Bill Text: TX HR699 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: In memory of former world boxing champion Oscar "Shotgun" Albarado of Uvalde.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-04-27 - Reported enrolled [HR699 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR699-Introduced.html
Bill Title: In memory of former world boxing champion Oscar "Shotgun" Albarado of Uvalde.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-04-27 - Reported enrolled [HR699 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR699-Introduced.html
87R20548 JRI-D | ||
By: King of Uvalde | H.R. No. 699 |
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WHEREAS, Residents of Uvalde bid farewell to a local sports | ||
legend with the passing of former world boxing champion Oscar | ||
Albarado on February 17, 2021, at the age of 72; and | ||
WHEREAS, The son of Juan Albarado and Julia Canales Albarado, | ||
Oscar Albarado was born in Pecos on September 15, 1948, and grew up | ||
in Uvalde with four siblings, Guadalupe, Evaristo, Juan, and | ||
Domingo; he distinguished himself as a member of the Uvalde Boxing | ||
Club, winning three Golden Gloves titles, and began his | ||
professional career by tallying 20 straight victories in Texas and | ||
surrounding areas between 1966 and 1968; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mr. Albarado then joined forces with manager Harry | ||
Kabakof, who nicknamed the boxer "Shotgun" for the punishing blows | ||
he dealt opponents with either hand; relocating to California, he | ||
fought 10 bouts in 1969 and quickly became a crowd favorite at | ||
Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles; in April of that year, he matched | ||
up with Hedgemon Lewis; though he was not victorious, his | ||
outstanding performance earned him recognition as one of the top | ||
contenders in his weight class; and | ||
WHEREAS, A series of victories, including triumphs against | ||
Eddie Mazon in 1973 and 1974, earned Mr. Albarado a title shot | ||
against junior middleweight champion Koichi Wajima on June 4, 1974; | ||
in an epic match held in Tokyo, the 25-year old Texan knocked out | ||
Wajima in the 15th round and was crowned the unified WBA/WBC Junior | ||
Middleweight Champion of the World; upon retuning to Uvalde a few | ||
weeks later, he was given a hero's welcome, and the mayor declared | ||
June 20, 1974, as Oscar Albarado Day; he held the world title for | ||
230 days, successfully defending it against Ryu Sorimachi before | ||
relinquishing the title to Mr. Wajima in a rematch via a decision in | ||
January 1975; he retired following the bout, and after staging a | ||
brief comeback beginning in 1980, the fighter hung up his gloves for | ||
good the following year; he ended his storied 72-fight career with a | ||
record of 58-13-1 and 43 knockouts; his achievements were formally | ||
honored on October 15, 2017, when he was inducted into the West | ||
Coast Boxing Hall of Fame; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mr. Albarado took great pride in his four children, | ||
Oscar Jr., Angela, Emmanuel, and Jacob; with the passing years, his | ||
family grew to include his son-in-law, Eric, his daughters-in-law, | ||
Irma, Elizabeth, and Patricia, and his 13 grandchildren, Marc, | ||
Kimberly, Katie, Samantha, Alyssa, Alexis, Alayna, Evangeline, | ||
Emmanuel Elijah, Emiliana, Jacob Zachary, Jordan, and Jayda; and | ||
WHEREAS, Shotgun Albarado proved himself as a boxer of | ||
exceptional ability and unrelenting determination, and his | ||
brilliance in the ring will continue to be fondly remembered across | ||
the Lone Star State and beyond for many years to come; now, | ||
therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Oscar "Shotgun" | ||
Albarado and extend sincere sympathy to his family and friends; | ||
and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of | ||
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Oscar | ||
Albarado. |