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In his third shot at the gold ring he won the WBC world bantamweight championship with a furious flurry of punches to knockout Mexico's Francisco "Kiko" Bejines in the last seconds of the 12th and final round, before a roaring hometown SRO crowd at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium.
It was September 1, 1983. It was the pot of gold and more at the end of the rainbow for Albert Davila, who had paid his dues and climbed the ladder from the old neighborhood gym in Pomona. Twice before in challenges for the 118-pound crown he'd fired and failed with disappointing and frustrating setbacks - first an 8th round TKO loss to Carlos Zarate Feb. 25, 1978, at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood. And later by tense and tight disputed 15-round decision loss to Jorge Lujan in New Orleans.
But now he finally did it. World champ at last. Normally mild-mannered, thoughtful and reserved, he was about to start shouting and jumping up and down in the ring. But something was wrong. Kiko wasn't getting up. They were working desperately over him and calling for the ambulance.
Bejines died two days later after a team of neurosurgeons was unable to reduce the pressure from what they described as "massive cerebral contusions." Davila took a long vacation, put on weight, vacated the crown, then retired prematurely after a 1986 loss to Miguel Lora.
Kiko's death was the second tragedy to mark Davila's career. In March of 1977, he was also rocked badly when his manager, Howie Steindler, was murdered in a mystery that's never been solved. If Bennie Georgino, one of Howie's best friends, hadn't stepped in to take over Davila's management, Albert would have retired. But Bennie was there to guide both Davila and his featherweight stablemate, Danny Lopez, and both rallied from the gloom to win world crowns dedicated to Steindler's memory.
Davila won his first 13 fights after turning pro in 1973, beat such future champions as Lupe Pintor, Wilfred Gomez and Frankie Duarte to earn his title chances, and there obviously could have been much more...
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