Pre-fight
Alexis Argüello was born and raised in Managua. He had to fight on the streets as a child to earn money, and became the WBA world Featherweight champion by defeating Rubén Olivares by a thirteenth round knockout in Los Angeles. Because he defended his Featherweight crown successfully each time he was challenged for the title, Arguello became a mainstream star both in Latin America and the United States.
Escalera is a native of Carolina. Much like Arguello, he learned since he was a child to box and he was a member of a group of boxers from the area, like Wilfred Benítez, Wilfredo Gómez and Esteban De Jesús, to reach international fame status. He was crowned WBC world Jr. Lightweight champion on July 5, 1975 when he knocked Kuniaki Shibata out in the second round in Japan. Escalera proceeded to make ten title defenses before facing Arguello.
When the fight was announced, boxing magazines in the United States, Europe and Latin America began speculating the fight's outcome. As a consequence, boxing fans beyond Nicaragua and Puerto Rico became interested as well, and television networks from several countries bought the rights to broadcast the bout.
During a press conference before the fight, Bayamón mayor Ramon Luis Rivera presented both fighters with the symbolic key to the city of Bayamón.
Read more about this topic: The Bloody Battle Of Bayamon