Dado Marino

Salvador “Dado” Marino (October 15, 1915 – October 28, 1989) was a Hawaiian-born flyweight who became the undisputed world flyweight champion in 1950. Fighting out of Honolulu, he captured the crown by defeating England’s Terry Allen and defended it successfully before losing to Japan’s Yoshio Shirai in 1952. Marino also challenged Manuel Ortiz for the bantamweight title in 1949. He retired with a professional record of 75 fights, 57 wins (21 by KO), 15 losses, and 3 draws. While celebrated historically as Hawaii’s first world champion, Marino’s Filipino ancestry earned him admiration and recognition among Filipino fans, who embraced him as part of their boxing heritage even though he never represented the Philippines in title fights.