Anselmo Moreno (born 28 June 1985) is a Panamanian professional boxer. He held the WBA bantamweight title from 2008 to 2014 (promoted to super champion status in 2011), making him the longest reigning bantamweight world champion of all time, and challenged once for the WBC super bantamweight title in 2012. Nicknamed El Fantasma ("The Phantom"), Moreno is known for his excellent defensive skills and technical fighting style.
Professional career
Early career
Super-flyweight
Moreno made his professional debut against Hussein Sanchez on 10 March 2002. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Moreno amassed a 10–1–1 record during the next three years, with three stoppage victories, before being scheduled to face Ricardo Molina for the vacant WBA Fedecentro super flyweight title on 28 January 2005. He won the fight by a ninth-round technical knockout. The two fought an immediate rematch on 20 August 2005, with the WBA Fedecentro and Panamian super-flyweight titles on the line. Moreno won the fight by unanimous decision.
Move to bantamweight
Moreno moved up to bantamweight for the next fight, as he faced Yogli Herrera on 21 March 2006. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 100–89, 100–89 and 99–89. Herrera was deducted two points for illegal blows, once in the fourth and once in the eight round. Moreno was next scheduled to face Félix Machado for the vacant WBA Fedecentro and WBA Fedebol bantamweight titles on 5 May 2006, his first title fight at a new weight. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 98–91, 97–94 and 99–91. Machado was deducted a point in the sixth round for an illegal blow. After a quick fifth-round technical knockout of Jose de Jesus Lopez on 5 August 2006, Moreno was booked to make his first title defense against Franklin Varela on 2 September 2006. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 98–92, 100–90 and 99–91.
After beating the overmatched Eduardo Pacheco by technical knockout on 7 December 2006, Moreno was booked to fight Nestor Hugo Paniagua for the vacant WBA Fedecaribe bantamweight title on 3 February 2007. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 100–89, 100–90 and 100–88. Moreno made the first defense of his newly acquired regional title against Tomás Rojas on 2 June 2007. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 98–92, 99–92 and 98–94. Moreno made his second and final title defense against Ricardo Vargas on 16 August 2007, whom he beat by a first-round technical knockout.
WBA bantamweight champion
Moreno was rewarded for his run of victories by being scheduled to challenge the reigning WBA bantamweight champion Volodymyr Sydorenko. The title fight was booked as the main event of a 31 May 2008, ZDF broadcast card, which took place at the Burg-Wächter Castello in Düsseldorf, Germany. Moreno won the fight by split decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 115–113 for him, while the third judge awarded the same scorecard to Sydorenko.
Moreno made his second title defense against Rolly Matsushita on 30 October 2008, at the Figali Convention Center in Panama City, Panama. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 119–109, 118–110 and 120–108. Moreno fought a rematch with Volodymyr Sydorenko in his third WBA title defense. The fight was scheduled for 2 May 2009, at the Halle 7 in Bremen, Germany, and was once again broadcast by ZDF. Although the bout was closer than their first meeting, Moreno was once again victorious. He won the fight by split decision, with scores of 115–113, 115–113 and 113–115. Moreno made his third title defense against Mahyar Monshipour on 4 July 2009, at the Parc des Expositions in Poitiers, France. Moreno once again won the fight by split decision, with scores of 116–112, 113–115 and 116–113.
After beating Jorge Otero by a sixth-round technical knockout on 9 October 2009, Moreno was booked to make his fourth title defense against Frédéric Patrac on 4 December 2009, at the Palais des Sports in Agde, France. He won the fight by a later eleventh-round technical knockout, stopping Patrac with four seconds to spare. More made his fifth WBA Regular title defense against the undefeated interim-champion Nehomar Cermeño on 27 March 2010, at the Polideportivo José María Vargas in La Guaira, Venezuela. He won the fight by split decision. Two judges scored the fight 114–113 and 115–112 for the reigning champion, while the third judge scored it 115–112 for the challenger. The pair fought an immediate rematch on 14 August 2010, with the bout taking place in the champion's native Panama this time around. More again won the fight by split decision.