Different countries boast of their own great fighters. The English had gritty Nigel Benn and the great Lennox Lewis, the proud Cubans had the flashy Kid Gavilan and "El Feo" Rodriquez, the Nigerians had super talented Dick Tiger and Hogan "Kid" Bassey, the Ukraine has the Klitchko and so on. But for colored tops, legendary fights and especially high drama, I always had a great fondness for South American fighters and most particularly for those from Argentina. Let's goback into the past and now look at a few of the remarkable Ones.
1. Carlos "Escopeta" (Shotgun) Monzon.
With a final record of 87-3-9 with 59 KO's, This powerful and rangy Argentinean Killing Machine, built like an iron rod, first captured the World Middleweight Boxing Championship in a shocking upset over the highly favored Nino Benvenuti. Who can forget the perfect rights cross to the jaw that was the coup de grace for Nino?
Overnight, he became theToast of the boxing world. Handsome and macho, he was set to a superstar and a favorite of the jet. Some said he pushed his blows. If so, he slipped to defeat more than 87 opponents. He was stopped only the second man three times in succession to former world champion Emile Griffith in 14 rounds. With great perseverance and granite chin, Selig, he was seemingly irresistible force. In fact, he was unbeaten in the last 81 fights of his career, a span of 13 years! He defended his titlefourteen times. Unfortunately, Monzon, like Salvador Sanchez, died in a car accident in 1995 at the age of fifty-two.
"Carlos never cease to walk on the wild side and certainly never been the secret to control the raging temper that he mastered so well within the roped square." Mike Casey
2. Nicolino "El Intocable" Locche
One of my all-time favorites, this Hall of Fame from Argentina, 117-4-14, possessed incredible defensive skills, was just as well be thegood as Willie Pep's. It was magical for his defensive tactics, uncanny reflexes and extraordinary ability to feint and make his opponents miss known. This earned him the nickname "The Untouchable." In many of his fights, his fans broke into song mesmerized as they watched him dazzle his opponents. The event would be similar to a football match.
After a career in the amateur, he won 117 of 122 fights, he turned pro in 1958. In 1961, he defeated Jaime Gine over 12 lapsAcquisition of the Argentine lightweight title and two years later, the South American lightweight. Over the next few years, he fought Joe Brown, Ismael Laguna and Carlos Ortiz. He stopped Paul Fujii in Tokyo for the WBA junior welterweight title. Locche successfully defended the title five times. After losing to Antonio Cervantes (which he had previously beaten), he concluded his career with 7 straight wins. Locche is considered one of the biggest boxing Argentina revered legends.He died on 7 September 2005 at the age of 66 years.
If you ever see a chance, this magician fight on video or film, they do not give up.
3. Victor Galindez
This colorful warrior came from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and collected a 52-9-4 record amateur. As a professional was his last slate 55-9-4-2 with 34 KO's.
He represented Argentina at the 1968 Olympics before he won in 1969 pro. Galindez captured both the Argentine and South American lightHeavyweight title in 1972 against tough Argentine fighters like Juan Aguilar and Jorge Ahumada. Galindez suffered his first defeat as a pro Aguilar beat him via a 10 round decision. It was not the only time Aguilar would give Victor trouble as they fought three times in 1970 with Galindez if it beat with another decision loss, a draw and no elections
In 1974, he called for the vacant WBA light heavyweight championship. Now focused more on boxing as a party9for whom he had a wild reputation), he put his 23-fight unbeaten streaks on the line when he Len Hutchins, 22-1-1, met on 7 December 1974 for the vacant WBA light heavyweight championship. Fight like a wild bull, he TKO'd Hutchins in 13 rounds. A busy champion, he has traveled the world defending his title 10 times more powerful than opponents like Pierre Fourie, Alvaro "Yaqui Lopez (yes, that Yaqui Lopez), Richie Kates and Eddie Gregory. He lost the crown to Mike Rossman in 1978 ( itwas his first defeat in seven years and 44 fights). He won in a rematch of the following year. He lost the title to Marvin Johnson.
Galindez had to know his opponents very well during his career, as he struck Aguilar nine times, twice, five times Domingo Peralta Ahumada six Silviera three times, Adolfo Cardozo twice, Lopez twice, Kates twice Burnett, Rossman twice, Ramon Cerrezuela twice, Raul Loyola twice Pedro Rimovsky twice, Ruben Macario Gonzalez twice and Fourietwice.
Galindez fought once more before bed, lose Jesse Burnett. Unfortunately, on 26 October 1980, at age 31, he was killed in a terrible car racing accident in De Mayo, Argentina
Victor Galindez was the first Argentine to win the title at home, although he never defended there because he was more at home in South Africa and Italy. Nevertheless, he was a national hero, and tens of thousands of mourners came to pay their respects the day his coffin was to be seen at Luna Park, theArena in which he had won the title from Len Hutchins. How Locche and Monzon, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002.
"When I was a kid, I wanted a leopard, to be free, which may be hunted escape. Was I book. I wanted a champion. I was this book. I lived my life like I wanted it. I think I would now like to become a champion racer. It is a sport less dangerous than boxing. is you can die at any time in boxing. Racing amuch safer. You do not take turns in racing. "
4. Juan "El Látigo" Coggi.
His record was 75-5-2 with 44 KO's. Coggi was on 19 Born in December 1961 and comes from Santa Fe, the birthplace of Carlos Monzón. He was three times World Jr. Welterweight Champion. His nickname is "El Látigo," "The Whip".
"El Látigo fought" below the radar and few American fans knew much about him. He finished with a winning probabilityof 91% and a KO percentage of 54%. Argentina Boxing has many sizes. Immortals like Locche, Monzon, Galindez, Salazar and Castro. "El Látigo has" certainly a prominent place among them.
His level of opposition included such formidable foes as Jose Luis Ramirez, Harold Brazier, 60-8-1, Patrizio Oliva in the next 48-0, Adolfo Rossi, Hugo Ariel Hernandez, 40-1, Ruben Oscar Verdun, Sang Ho Lee , 47-1 in, Akinobu Hiranaka, 17-0, Francisco Cuesta, 27-2-1, and HiroyukiSakamoto, 19-0. The total won / lost record of his opponent was very impressive.
After a great amateur career he turned to professional 2 April 1982 and won seven of his first ten fights by knockout. In 1986 he beat Hugo Ariel Hernandez, 40-1-1, in the next, for the Argentine (FAB) Light Welterweight Title in Buenos Aires. He won the WBA welterweight title by knocking out the aforementioned Oliva in Ribera, Italy. Like the great Monzon, he took a liking for Italy and KOKorean Sang Ho Lee, 47-1, in Roseto degli Abruzzi. In 1989 he hit an evasive Harold Brazier by decision in Vasto, Italy and after beating the great Jose Luis Ramirez in France in 1990 (after Ramirez), the retired, he was annoyed to delete a thin MD to Loreto Garza, 21-1-1 in Nice for the WBA welterweight title.
He then went on a 20-fight win streaks, this battle in many different countries. In 1993 he proposed to earn Filipino Morris East, the WBA welterweight title. Afterseveral successful defenses, he lost a UD Frankie Randall, 50-3-1 at the time, 17 September 1994 in Las Vegas. He went to a couple with Randall split in 1996. Every fight with Randall was controversial for several reasons. Many remember Coggi only based on his performances against Randall, but Coggi beat Randall in their second fight after Frankie was not continued because of an injury caused by a head butt. How well had Coggi Randall in the third round of this fight decorated.
Hewent to 5 in a row before losing his last fight by Michele Piccirillo, 29-1, in Italy on 29 To win in May 1999 the closing of a great career against great opponents in many different countries. He never lost a fight by KO.
5. Jorge "Locomotive" Castro
Still struggling, he is now 130-11-3. When he crushed Colombian Jose Luis "La Pantera" Herrera, 14-2 in, at the Municipal Patinódromo, Sea of the Silver, in Buenos Aires on 27 January 2007, he had avenged oneprevious loss. He decorated "The Panther" 4 times, as he won his salvation in no uncertain terms.
"Locomotora fought" like a pro for 20 years. He won his first 40 professional fights, but few except aficionados know much about him, perhaps because most of his fights have been in Argentina. However, he has fought the best in his long career. In fact, he shared a couple with Robert Duran against him in 1997 and holds two wins each over Reggie Johnson (for the vacantWBA Middleweight Title in) and John David Jackson (1994 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year). He also beat Peter Venancio (three times), Hector Hugo Vilte, Alex Ramos, Juan Carlos Gimenez Ferreyra, Fabian Alberto Chancalay, Imamu Mayfield and many other tough customers. His losses were against this tough opponent as Shinji Takehara, Terry Norris, Vasily Jirov, Paul Briggs, Juan Carlos Gomez and Roy Jones Jr.
Many of Castro's opponents have long since retired. Ramos now heads to retirementBoxers Foundation, Norris was inducted into the Hall of Fame and Duran will go this year, has withdrawn Takehara as John David Jackson, Jones and Shirov are still trying to recapture the magic again. But Jorge fights and wins.
No stranger to championship belts and fights, he won the WBA title in the middleweight, in the South American Cruiserweight Title, WBA Fedelatin super-middleweight title, the Argentine (FAB) Light Middleweight Title and the South American Light Middleweight Title,As well, he has fought for the WBC title at cruiserweight, IBF Cruiserweight Title, and IBO titles at cruiserweight.
The classic:) 13 years prior to his arrival payback period (10 December 1994 to be exact, Castro met tough John David Jackson for the WBA middleweight title in the Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey, Mexico. The struggle with the name of Ring Magazine Fight of the Year, had one of the most dramatic endings in ring history. Castro was a bad light on all the following three scorecards (71-80, 73-80 and74-79). One eye was closed and the other was half closed. He was bleeding and pinned against the ropes taking bad shots and combinations.
Referee Stanley Christodoulou positioned himself to stop the fight and began to raise his hand to signal the stoppage came, but then Castro landed a hard right hand on his chin Jackson and Jackson. All of a sudden, instead of stopping the fight in favor of Jackson, Christodoulou began counting Jackson, John David, but it managed to get up. He sufferedRaging fire-sale prices and "Locomotive" completed the comeback and retained his title decisive knockout in the ninth round. Obviously, this was one of the most amazing, if unlikeliest, turnarounds in boxing history. Shades of Hearns-Barkley, Castillo - Corrales, Graham Earl-Michael Katsidis ....
) At a press conference after the fight, as Castro, his winning punch "La mano de Dios" (The Hand of God. The end of this battle was legendary in Argentinean lore and waswritten about it many months in boxing magazines and books.
In 1998, proving the first win was righteous, Castro beat Jackson again, this time by a close UD. He decorated John David twice in the 4th and the 8th Round to pull out for the vacant WBA super-middleweight Fedelatin.
Given the brutally redemptive manner, he won his last fight, hopefully we can count on them to fight him again. He finished with a winning percentage of 91% and a KO percentage of 54%.
Therewere many others, Hugo Pastor Corro (59-7-2), Santos Benigno Laciar (79-10-0-2), Ubaldo Sacco (47-4-1), Gregorio "Goyo" Peralta (99-9-9 with 59 knockouts), Jorge Victor Ahumada, 42-8-2, Juan Domingo Roldán (67-5-2-1), Oscar Natalio Bonavena (56-9-1) and Carlos Gabriel Salazar (47-3-8).
Carlos Manuel Baldomir, Jorge Rodrigo "La Hiena" Barrios, Hector Javier "El Artillero" Velazco and Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez are notable Argentineans currently fighting with. While theyESPN never can already infamous and dreadful top 50 list, someday, they just might join these Argentinean sizes.
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