Name: Pancho Villa Birth Name: Francisco Villaruel Guilledo Born: 1901-08-01 Birthplace: Iloilo City, Iloilo, Philippines Died: 1925-07-14 (Age:23) Hometown: Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines Stance: Orthodox Height: 5′ 1″ / 155cm Reach: 63″ / 160cm Boxing Record: click Division: Flyweight Manager: Frank Churchill Pancho Villa Photo Gallery 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. Professional Record Finished career with a record of 4-0 (1 KO) in world title fights. Finished career with a record of 10-3-2-2 (2 KOs) against former, current, and future world champions: o Won against Mike Ballerino (six times), Johnny Buff, Abe Goldstein, Jimmy Wilde, and Bud Taylor. o Lost to Frankie Genaro (twice) and Jimmy McLarnin. o Drew against Mike Ballerino (twice). o No Decision against Mike Ballerino (twice). Finished career with a record of 26-3-1 (7 KOs) in fights outside his native Philippines. External Links Short bio: [1] Ranking] of the All-Time Flyweights (Villa is #1): [2] Origins of Philippines Boxing (1899-1929): [3] Cyber Boxing Zone's Villa Record: [4] Whirlwind: Pancho Villa Was Dempsey In Miniature, by Mike Casey: [5] The forgotten story of... the man who sought revenge for Jimmy Wilde', by Alex Daley: [6] .