Long before Manny Pacquiao was even born, there was Francisco Guilledo. Asia's first champion and in his time was Asia's greatest boxer. Standing just a little over 5 feet, this relentless, speedy and clever little legend with a mean punch smothered opponents. He was said to be a great in-fighter and from the words of the great Jimmy Mclarnin “It was a tough fight,” McLarnin told writer Peter Heller in 1970. “On the inside he kept hitting me on the ears. He was a great infighter. I wound up with two black ears. I heard of people winding up with black eyes, but I wound up with two black ears. He was a great little fighter.”
This Filipino had been terrorizing all the top Filipino boxers when he was believed to have been invited to fight in the U.S. by Tex Richard who maybe equivalent today to Bob Arum. Villa piled up impressive victories and put the top guns on notice. Among them wins include a robbery vs Hall of Famer and one of the besf flyweights ever Frankie Genaro. So controversial that in one of Nat Fleischer's columns he wrote a subject entitled "Time To Eliminate Judges" in The Ring Magazine's 1923 issue. Life went on and Villa was given the chance to fight for the American Flyweight title. Man he didn't waste the opportunity. He beat Johnny Buff via TKO.
Pancho proved it wasn't a fluke. He continued his winning over guys like Abe Goldstein, Frankie Mason, Battling Murray, Young Montreal to name some setting him up a fight against who is universally regarded as the greatest Flyweight of all time Jimmy Wilde.Yes this is the man who has the longest winning streak in which some accounts show up to 108 consecutive wins. Nobody expected what type of beating this Filipino was about to unleash on Jimmy. Pancho simply overwhelmed the great Wilde.
"I do not recall being knocked out, nor a single thing that happened until, one day three weeks afterwards, I found myself in a little seaside bungalow some distance from New York.” Jimmy Wilde.
By this time Villa was only 21 and was already the world champion. He went on to beat another Hall of Famer a month later. The name is Kid Williams. The following month was another Hall of Famer who suffered defeat in the hands of this legend. The name is Bud Taylor. Eventually Pancho would go on to face Welterweight great Jimmy Mclarnin.
For those who do not know much about Jimmy, he was a great boxer. Not only that he fought and beat legends from flyweight to welterweight, he is the man to beat the most Hall of Famers second only to the great Harry Greb who beat 14 to Jimmy's 12. You doubt he beat 12 Hall of Famers? Let me help you. Mclarnin beat the following:
. BARNEY ROSS
. BUD TAYLOR
. YOUNG CORBETT III
. TONY CANZONERI
. LOU AMBERS
. SAMMY MANDELL
. FIDEL LA BARBA
. JACKIE FIELDS
. BENNY LEONARD
. LOUIS KID KAPLAN
. BILLY PETROLLE
Alright that's just 11. Why? Let's find out. In the morning of the fight between Villa and Mclarnin, Villa had an infected tooth extracted. Remember this was the 20s and God knows what type of medical science they had back then. Villa refused to delay or postpone the fight. To make matters worse, not only that he was fighting a legend in a bad condition, Mclarnin was at that time a Jr Featherweight in today's standard. You guessed it right. Villa is the 12th hall of famer who suffered defeat in the hands of Mclarnin. He lost that night but like what Jimmy said, it was a tough fight. Nobody knew it was the little Filipino's last fight as he would die due to infection that has spread out. Villa had a bright future just like Stanley Ketchel and Salvador Sanchez, unfortunately he passed away at the age of only 23. Villa could have easily amassed 150 wins. He was too young. Legends like him will never be forgotten. Man what a fighter! Rest in peace champ.
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