Cecilio Lastra obit

Spanish former WBA featherweight champion Cecilio Lastra has died.

 

He was not on the list.

Cecilio “Uco” Lastra (39-13-2), the glory of Spanish boxing, passed away in Santander at the age of 74.

A professional from 1975 to 1982, Lastra reached the peak of his career in December 1977 when, in Torrevelaga, he won the WBA world featherweight title by beating Panamanian Rafael Ortega on points by SD.

His reign was not long-lasting as four months later, in Panama City, he was defeated by knockout in the thirteenth round by Eusebio Pedroza.

He fought only once for the European title, in 1979 in Santander, but was beaten on points by Roberto Castanon, his real bête noire, who beat him on three occasions.

In his career he faced only one Italian boxer, Renzo Battistelli, whom he knocked out in the first round in 1976.

He fought 54 times between 1975 and 1982; winning 39 (24 by knockout), losing 13 and drawing 2. The highlight of Lastra's career came in 1977 when he won the WBA world featherweight title against Rafael Ortega. During his career he also became the Spanish champion and twice challenged for the EBU title.

Lastra made his professional debut at the age of 24, with a six round points victory against Juan Barros in December 1975. As with the majority of his early fights, the bout took place in his hometown of Santander. Lastra won the first twelve fights of his career, including six first round knockouts, before losing for the first time, in September 1976, against Carlos Hernandez. Following this defeat, Lastra won eight successive fights in Santander, before beating Isidoro Cabeza for the Spanish featherweight title. He suffered his first knockout defeat in August 1977, losing in the eleventh round against Roberto Castanon in his first title defence.

In December 1977 Lastra challenged Rafael Ortega for the WBA featherweight title in front of an estimated crowd of 6,300 in Santander. Ortega, a Panamanian who had won the title earlier in the year, was knocked down in the second round after a left jab to the nose. The champion rose from the canvas at the count of eight and lasted the full fifteen rounds. At the end of the contest the scorecards revealed a split decision in Lastra's favour.[2] For the first defence of his title Lastra travelled to Panama City to fight Eusebio Pedroza in April 1978. The 22-year-old challenger knocked Lastra down three times en route to a thirteenth-round technical knockout victory.