Born April 20, 1937 in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
At age 20 he began covering boxing for weekly publications and eventually wrote for noted sports newspaper ESTO. At age 28 he left journalism to work as a matchmaker, arranging bouts three nights a week at Mexico’s Arena Coliseo and Arena Mexico. He returned to ESTO and relocated to New York as their boxing correspondent and covered major fights around the world. As a manager and booking agent, Mendoza is one of the most respected in the sport. He has advised 26 world champions including Gilberto Roman, Oscar Larios, Chango Carmona, Javier Jauregui, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Hall of Famers Miguel Canto, Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez, Daniel Zaragoza, Alexis Arguello and Pipino Cuevas. Among Hall of Fame trainers he has worked with include Eddie Futch, Amilcar Brusa and Nacho Beristain. Throughout his 50-plus year career Mendoza has also worked with many leading promoters including Bob Arum’s Top Rank and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
Born: April 20, 1937
Died: March 8, 2018
Induction: 2015
Rafael Mendoza
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