Forgotten Champions: Hilario Zapata

[BoztheMadman]

One of the greatest Panamanian boxers and technicians ever, Hilario Zapata has one helluva record, but is still not talked about today very much. He has won the WBC light flyweight title twice and the WBA flyweight title once as well. He has altogether 10 defenses as the light flyweight champion and 5 defenses as the flyweight champion. He was a defensive wizard and mostly won by outslicking his opponents, not being a puncher. 
 

Born 19 August 1958 in Panama City, he gained the nickname “Bujia” as a boxer, which means “spark plug” in Spanish. As a southpaw, he was very difficult to read for his opponents and at 5’6 he was a tall guy in the fly divisions. He turned professional in October 1977 and in November next year he fought the former world champion at flyweight, Alfonso Lopez and dropped a split decision to him, which was his first loss. After winning four more fights, he suddenly got to fight for the WBC light flyweight title against Shigeo Nakajima in Tokyo, on 24 March 1980. Zapata won on all scorecards after 15 rounds and could celebrate his first world title. After making two defenses, he again faced Nakajima in his third and stopped him by TKO11, once again fighting in Japan. Another impressive victory came against American Joey Olivo, whom he beat by corner retirement in 13 rounds in Panama City in his fifth defense. 
 

After making altogether eight defenses and also beating future world champion German Torres by UD, Zapata shockingly lost his title by KO2 against Amado Ursua of Mexico, 6 February ‘82, in Panama City. As Ursua lost the title in his first defense to Tadashi Tomori, Zapata got the chance to reclaim his title and once again went to Japan to win by SD, 20 July, only 5 months after losing it! In his first defense, he scored his perhaps best victory when he beat the 18-0 South Korean legend Jung-Koo Chang by SD. The fight was even in South Korea. He then rematched Tomori and stopped him by TKO8. He would however experience another devastating loss in the rematch with Chang on 26 March ‘83 in Daejon, SK, when he was stopped by TKO3. He was once again without a title. 
 

He then made a mistake and jumped straight up to bantamweight and fought Harold Petty in Las Vegas on 9 November same year, in a NABF title fight. He got stopped by TKO10. He came back as a flyweight next year and won four fights, but when he challenged the WBA champ Santos Laciar of Argentina in Buenos Aires on 8 December, he lost by UD. After Laciar vacated the title, Zapata got to fight for it against Alonzo Gonzalez on 5 October ‘85 and won by UD. As mentioned, he made five successful defenses this time, most notably against Dodie Boy Penalosa, whom he also beat by UD. He lost the title away in Barranquilla, Colombia against the local favorite Fidel Bassa, who was 16-0. That was 13 February ‘87 and they had a rematch on 15 August, this time in Panama City. Zapata started well and put Bassa down in the first round and Bassa also lost one point in the eight, but the fight ended a draw and Bassa kept the title. 
 

This was pretty much the end of his prime and he fought lower level fights for a while, also losing two of them by SD and a technical decision, before receiving his last world title shot against another South Korean legend, Sung Kil Moon, 27 February ‘93. Zapata was easily destroyed in one round and retired after that. His record is 43(14)-10-1. Hilario Zapata was one of the best light flyweights and flyweights of his time and in history, but the lack of major interest in those divisions at the time meant he was never a big name outside of his native Panama. He should be praised for his willingness to fight abroad and he won many important fights there as well. Despite his achievements, he will always be one of the FORGOTTEN CHAMPIONS!