By Gabriel F. Cordero

Sad to report the passing of Boxing Hall of Fame manager and promoter Rafael “La Cobra” Mendoza, who died today at the age of 80. The news was announced by WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán on his twitter account. He worked with 26 world champions including Hall of Famer Humberto “Chiquita” González, Miguel Canto, Pipino Cuevas, Daniel Zaragoza, Alexis Argüello and Vicente Saldívar.

He was also guided the careers of world champions Ricardo Arredondo, Oscar Larios, Rafael Herrera, Javier Jáuregui, Pedro Flores, Lupe Madera, Romeo Anaya and Melchor Cob among others. He was the first manager of Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez.