Nickname: Riley
New Mexico Welterweight Henry Anaya Jr. turned pro on Feb. 7, 1987 scoring a 1st round knockout over fellow New Mexican Roland "Thunder" Baker. Henry started with 7 straight victories before tasting his first professional defeat by decision at the hands of Joe Hernandez on the undercard of Thomas Hearns vs Iran Barkley at the Las Vegas Hilton.Just 2 months later, Anaya avenged the decision loss with a blistering 2nd round stoppage of Hernandez.
He then went on another victory streak, this time going 9-0, with 6 by ko. He earned a shot at the vacant
The former World Champ stopped Anaya at the end of the 10th round. Henry fought 3 more times with his final pro bout coming June 10, 1991 against amateur boxing legend, and former World Champion Mark Breland (28-2-1, 21 ko). Breland won a unanimous decision in the bout.
What most boxing fans did not know is that Anaya suffered a terrible hand injury that pretty much made him a "1 handed" boxer for his final bouts.
Henry Anaya finished his pro boxing career with a record of 17-4, 11 by knockout. He's considered one of the finest boxers to ever come out of New Mexico. And is a legend in the State.
Click HERE for Henry Anaya Jr.'s complete pro boxing ledger
If you would like to see Henry Anaya Jr. in action on DVD, I have the following bouts available:
Pro Bouts:
JOE CAMACHO [ko-4]
MARK STRICKLAND [tko-1]
ANTHONY WHITE [w-6]
CARLTON BROOKS [ko-5]
MIGUEL ANGEL DOMINGUEZ [w-10]
LONNIE SMITH [tko-by-10] {Vacant NABF Welter Title}
JAVIER SANCHEZ [tko-7]
MARK BRELAND [L-10] (Henry Anaya's LAST pro bout)
Amateur Bouts:
1. Richard Evans (Arizona)
2. Donnie Giron (Colorado)
Click Here to contact "The Boxing Guru"
I had just started boxing I was 22 at the time We went to Ruidoso NM to box, as usual I wound up without an opponent, I overheard some people talking about this 16 year old kid who had just moved up to the open division, I don't remember if Henry was fighting at 132 or 139. What I do remember is this kid gave this grown man a boxing lesson. I was amazed at how he gave this guy a beating while his back was to the ropes. Henry was one of the best counter punchers I ever watched. We later went on to be teammates, at the Nationals in 1984 and the regionals in 1985. Henry was a great boxer and a gentleman.
ReplyDeleteJoel, That is an awesome memory from your boxing days and about Henry Anaya Jr. It is no wonder that he is regarded so highly by the boxing community, and just imagine if he hadn't suffered that injury to his hand that affected the rest of his career! He was an amazing boxer and a great person.
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