 29, 1990 for the IBF junior flyweight title. After six successful defenses, “Little Hands of Stone” put his undefeated record on the line against WBC champion Humberto Gonzalez on March 13, 1993. In 1993's “Fight of the Year” Carbajal rose from two knockdowns to dramatically halt “Chiquita” in seven rounds and partially unify the belts. Two defenses of his titles came before losing a split decision in the 1994 rematch with Gonzalez. Despite losing his championship, Carbajal became the first junior flyweight to earn a $1 million purse.

Next he gained the WBO junior flyweight title in 1994 before dropping a 12-round decision to “Chiquita” in the rubber match. Carbajal rebounded to reclaim the IBF title with a 12-round win over Melchor Cob Castro on March 16, 1996. He defended twice before losing the title to Mauricio Pastrano the next year. However, he had one more championship in him as he stopped Jorge Arce via 11th round TKO on July 31, 1999 for the WBO junior flyweight title. Following his title-winning performance, Carbajal retired from the ring with a 49-4 (33 KOs) record.

Since leaving the ring, Carbajal has owned and operated the Ninth Street Gym in Phoenix.

Born: Sept. 17, 1967

Bouts: 53

Won: 49

Lost: 4

Drew: 0

KOs: 33

Induction: 2006

Michael Carbajal

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Courtesy of The Ring