Palafox won the 1958 Mexican Championships defeating Pancho Contreras in the final and he won the Mexican title again in 1963 defeating Rafael Osuna in the final.
Also in 1958 Palafox won the Southern Championships defeating Frank Willett,[3] the defending champion, in the final.
Palafox won the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1970 at Port Washington, N.Y. beating Sandy Mayer in the semifinal and Otokar Merunka in three straight sets in the final. He defended his title the following year defeating Steve Ross in the final in three straight sets.
He is a former coach of John McEnroe, and taught him to put yourself in an advantageous positions and putting your opponent in difficult positions.[4]
