Former bantamweight titleholder Richie Sandoval dies at age 63

Classy former WBA bantamweight world titleholder Richie Sandoval has died at the age of 63.

Sandoval won the title in 1984 when he became just the second man to defeat Philadelphia’s future Hall of Famer Jeff Chandler at the Sands in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Chandler was down for the first time in his career and stopped in the 15th and final round, never to fight again.

Under the headline “Chandler Crashes,” “Boxing News” called the fight “one-sided” and said Sandoval was “in a huge points lead” when the end came.

It was a fight Top Rank’s Hall of Fame matchmaker Bruce Trampler had “great concerns” going in for Sandoval, he admits now.

“But Richie, quiet like [trainer] Tony Cerda, was intent on the job at hand,” Trampler said. “He never showed concern. How pleased was I for Richie? I was over the moon, naturally.”

The “Boxing News” report continued: “A cracking right hand shook Chandler in the first, and Sandoval never looked back.”

Sandoval, winning for the 23rd time in his career, even won over the East Coast crowd, as Chandler, dropped by a left hook in the 11th, complained about butting and being roughed up in the clinches. He was hurt in the closing moments of the fight and pinned on the ropes when Arthur Mercante intervened.

It was Sandoval’s crowning moment.

“Most who win legit world titles obviously are very good,” said Trampler, a long-time friend to Sandoval. “[Chandler’s promoter Russell] Peltz will defend Chandler’s performance, but the fact is that Richie defeated a very good fighter in Jeff. Sandoval was from a fighting family. He was not in the L.A.-Olympic Auditorium world, but taken out of [Southern California] by the Top Rank contract, and that got him more worldly exposure, fighting for us – unlike brother Albert.” 

Sandoval, only 23 at the time of the win over Chandler, had the world at his feet.

He wept tears of joy and said afterwards: “I knew it was going to be a chess game, but I didn’t expect to bring it out like this. I was just going to do my best because that’s all I knew. … I felt good throughout the entire fight. I want to give credit to Jeff, because he was a really gallant fighter. I give him credit.”

Sandoval, an artist outside the ropes, was teased by classmates at school because he boxed. A younger brother of Alberto, himself a good boxer, Richie was a quality amateur, a two-time Golden Gloves champion, an AAU champion and qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics only for the USA to boycott the Games. 

Sandoval, from Pomona, California, turned pro in November 1980, and had his first 13 pro fights in Las Vegas, boxing and learning his craft at long-forgotten venues including the Hacienda, the Silver Slipper, Caesars Palace, the Showboat and the Aladdin.

On the way up, he scalped the likes of 8-0 Texas southpaw Harold Petty – whom he beat twice – and Denver’s then-17-0 Ron Cisneros.

Cisneros was stopped in four rounds and was never the same again, losing more than 20 of his next 25 or so bouts.

“Richie wasn’t a banger but an aggressive guy who outworked his opponents,” Trampler explained. “The Harold Petty fights weren’t suited for Richie or anyone else, as southpaws can impact anyone in a negative manner. But Richie against most orthodox opponents was good entertainment.”

Sandoval the contender then started plying his trade more in Los Angeles, finally boxing at the Olympic Auditorium and the Sports Arena. In April 1984 came the Chandler breakthrough in New Jersey.

Five months after his great triumph, Sandoval made his first defense, scoring a wide 15-round win over Venezuela’s Edgar Roman on the Donald Curry-Nino La Rocca bill in Monaco.  

Sandoval took over in the third round, flooring the challenger, but the champion later admitted it was not an easy fight and he found Roman a tricky customer.

Sandoval made his second defense in December of 1984, stopping Miami-based Chilean veteran Cardenio Ulloa.

“Boxing News” said Sandoval “survives the storm” following the Miami clash.

This time it was Sandoval who was down from a third-round left hook, and he was in trouble, but he came through a rocky fourth, established control, began to rack up points with his jab and then started to wear Ulloa down. He dropped the challenger in the eighth with a combination, and as Sandoval went for the finish, Mexican referee Ernesto Magana stepped in.

Sandoval, then 25-0 (17 KOs), would have just five more fights.

Through 1985 Sandoval boxed non-title contests at home in California, with two in Pomona and a split decision win over contender Frankie Duarte in Sacramento.

The sudden end came against Texas’ excellent Gaby Canizales in March of 1986. Back at Caesars in Las Vegas, on a Top Rank glamour show – outdoors with Marvin Hagler winning a famous war with John Mugabi and Tommy Hearns abruptly dispensing of the tragic James Shuler – Sandoval laced on the gloves for the final time.

Sandoval was dropped in the first, fifth and three times in the decisive seventh. The final knockdown was nasty, a right uppercut that caused the back of Richie’s head to cannon off the canvas.

The fight was “superbly exciting,” according to Hall of Fame writer Harry Mullan, but Sandoval wound up in intensive care in Valley Hospital and never fought again.

According to Mullan: “Doctors said that he was unconscious for 14 minutes, during which time he stopped breathing for one and a half minutes. An air tube was inserted into his throat to get him breathing again.”

“It was a rainy night,” Trampler recalled. “But the water in my eyes wasn’t from rain. I was horrified, and watching him get loaded into the ambulance, my heart was in my throat.

“Teddy Brenner and I watched him drive off, and I dreaded that I was seeing the last of him.”

Sandoval was 29-1 (17 KOs), but Bob Arum and Top Rank encouraged him away from the ring and hired him to work. Sandoval scouted young talent, looked after the Top Rank Gym and was just as popular post-boxing as he had been during his career.

Among those he helped bring through the door to the promotional company were Michael Carbajal and Oscar De La Hoya.

“We turned Richie pro, of course,” Trampler continued.

“And almost all of his fights were for Top Rank. Near the end, just prior to Canizales, Jimmy Montoya put him in a couple of over-the-weight matches. After the brutal final fight, Bob assured him that he would have a job for life, so Richie would never be tempted to train, spar and fight again. So that was the start of our second relationship with the man nicknamed ‘Pecas.’ He was hired to help with publicity, as a talent scout – Michael Carbajal was a Richie signing – to help run the gym. He also trained a number of fighters, including Scotty Olson and heavyweight Jorge Castro, among others.”

“The journey through my career was filled with more ups than downs,” Sandoval said, during his induction speech at the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame several years ago. “Make no mistake, though, the sport is and can be a dark, dark road. To be standing on top, there were so many sacrifices.”

The night the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas was being demolished in 1996, Richie went to watch from his balcony. He was ready to take in the dramatic sight but dropped his joint and bent over, momentarily struggling to retrieve it. With the doobie back in his hand, Richie stood up only to realize the Sands had been condemned to the history books and he had missed the whole thing. It was a story Richie told many times over.

“He was just a lovable character,” added Trampler.

Sandoval nearly made the ultimate sacrifice, but he more than made his mark on the sport.

Sandoval liked to read and watch TV. He lived a simple life and was not one for extravagance.

“Easy-going, happy-go-lucky,” said Trampler. “He was thoughtful, introspective, quietly observant, a caring, sincere, compassionate man with a good sense of humor. He was easy to prank, he loved being pranked and he liked to laugh. He was just this beautiful guy.”