Juan Zurita Mexican Lightweight Boxer

By Robert Grey Reynolds, Jr

Juan Zurita followed Aurelio Hererra as one of the fine boxers of Mexican ancestry. A native of Guadelajara Zurita trained in Pennsyvlania. Two of his most noted bouts were against Beau Jack, a former New York N.B.A. lightweight champion, and Ike Williams, who fought Zurita for the N.B.A. lightweight crown in Mexico City. This was an era of one region recognizing a boxer as champion while others did not. The state of Pennsylvania refused to sanction the Williams-Zurita bout as a championship bout under National Boxing Association guidelines.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Grey Reynolds, Jr
• Release date: Aug 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370125289

Robert Grey Reynolds, Jr

I am a soon to be retired Duke Medical Center library researcher, who enjoys writing. I have been writing on Wikipedia for years and have begun to writeebooks. My pastimes include selling books on EBay, genealogical research, baseball (Pittsburgh Pirates), collecting antique furniture and coins, and spending time with Kingsley, my cocker spaniel.

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Juan Zurita

Mexican Lightweight Boxer

Published by Robert Grey Reynolds Jr. at Smashwords

Copyright 2016 by Robert Grey Reynolds Jr

Juan Bautista Zurita Ferrer (May 12, 1917-March 24, 2000) was a Mexican lightweight boxing champion of the mid 1940s. Born in Vera Cruz he was raised in Mexico City. Juan became enthused with boxing at eight years of age through an older brother who was a pugilist.

Zurita boxed professionally beginning at 17. He fought in Mexico, Cuba, Panama, California and Montreal. At 5’5" Zurita had a reach of 66’. His debuted as a boxer on February 13, 1932.

Juan’s first New York appearance came against Beau Jack at Madison Square Garden on Friday, March 31, 1944. Jack was rated a 3-1 favorite. A fighter on a roll boxing pundits believed Beau Jack would not be muddled by the Mexican’s switch handed boxing style. In his previous fight Jack had fared well against Al Davis.

On March 8th Zurita had beaten Sammy Angott (1915-1980) in Hollywood. He won 14 of 15 rounds against an opponent who had a difficult style.

A switch-hitting jumping bean, Zurita scored the biggest upset on the Pacific Coast in twenty years. Fighting at Gilmore Field in Hollywood the Mexican boxer won the N.B.A. crown in a bout that went the 12-round distance.

Victory for the Guadelajara fighter put a glitch in the plans of New York Boxing promoter Mike Jacobs. He had already signed Angott to fight Bob Montgomery of Philadelphia (New York Champion) on March 31,