Brief History Of Cinco De Mayo
Cinco De Mayo is a public holiday that is observed on May 5th to commemorate Mexican Army ambitious win over the French in 1862. Often confused as Mexican Independence day, this annual holiday is the reminder of the events of Battle of Puebla where Mexicans outnumbered the well-equipped French. Today, this public holiday is celebrated with zeal and zest in Mexico as well as other parts of the world. In America, Cinco De Mayo is a celebration of the American-Mexican culture that has significantly combined the values of two countries into a distinct lifestyle.
Cinco De Mayo And Boxing
And while Cinco De Mayo celebrations in America are far greater than in Mexico, Mexican boxers have made conscious efforts to make the annual holiday more memorable by fighting amongst top guns of boxing. Mexican Independence day and Cinco De Mayo are known to brew sensational fights in boxing history.
The badge for making Mexican Independence day an integral date in boxing calendar goes to Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. who dedicatedly fought bouts from 1991 to 1995. Chavez Sr. then passed on the tradition to De La Hoya who produced boxing masterpieces on the national holiday from 1997 to 2004. La Hoya moved his focus from only fighting on Independence Day to incorporating Cinco De Mayo into international boxing calendar. His first fight on Cinco De Mayo was in 2003 against Mexican opponent Yori Boy Campas in Sin City. La Hoya continued to honour his tradition till 2008 when he retired. However, he promoted three more fights for May 5 since then for Golden Boy Promotions.
The most prominent fights since 5th May 2003 have been fought on MGM at Sin City. Now MGM hospitality marks it as an essential part of American lifestyle.
