Inocencio Moldez: The Clever One
He had the makings of a world champion— marquee looks, and clever moves. ‘Tis why Bill Miller branded him as Clever Sencio.
Inocencio Moldez was the next in line to the world flyweight crown, the one his stablemate Francisco Guilledo left behind.
Born on January 1, 1901 in Leyte in the Visayas region of the Philippines, the humble lad joined Frank Churchill’s stable of fighters that illuminated the Olympic Stadium.
Known as “The Binang Bullet,” he was renowned for his sharpshooting prowess in the ring, and his adept footwork mesmerized boxing enthusiasts who packed the stadium, witnessing flashes of sheer brilliance.
He was on a mad dash towards stardom. His debut match resulted in a decisive victory over Frisco Concepcion, who had been the first boxer to beat Francisco Guilledo.
In his seventh bout, Moldez faced off against his idol and friend, Francisco Guilledo, who was defending his newly acquired belt. The match, held at Wallace Field in Manila on May 2, 1925, was a historic event in the world of boxing.
It marked the first time in the history of the sport where two Filipinos contested for the World Flyweight Championship. Tragically, it was also Pancho Villa’s final triumph before his untimely demise.
The power brokers at the Olympic Stadium heard calls to fill the void Villa left behind. And so, Moldez, was fast-tracked to stardom. He lost to Johnny Hill (UD 12) in his next fight, then subsequently rattled off 7 wins, punctuated by a convincing win against rising star Corporal Izzy Schwartz (W10 in Sacramento, 12/04/1925).
Moldez then faced future world champion Fidel Barba on January 20, 1926 in a no-decision contest. Newspaper reporters had the fight in Clever Sencio’s favor. In their highly anticipated rematch at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 31, 1936, La Barba eked out a close decision.
The disputed loss to La Barba was a prelude to Clever Sencio’s fateful match on April 19, 1926 against Bud Taylor in Wisconsin.
The Milwaukee Journal reported the next day, “The newspaper decision went Taylor’s way. Sencio held Taylor fairly even for nine rounds, but was near collapse at the start of the tenth. A short right to the chin almost knocked him flat. By then, he (Sencio) could barely raise his hands…Clever Sencio died from injuries sustained during the bout.”
On the morning of April 21, 1926, the funeral at St. John’s Cathedral was packed to honor a fallen foreign warrior.
Said Father William E. Wright,”He died a stranger in a strange land… and in our hearts we think of those faraway land who will mourn for him. Only Monday night we saw him fight and put all he had into that fight that he might win. Neither he nor you could realize that today his body would be resting in this casket, which cannot but impress upon us the shortness of this life.”
For all it is worth, here is his fight record we have verified: In 20 fights, he had 12 wins (3 KO), 4 losses (Zero by KO), 2 draws, and 2 no-decisions.
He was the third Filipino who courageously risked and tragically lost his life in pursuit of glory for the Philippines in the world of boxing.
We knew him as “Clever Sencio” . Some boxing aficionados even called him “The Binang Bullet”. But to the friends and family he left behind, he will always be Inocencio Moldez.
Sources, References, Acknowledgements and Recommended Readings:
- This article contains selected excerpts, quotations, images, and archival references used under the Fair Use provisions of Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act. These materials are presented for educational, scholarly, and cultural preservation purposes. Every effort has been made to properly attribute sources and limit use to what is necessary to honor the historical and cultural narrative.
- All references in this article are based on multiple sources like The Ring, The Ring (Records and Almanac), The Boxing Blade, The Referee, Knockout, Cablenews-American, BoxRec.com, BoxerList.com, PhilBoxing.com, The Tribune, The Manila Bulletin Daily, The Philippine Republic, and others.
- The marquee photo and visual depiction of Inocencio Moldez are based on surviving archival photographs, were lightly enhanced and faithfully recreated with modern photo-generating tools, with careful attention to historical accuracy. Done by ManoyTKO DigiSigns.