A world champion again, Carbajal set to try to recover his International Boxing Federation and WBC belts against Gonzalez in a third unification bout between the 2 warriors, and in November of 1994, two months after the Camacho victory, they met once again, this time in Mexico City. Once again, it was a close and split decision, and once again, Carbajal came on the short end of it. He wouldn’t give up, however, and he kept training under the guidance of his brother, Danny Carbajal, the only man ever to train Michael.
He put another string of seven wins together, including former world champion Jose Quirino, beaten in 1 round, and tough Mauro Salas, who lasted 7. Then he met two-time world champion Melchor Cob Castro in Las Vegas for Castro’s IBF Junior Flyweight title. Castro had won the title after Gonzalez had retired, leaving it vacant. Carbajal once again showed the brilliancy of before and beat Castro by unanimous decision.
His third title reign lasted 22 months and three defenses, (including a eighth-round knockout of tough two-time challenger Tomas Rivera) before he lost his crown again. On January 18, 1997, Carbajal suddenly looked aged and was unable to do anything against the charges of Colombian Mauricio Pastrana. Carbajal still made the fight close, but lost a 12-round split decision.
After that, a fight that should have taken place long before came up, as Carbajal met Canada's Scotty Olson in San Antonio, Texas, in yet another Pay Per View fight. Carbajal showed he had more left than Olson did, and dominated the fight until a spectacular right hand sent Olson down for the count in round 11.
The win over Olson gave Carbajal a minor title, but in July of 1997 in Las Vegas once again, he was shockingly handled by South Africa’s Jacob Matlala. Matlala handed Carbajal his first knockout defeat ever, finishing the past-his-prime former world champion in round nine. Carbajal did not fight for 19 months after this defeat.
Although counted out by most boxing experts when he announced a comeback early in 1999, Carbajal still had one last hurrah left in him. He won three bouts, and on July 31, 1999, he took the short flight from Phoenix to Tijuana to challenge WBO world Junior Flyweight champion Jorge Arce, who was fighting in his hometown. In one of the year’s best fights, Arce dominated Carbajal for nine of the first 10 rounds, but the older man showed he was still dangerous when he floored the 20-year-old Arce in the eighth round. The fight moved along, but once again, Carbajal’s lightning struck in the 11th. This time, Carbajal struck with a devastating overhead right that sent Arce helplessly into the ropes. The referee stopped the fight, and Michael Carbajal was a world champion for the fourth time.
After this fight, Carbajal understood it was time to retire, and he did so the way every boxer would like to do it – as a current world champ. Carbajal is trying to live a quieter life nowadays in Phoenix, but he does many public appearances. He enjoys meeting his public and signing autographs for his fans, and remains in his old fighting weight.
His career record was 49 wins against just four losses, with 33 wins coming by way of knockout. Biography Base online article
[8.6] HORACIO ACCAVALL 83-75(34)-2-6 [Flyweight]: Undisputed Champion Network online -
One of a few champions to retire with a world title. The Argentine was an infuriatingly persistent southpaw, who never allowed the distance between him and his opponent to reach more than a couple of inches as he went to the body with short hooks. Not just a volume puncher, as only losing 1 decision over his 11-year and 83-bout career shows. That loss came against stylist Salvatore Curruni in the Italian’s hometown and was avenged six years later. Accavallo gained a title shot because Burruni gave up the WBA title rather than face Accavallo a fourth time.
Accavallo’s tight defense and granite chin enabled him to travel well and it says something about his class that, after his victory in Italy, he was asked to make nine more appearances. It was not until his 72nd fight that Accavallo finally got a title shot. He was made to sweat the decision out but after the scores were read, Accavallo had won a split decision over Katsuyoshi Takayama. In that fight Accavallo showed incredible heart coming back from a merciless beating over the first three rounds. Defeated well-respected Hiroyuki Ebihara in his first title defense and followed it up with another decision win over similarly tough challenger Efren Torres. After a cut-induces non-title loss in Japan to undefeated Kiyoshi Tanabe and a very close decision victory over Ebihara in a rematch, Accavallo retired. At 34, some thought Accavallo still had some defences left in him but he never made a comeback. Undisputed Champion Network online article 24 February 2018 Marty Mulcahey
[8.5] MIGUEL CANTO 74-61(14)-9-4 [Flyweight]: Undisputed Champion Network online -
It takes a special fighter to overcome two knockout losses in his first three fights and morph into one of the greatest defensive fighters ever. Canto also broke a stereotype that Mexico only produces crude brawlers willing to take three punches to deliver a lone hook, which is not to say Canto was a boring fighter. Indeed he was an exciting boxer, preconceived notions that defensive experts are boring, be damned in this case.
Canto overwhelmed opponents through a mix of speed, high-volume punching, stamina and dogged determination. Most of all he determined the pace and direction of opponents with a fantastically timed and accurate jab.
The stylish Canto makes the cut for three different all-time Top 10 lists, as one of the greatest flyweights, Mexican and defensive geniuses to lace up the gloves. Take into account that he accomplished this even though he stood at 5-foot-1 and scaled in under 112 in many bouts. Set a then-flyweight record of 14 consecutive title defenses, doing so on foreign turf in 8 of those victories. Impressively, only 1 of those wins was via a stoppage. While Canto reigned supreme as champion, the rival WBA sanctioning body went through 4 different titlists. Of his 9 losses, 6 came in the first and last years of his career. In Canto’s prime, he never slipped up and only lost 1 fight via majority decision (twice avenged) from 1970 to 1979. Undisputed Champion Network online article