# Alfredo Escalera

Alfredo "El Salsero" Escalera (born March 21, 1952) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer and is the former World Boxing Council Super Featherweight world champion. A native of Carolina, his nickname was "Salsero" because he was a fan of Salsa music. Escalera is also a 2023 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee.

## Early boxing career

Escalera had his first professional bout on September 4, 1970, against Bob Payzant, in Portland. He won by a knockout in round four. He would suffer his first defeat in his third fight, when faced against Doug McClendon, who beat him by a decision in six rounds on January 26, 1971, in New York. He won five bouts in a row, and then lost by decision in eight rounds to future world title challenger Edwin Viruet.
He began 1972 by losing to another future world title challenger, Diego Alcala, by knockout in round eight, but he won his three other fights that year.
In 1973, he began, once again, by losing to another future world title challenger, Miguel Montilla, by a decision in ten rounds. Before the year was over, however, he was able to avenge that defeat, defeating Montilla by a knockout in round eight, and he won seven of his eight other fights that year.
By 1974, he began climbing up the super featherweight rankings, going 8-2 that year. He beat his own future world title challenger Sigfredo Rodriguez by a knockout in round one, and former world champion Ricardo Arredondo by a disqualification in round eight.

## Champion

On July 4, 1975, he fought the WBC super featherweight champion Kuniaki Shibata in Mito, Japan, knocking Shibata out in round two to become the WBC super featherweight champion. Coincidentally, Escalera won his world title the same day that Angel Espada won the WBA world Welterweight championship at a fight that took place in Puerto Rico; this was the first time two Puerto Ricans became world champions the same day and as a consequence, Puerto Rico, a country that had only produced two world boxing champions in its history, doubled their number of champions in one day with Escalera and Espada's victories.
Escalera became a household name in Puerto Rico during his tenure as world champion. He appeared in television commercials and was a popular public figure.
He defended his title ten times, including wins over Ray Lunny, Sigfredo Rodriguez and Tyrone Everett. Most observers consider the Everett "win" as one of the worst decisions in boxing history, as it appeared that Everett clearly won. A rematch was being negotiated when Everett was murdered.
Escalera lost his title on January 28, 1978, to Alexis Argüello of Nicaragua by a technical knockout in round 13 in Bayamón. In this fight, Escalera suffered a broken nose and tooth, a cut on his tongue and above his left eye, and a closed right eye before submitting to Argüello. The first Arguello-Escalera encounter has been dubbed as "The Bloody Battle of Bayamon". The fight was described as "brutal".

## Post-championship career

Escalera and Argüello had a rematch, on February 4, 1979, in Rimini, and Escalera held a small lead on the judges' cards after 12 rounds. However, he was knocked out in round 13 by Argüello. Shortly after drawing (tying) with Antonio Cruz in ten rounds in October of that year, he announced his retirement.
In 1980, Escalera dedicated himself to the sport of professional wrestling, competing on the Puerto Rican professional wrestling circuit. However, in 1981, he launched a boxing comeback. He lost to future world light welterweight champion Gene Hatcher in San Antonio, but he beat former world title challenger Maurice Termite Watkins at "The Battle of the Champions'" undercard in Miami, to complete his 1982 boxing campaign.
In 1983, he avenged his loss to Hatcher, scoring a ten-round unanimous decision win at the Roberto Durán-Davey Moore world title fight undercard in Madison Square Garden. On September 15 of that year he lost to future world title challenger Charlie White Lighting Brown.

## Professional boxing record

| 70 fights | 53 wins | 14 losses |
| By knockout | 31 | 4 |
| By decision | 21 | 10 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| Draws | 3 | 3 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 70 | Loss | 53–14–3 | Charlie Brown | UD | 10 (10) | 1983-09-15 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 69 | Win | 53–13–3 | Victor Babilonia | TKO | 5 (10) | 1983-08-12 | Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 68 | Win | 52–13–3 | Gene Hatcher | UD | 10 (10) | 1983-06-16 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 67 | Win | 51–13–3 | Martin Rojas | UD | 12 (12) | 1983-05-13 | Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, U.S. | Won vacant WBC Continental Americas light welterweight title |
| 66 | Win | 50–13–3 | Trad Thompson | KO | 3 (10) | 1983-03-25 | Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 65 | Loss | 49–13–3 | Sergio Medina | UD | 10 (10) | 1983-01-29 | Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 64 | Win | 49–12–3 | Maurice Watkins | UD | 10 (10) | 1982-11-12 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 63 | Win | 48–12–3 | Guillermo Fernández | PTS | 10 (10) | 1982-09-18 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 62 | Win | 47–12–3 | Johnny Lira | MD | 10 (10) | 1982-07-02 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 61 | Win | 46–12–3 | Jesús Nava | KO | 7 (10) | 1982-05-21 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 60 | Loss | 45–12–3 | Gene Hatcher | UD | 10 (10) | 1982-04-09 | Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | |
| 59 | Win | 45–11–3 | Clemente Munoz | PTS | 10 (10) | 1982-03-08 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 58 | Loss | 44–11–3 | Angel Cruz | SD | 10 (10) | 1982-01-22 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 57 | Win | 44–10–3 | Johnny Torres | KO | 8 (10) | 1981-11-21 | Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 56 | Win | 43–10–3 | Ruby Ortiz | PTS | 10 (10) | 1981-10-16 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 55 | Draw | 42–10–3 | Antonio Cruz | PTS | 10 (10) | 1979-10-13 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 54 | Loss | 42–10–2 | Alexis Argüello | TKO | 13 (15) | 1979-02-04 | Sports Palace, Rimini, Italy | For WBC super featherweight title |
| 53 | Loss | 42–9–2 | Julio Valdez | UD | 10 (10) | 1978-10-27 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 52 | Win | 42–8–2 | Larry Stanton | TKO | 3 (10) | 1978-07-26 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 51 | Win | 41–8–2 | Rogelio Castañeda | UD | 10 (10) | 1978-06-03 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 50 | Loss | 40–8–2 | Alexis Argüello | TKO | 13 (15) | 1978-01-28 | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Lost WBC super featherweight title |
| 49 | Win | 40–7–2 | Sigfrido Rodriguez | UD | 15 (15) | 1977-09-10 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 48 | Win | 39–7–2 | Carlos Becerril | KO | 8 (15) | May 16, 1977 | Capitol Center, Landover, Maryland, U.S. | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 47 | Win | 38–7–2 | Ronnie McGarvey | TKO | 6 (15) | 1977-03-17 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 46 | Win | 37–7–2 | Tyrone Everett | SD | 15 (15) | 1976-11-30 | Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 45 | Win | 36–7–2 | Ray Lunny III | RTD | 12 (15) | 1976-09-18 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 44 | Win | 35–7–2 | Buzzsaw Yamabe | UD | 15 (15) | 1976-07-01 | City Gym, Kashihara, Japan | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 43 | Win | 34–7–2 | Buzzsaw Yamabe | TKO | 6 (15) | 1976-04-01 | City Gym, Kashihara, Japan | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 42 | Win | 33–7–2 | José Fernandez | TKO | 13 (15) | 1976-02-20 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 41 | Win | 32–7–2 | Sven Erik Paulsen | TKO | 9 (15) | 1975-12-12 | Ekeberghallen, Oslo, Norway | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 40 | Win | 31–7–2 | Gaétan Hart | KO | 6 (10) | 1975-11-17 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 39 | Draw | 30–7–2 | Leonel Hernandez | SD | 15 (15) | 1975-09-20 | Poliedro, Caracas, Venezuela | Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 38 | Win | 30–7–1 | Kuniaki Shibata | KO | 2 (15) | 1975-07-05 | Kasamatsu Athletic Park Gym, Hitachinaka, Japan | Won WBC super featherweight title |
| 37 | Draw | 29–7–1 | Francisco Villegas | PTS | 10 (10) | 1975-03-31 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 36 | Win | 29–7 | Mario Román | TKO | 3 (?) | 1975-02-24 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 35 | Loss | 28–7 | Mario Román | TKO | 2 (?) | 1974-12-14 | Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Mexico | |
| 34 | Win | 28–6 | Rodriguez Valdez | KO | 1 (?) | 1974-11-29 | Puebla, Mexico | |
| 33 | Loss | 27–6 | Memo Cruz | PTS | 10 (10) | 1974-10-28 | Oaxaca, Mexico | |
| 32 | Win | 27–5 | Eleuterio Herrnandez | TKO | 8 (10) | 1974-10-18 | Puebla, Mexico | |
| 31 | Win | 26–5 | Omar Ruben Realecio | TKO | 5 (10) | 1974-09-09 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 30 | Win | 25–5 | Ricardo Arredondo | DQ | 8 (10) | 1974-08-03 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 29 | Win | 24–5 | Armando Mendoza | TKO | 8 (10) | 1974-05-30 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 28 | Win | 23–5 | Jorge Ramos | TKO | 5 (10) | 1974-04-01 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 27 | Win | 22–5 | Sigfrido Rodriguez | KO | 1 (10) | 1974-03-03 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 26 | Win | 21–5 | Stanley Yanachek | KO | 2 (?) | 1974-02-04 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 25 | Win | 20–5 | Johnny Copeland | TKO | 5 (10) | 1973-12-17 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 24 | Win | 19–5 | Miguel Mayan | KO | 4 (?) | 1973-11-30 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 23 | Win | 18–5 | Antonio Amaya | PTS | 10 (10) | 1973-11-12 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 22 | Win | 17–5 | José Luis López | TKO | 6 (?) | 1973-09-15 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 21 | Win | 16–5 | Frankie Otero | TKO | 5 (10) | 1973-08-21 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 20 | Win | 15–5 | Leo Randolph | KO | 2 (?) | 1973-07-21 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 19 | Win | 14–5 | Miguel Montilla | TKO | 8 (10) | 1973-07-14 | Caguas, Puerto Rico | |
| 18 | Win | 13–5 | Carlos Gil | KO | 1 (?) | 1973-05-08 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 17 | Loss | 12–5 | Gino Febus | PTS | 10 (10) | 1973-04-28 | Country Club Stadium, Carolina, Puerto Rico | |
| 16 | Win | 12–4 | Rocky Orengo | PTS | 10 (10) | 1973-03-31 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 15 | Loss | 11–4 | Miguel Montilla | PTS | 10 (10) | 1973-03-03 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 14 | Win | 11–3 | Miguel Morales | PTS | 10 (10) | 1972-09-18 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 13 | Win | 10–3 | Carlos Penson | KO | 1 (?) | 1972-07-14 | Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| 12 | Win | 9–3 | Alejandro Falcon | KO | 7 (?) | 1972-06-12 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 11 | Loss | 8–3 | Diego Alcala | KO | 8 (10) | 1972-02-16 | Sunnyside Garden, Queens, New York, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 8–2 | Henry Ocasio | PTS | 8 (8) | 1971-10-26 | Sunnyside Garden, Queens, New York, U.S. | |
| 9 | Loss | 7–2 | Edwin Viruet | PTS | 8 (8) | 1971-09-23 | Armory, Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Reynald Cantin | PTS | 10 (10) | 1971-09-14 | Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Canada | |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Eddie James | MD | 6 (6) | 1971-09-02 | Steelworkers Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Henry Ocasio | PTS | 4 (4) | 1971-07-26 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Richie Lugo | PTS | 6 (6) | 1971-03-30 | Sunnyside Garden, Queens, New York, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Jimmy Jaynes | PTS | 6 (6) | 1971-03-24 | Harvard Club, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 3 | Loss | 2–1 | Doc McClendon | PTS | 6 (6) | 1971-01-26 | Sunnyside Garden, Queens, New York, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Red Walsh | UD | 4 (4) | 1970-12-02 | Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Bob Payzant | TKO | 4 (4) | 1970-09-24 | Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S. | |

## Retirement

After the Brown fight, Escalera announced his retirement from boxing once again. Shortly after, it was discovered that he had eyesight problems and had been fighting almost blinded for his last few fights.
Escalera now enjoys the fruits of his career in his farm in Puerto Rico. His son, Alfredo Escalera Jr., was once a boxer himself, who is based in Florida.

## Legacy

The avid autograph signer left a boxing record of 53 wins, 14 losses and 3 draws, with 31 wins by knockout. His two fights with Argüello are considered by many to be boxing classics, Argüello-Escalera I making The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest fights of all time at number 67, and Argüello-Escalera II making it at number 40.