Nickname: "Machine Gun"
Santa Fe, New Mexico's Robbie Lovato was one of the state's top amateur boxers, winning many State and Regional titles, and being nationally ranked. He finished as an amateur with an outstanding record of 174-22!
Robbie opened his pro campaign with a shutout 4-round win over fellow New Mexican Chris Crespin. That fight took place in front of a huge crowd on the undercard of the Oct. 12, 1994 Johnny Tapia vs Henry Martinez WBO World Title fight at The Pit in Albuquerque, NM. His fast handed boxing style earned him the nickname "Machine Gun".
Lovato continued his winning ways running his record to 6-0 before traveling to Tempe, Arizona where he tasted his first pro loss against Michael Gallatti via 8 round decision.
"Machine Gun" Lovato came back with a vengeance, stopping Cesar Jimenez at Boulder Station in Las Vegas, NV, in the first round.
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| Lovato set for his 1996 battle against Erik Morales in Tijuana, B.C. - Mexico |
Lovato was now 7-1 and headed into a big test against a hard punching fighter out of Phoenix, Arizona named Martin Ulloa (11-3). Ulloa had scored a tko win over New Mexico's Lyrant Warrior to hand Warrior his first loss. It was a good test for the Santa Fe prospect, and Robbie passed with flying colors as he scored the clear shutout on all 3 of the judges scorecards 40-36 across the board.
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| Lovato sparring with World Champion Johnny Tapia! |
With 2 more dominant wins under his belt, Robbie Lovato got the call to take a gigantic step up. Lovato accepted the challenge and on Nov. 29, 1996 he faced off with the legendary Erik Morales who was 24-0, 19 KO and held the NABF Jr. Featherweight Title at the time. Lovato would be fighting his first 10-rounder, his first Main Event, and it would be against a legend and in the opponent's home town of Tijuana, Mexico! All the odds were stacked against Lovato who confidently went for it.
Morales won that night via a pretty clear unanimous decision, but it only proved the skill level of Lovato who went 10 strong rounds against the Mexican knockout artist.
Robbie fought just once more, nearly 5 years later, when he scored a very close and hard fought majority decision over fellow New Mexican - Tommy Aragon. The scores were 77-76, 78-77 for Lovato, and 76-76 even. That would be Lovato's final pro fight.
Robbie Lovato finished the pro campaign with an excellent record of 11-2, winning 3 by KO. He is remembered for his high skill level by New Mexico boxing fans. He was a chief sparring partner of World Champion Johnny Tapia who used to tell me that his best sparring was against Lovato!
Look up Robbie's pro record at: boxrec.com
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If you would like to see Robbie "Machine Gun" Lovato in action, I have the following bouts available on DVD:
CHRIS CRESPIN [w-4] (Pro Debut)
CESAR HOLGUIN [w-4]
LORENZO ESTRADA [ko-4]
JOSE LUIS PERALTA [tko-3]
MARTIN ULLOA [w-4]
SONNY GUTIERREZ [w-6]
ERIK MORALES [L-10]
Amateur:
1. Unknown Amateur Opponent
2. Orlando Malone
3. Joe Galarza
4. Jesus Banuelos Jr. #2 (1993 NM Golden Gloves Title)
CESAR HOLGUIN [w-4]
LORENZO ESTRADA [ko-4]
JOSE LUIS PERALTA [tko-3]
MARTIN ULLOA [w-4]
SONNY GUTIERREZ [w-6]
ERIK MORALES [L-10]
Amateur:
1. Unknown Amateur Opponent
2. Orlando Malone
3. Joe Galarza
4. Jesus Banuelos Jr. #2 (1993 NM Golden Gloves Title)
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Contact me via e-mail: The Boxing Guru via E-Mail
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