Best I Faced: Cesar ‘Cobrita’ Soto

Mexican hardman Cesar Soto turned pro barely into his teens, learned on the job and eventually claimed a world title at the age of 27. The teak-tough power-puncher was a handful for anyone he fought during his 90 bouts spread across a 25-year professional career.

Soto, who was 10th of 12 children, was born in the state of Durango on September 17, 1971. His father worked several jobs, including as a ranch hand, while his mother looked after the family.

“We were a very hardworking family, very humble,” Soto told The Ring through Mauricio Gonzalez. “We didn’t have any of the extras, but a very happy childhood. We didn’t have anything, but we didn’t need anything. We lived paycheck to paycheck, but I didn’t have to go work [as a child]. We didn’t have anything in abundance, but we weren’t missing a meal, either.”

However, trouble was never far away for Soto, even at an early age.

“Ever since I can remember, I was fighting – not necessarily boxing, but fighting in school, on the streets,” he recalled. “My older brother said, ‘Instead of fighting on the streets, come to the gym and start boxing. You never know, you could become a boxer.’ I was a kid that liked to fight.

“In the mornings before going to school, I would reiterate to my mother not to prepare a lunch for me, since I earned it by defending my classmates! I felt like a hero, despite my weak appearance.”

(Photo courtesy of the WBC)

Soto did well at the gym. He left school and began an amateur career that lasted just six months and nine fights, though he did win a regional title in Durango. He turned professional at 14 years old, making around $50, in March 1986.

“For the glory of being a professional boxer, for the money, for the travel, to see the world,” he said of his reasoning for turning professional so young. “That’s what pushed me.”

The youngster enjoyed a productive first year as a professional, registering 12 consecutive wins, all inside the first four rounds. He moved his base of operations to northern Mexico.

“I moved to Juarez when I was 15; I’m adopted to that city like [singer] Juan Gabriel,” he said. “I was just an adolescent, who out of curiosity went there and liked it and stayed there.”

A rough patch in Soto’s early career soon followed, however. His first loss came in July 1987, another in 1989, and in the following two years he would lose twice to future world titleholder Victor Rabanales (SD 10/UD 10), which bookended wins over seasoned veterans Armando Castro (UD 10) and Willy Salazar (UD 10).

“Those fights definitely matured me and made me a lot stronger,” he said of the two defeats against Rabanales. “I learned a lot from them.”

While still a teenager, he was selected to face the more experienced Duke McKenzie for the WBO bantamweight title in London, England, in September 1991.

“Preparation was great and it was a great experience,” said Soto, who dropped a hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision. “To go to a first-class country like England, a beautiful experience and I loved it. 

Soto vs. Luisito Espinosa. (Photo courtesy of the WBC)

“The only bad experience was the result. Everybody saw me the winner and I hit him with everything. It was definitely highway robbery; people saw it. The decision was bad. It was a rough experience.”

It proved to be another step in Soto’s education, and he bounced back strongly with 14 wins, initially up at junior featherweight and then featherweight, capturing national titles in both weight classes. He also gained bragging rights with victories over previously unbeaten future lightweight titlist Jose Luis Castillo (TKO 2) and former two-weight world champion Louie Espinoza (PTS 12). 

“I matured and trained even harder and got better,” he said. “Castillo came in 18-0 and everybody expected Castillo to win. At that point, he was one of the top guys sparring [Julio Cesar] Chavez. I was able to take him out.

“I had those past experiences that taught me how to prepare mentally, and it was an exciting one [against Espinoza].”

Soto’s impressive run came to an end when he dropped a spirited 12-round split decision to Alejandro Gonzalez in a WBC featherweight title eliminator in Juarez in August 1994. 

“For the glory of being a professional boxer, for the money, for the travel, to see the world … That’s what pushed me.”

“It was a tough fight; Gonzalez boxed well,” he said. “I thought I won, but he got to face Kevin Kelley for the title.”

While Soto began his climb back up the mountain to fight for a world championship, the WBC 126-pound title was passed from Kelley to Gonzalez, who in turn lost to Manuel Medina, who was beaten by Luisito Espinosa.

Soto was rewarded with a shot at Espinosa but had to venture to the Philippines in July 1996 to get it.

 “It was a great experience but a tough one,” said Soto, who dropped a hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision. “In the Philippines, everything was geared toward him winning. The president came and it was a big deal there. I felt I put on a great performance.”

Unperturbed, the persistent “Cobrita” worked his way back with 10 wins over the next three years and was able to face Espinosa in a rematch, this time in El Paso, Texas.

“In Manila, he ran and kept going backwards, but in Texas, he actually came to fight,” said Soto, who would seize the WBC belt with a unanimous decision win. “It was amazing. I celebrated with friends, family and a journalist friend. We traveled 40 miles across the border [back to Juarez] to celebrate.”

Later that year, Soto was offered the opportunity to face featherweight cash cow Naseem Hamed in a unification.

“I had a great training camp,” said Soto, who lost an ugly, foul-filled 12-round encounter. “Once we got to Detroit, I saw a lot of funny business going on to the point where Hamed weighed in on his own scale. He made a big deal and they said, ‘No, you can’t weigh on your own scale.’ In the end, they conceded and let him weigh in on the scales he brought. He didn’t weigh on the official scale everybody weighed in. 

“The other thing that was funny to me, Arthur Mercante was going to be the referee and Hamed told them, ‘If he’s going to ref, I’m not going to step in the ring.’ They had a last-minute change of official. Had we had a ref who wasn’t designated by him, I think he would have been disqualified for some of those clown things he was doing.

“Hamed was a famous fighter, but fighting with him was just horrible. It was just a dirty fight. He wasn’t there to fight. All he did was run and run and be a clown show. I don’t want to take anything away from Naseem Hamed, but when I fought him, he was a coward. He didn’t come forward. I don’t want to take away that he was a world champion, and I respect him because this is boxing, not something easy.”

When Soto reemerged eight months later, he made the surprising decision to drop to junior featherweight, where he met future two-division titlist Oscar Larios in a WBC title eliminator. 

(Photo courtesy of the WBC)

“It’s one of the stupidest things I ever did, going back and dropping weight classes,” admitted Soto, who lost a 12-round unanimous decision.

After returning to 126 pounds with a draw, the usually durable Soto was surprisingly halted in three rounds by Johnny Tapia, who despite winning world titles in three weight classes wasn’t known as a puncher.

“It was one of those fights – I lost my train of thought for a second, and he caught me,” Soto said. “There’s nothing more to that one.”

That was the beginning of Soto slipping from the world stage, the first of seven consecutive defeats against solid opposition. While he was able to get back in the win column, he was never able to reach world level again and retired with a record of (63-24-3, 43 knockouts) in 2011.

Since retiring, Soto has spent time working with local children, hoping to discover future fighters.

“Money can come and go, but they can never take away that I was world champion. That lasts forever,” he said proudly.

Soto, now 52, is divorced but lives with his current partner, with whom he had a child. He also has three children from his first marriage. He lives in Juarez and is still his city’s only world champion, but he regularly returns to visit his family in Palacio Gomez.

He graciously took time to speak to The Ring about the best he fought in 10 key categories.

BEST JAB

Luisito Espinosa: “Without a doubt, it was a complicated jab, because I thought he was going to throw a hook and the jab would come out of nowhere. It was a very tough jab to decipher.”

BEST DEFENSE

Espinosa: “He had a very high guard and a tough guard to crack.”

FASTEST HANDS

Alejandro Gonzalez: “When I first started boxing, I fought a lot of guys with hand speed. But as far as a known fighter, I’d say Alejandro Gonzalez. He would throw punches from all angles.” 

BEST FOOTWORK

Gonzalez: “I fought a lot of fighters who had good movement and sometimes had issues with fighters with lateral movement. I have a tough time answering that one. Naseem Hamed was known for his footwork, but he didn’t impress me. Gonzalez moved around a lot and had good feet.”

CHIN

Victor Rabanales: “I was like, ‘Damn! This guy’s not going down.’ And I was hitting him with everything. I hit him with everything and the kitchen sink, and he wouldn’t go down.”

SMARTEST 

Gonzalez: “He was smart because he knew to move and box and not trade.”

STRONGEST

Louie Espinoza: “He was very strong; he was the strongest fighter I faced.”

BEST PUNCHER

Espinoza: “He surprised me a bit. In the fourth round, he got me with a shot that had me out on my feet. I was out for a couple of seconds, which is an eternity in boxing. I don’t believe Espinoza even found out I was hurt that bad. If he knew, he would have knocked me out. Hamed was known to be a hard puncher and I wouldn’t take that away from him, but in my fight with him I never got hurt. I didn’t feel it.”

BEST BOXING SKILLS

Jose Luis Castillo: “I know I took him out early. Technically, even in those couple of rounds he was the best fighter I faced.”

BEST OVERALL

Louie Espinoza: Castillo was good, but that came after we fought. Hamed achieved a lot and you can’t take that from him, but he didn’t impress me. He ran and should have been disqualified. Tapia was good; he just caught me with a good punch. Espinoza from Arizona was tough; we stood and traded all night. That was one of my hardest fights. I would give it to him.

Read more from the “BEST I FACED” series.

Mauricio Gonzalez helped translate this feature. The Ring appreciates his assistance.

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].

Follow @AnsonWainwright