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Villa was the first Asian/Filipino Boxing World Champion.
Reported by 1922 newspaper articles as being born "Francisco Tingson."
New York Times article from July 15, 1925 reports his real name was Francisco Guilledo.
Older brother to fellow boxer Little Pancho.
Villa started his boxing career at the Olympic Club in Manila. The Olympic Club was owned and run by Eddie Tait (of Seattle, Washington) and Frank Churchill. (In the early 1920s, flys and bantams were the most popular weight divisions in the Philippines and Australia.)
Two of the earliest, if not the earliest mentions of Villa in an American newspaper were the Dec. 7 & 26, 1921 Tacoma News Tribune editions.
Rafael Gellide/Guilledo claimed to be Villa's father, saying they had reunited at New York in 1923 after 18 years. Guilledo claimed his wife had deserted him in the Philippines when Pancho was 11 months old.
Known during his time as being one of the cleanest fighters around, always showing concern for his opponents and always, after knocking a foe down, immediately turning away and walking to his corner (this was before rules requiring going to a neutral corner).
NY Times July 15, 1925: Villa "...died at a hospital here [San Francisco] today while undergoing an operation for an infection of the throat that developed from an infected tooth. Dr. C.E. Hoffman said the boxer suffocated under the anesthetic. Dr. Hoffman was preparing to operate when Villa's heart stopped. Artificial respiration failed to revive the patient."
According to one web site: "In 1989, his widow - then 84 - insisted that a gambling syndicate conspired to murder the champion because of big losses in the Jimmy McLarnin non-title fight. Pancho was a heavy favourite to beat McLarnin and his defeat was a major upset. Mrs. Guilledo claimed that her husband was injected an overdose of anaesthetic."
Named "Flyweight Fighter of the Century" along with Miguel Canto by the Associated Press in 1999. -
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but who knows what could have been of panchos remaining years.Comment
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I've heard alot of great things about Pancho Villa especially from alot of the Filipinos here in San Francisco.Comment
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nobody really can gauge especially that f. guilledo died prematurely and had never completed his run, but to hear his name being mentioned to this time speaks volume of what he accomplished during the short period of his fighting career, he was, after all flyweight fighter of the century.Comment
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for me, both were great fighters in their own right
it would be unfair to rank one over the other coz both of them have brought Phil. Boxing to new heightsComment
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