Miguel Montilla (born July 14, 1952, in Neiba, Dominican Republic) is a former professional boxer in the Junior Welterweight or Super Lightweight division who fought three times unsuccessfully for world championships.
A hard hitter with good boxing skills, Montilla was popular in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the United States, all countries where he fought several times.
He also fought in Panama,[1] the United States Virgin Islands[2] and Colombia[3] Montilla's first professional fight was also his first professional fight abroad, as he debuted against local, Puerto Rican prospect Eduardo Trinidad on February 19, 1972, at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of a program headlined by International Boxing Hall of Fame member Carlos Ortiz.
[6] After beating winless (0–2) Radames Checo in Santo Domingo by a 12 rounds unanimous decision to lift the until then vacant Dominican Republic's national Lightweight title on February 19, 1973,[7] Montilla gained what is widely considered his biggest win as a professional: facing future WBC world Junior Lightweight champion Alfredo Escalera (11 wins and 3 losses coming in) on Saturday, March 3, 1973, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Montilla prevailed by ten rounds' decision.
On Thursday, January 18, 1979, Montilla challenged WBA world Junior Welterweight champion, the legendary, future International Boxing Hall of Fame member Antonio Cervantes of Colombia, 60 wins, 10 losses and 1 draw coming in, at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
[19] On December 6, 1980, at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, Montilla lost a ten-rounds unanimous decision to 11 wins, 0 losses prospect Dujuan Johnson as part of an undercard headlined by a Thomas Hearns WBA world Welterweight title defense against Luis Primera.
[21] The loss to Johnson was followed by two wins, including one over ranked Puerto Rican Domingo Ayala by a third-round technical knockout on May 11, 1981, at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
The champion now was the fast-fisted, heavy hitting legend and also future International Boxing Hall of Fame member, Aaron Pryor, who was 29–0, with 27 wins by knockout, coming into their Sunday, March 21, 1982, contest at the Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
[24] Montilla retired a winner, as he beat the 2 wins, 5 losses Emilio Sotomayor by a first-round knockout on Wednesday, January 19, 1983, at the same stadium he debuted at, the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of a program headlined by the WBA world Junior Lightweight championship bout between champion Samuel Serrano of Puerto Rico and challenger Roger Mayweather of the United States.