On This Day In Boxing History

2009: Alexis Arguello Passes!

Alexis Arguello

Birth Name: Andres Alexis Arguello Bohorquez

Birth Place: Managua, Nicaragua

Residence: Managua, Nicaragua

Pro-Debut: October 26th 1968

Division: Featherweight, Super Featherweight, Lightweight

Alias: "El Flaco Explosivo"

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 5′ 10″  

Reach: 72″  

Bouts: 85

Rounds: 492

Ko’s: 72.94%

Career: 1968-1995

Record: 77-8, 62Ko’s

Trainers: Lupe Sanchez, Eddie Futch

Manager: Bill Miller

WBA Featherweight Champion

1974 Nov 23 – 1977

WBC Super Featherweight Champion

1978 Jan 28 – 1980

WBC Lightweight Champion

1981 Jun 20 – 1983

Alexis Arguello grew up in Managua, Nicaragua. When the communist Sandinista regime took over after a bloody civil war in 1979, the government seized his property and bank account. One of his brothers was killed fighting against the Sandinistas. Arguello, who moved to Miami during his career, returned home and briefly fought on the side of the Contras.

From a boxing standpoint, his best fighting, though, was done in the ring. He met 14 world champions in his career. At 5-10, he was extremely tall for a featherweight. His height and reach provided him the kind of leverage that resulted in punching power. He turned pro in 1968 and within six years earned a bout against Ernesto Marcel for the WBA featherweight title in Panama City. Arguello lost a decision but earned another title try against fellow Hall-of-Famer Ruben Olivares.

Arguello was trailing on points when he knocked Olivares out in the 13th round. After four title defenses, he moved up and won his second title by knocking out WBC super featherweight champion Alfredo Escalara in 1978.

After six title defenses, Arguello joined the 135-pound ranks. In 1981, he decisioned Jim Watt to win the WBC lightweight crown and he became the sixth man in boxing history to win title in three weight divisions. After four title defenses, Arguello sought yet another challenge.

His goal was to become boxing's first four-division champion when he squared off against WBA junior welterweight king Aaron Pryor. The warriors met before 23,800 fans at Miami's Orange Bowl in 1982. In a classic fight. Pryor scored a dramatic 14th-round knockout.

They met again one year later and Pryor stopped Arguello for a second time and Alexis announced his retirement. But like many fighters, he returned to the ring. He came back several times, winning one fight each in 1985, '86, and '95. In January of 1995, Arguello returned to action again, this time losing a decision to unknown Scott Walker.

Notes:

In his first world title fight, Arguello lost to WBA Featherweight Champion Ernesto Marcel by a fifteen-round unanimous decision on February 16, 1974.

Arguello stopped Ruben Olivares in thirteen rounds to win the WBA Featherweight Championship on November 23, 1974.

After four title defenses at featherweight, Arguello moved up in weight and won the WBC Super Featherweight Championship with a thirteenth-round TKO of Alfredo Escalera on January 28, 1978.

After eight title defenses at super featherweight, Arguello moved up in weight and won the WBC Lightweight Championship with a fifteen-round unanimous decision against Jim Watt on June 20, 1980.

After four title defenses at lightweight, Arguello moved up in weight and challenged Aaron Pryor for the WBA Junior Welterweight Championship on November 12, 1982. Arguello was attempting to become the first fighter to win world titles in four weight divisions. Pryor won by a fourteenth-round TKO.

The Ring Magazine named Pryor vs. Arguello "Fight of the Decade" and the eighth greatest title fight of all-time.

Arguello lost his rematch with Pryor by a tenth-round KO on September 9, 1983.

Arguello was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

The Ring Magazine named Arguello the greatest junior lightweight of all-time in 1994.

The Ring Magazine named Arguello the eighth greatest featherweight of all-time and the twentieth best fighter of the last 80 years in 2002.

The Associated Press named Arguello the best junior lightweight and the sixth best lightweight of the twentieth century in 1999.

Arguello was the flag-bearer for Nicaragua at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Arguello died on July 1, 2009 from a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest.

July 1st

1918: Jack Dempsey KO1 Tom McCarty

1935: Lou Ambers W10 Fritzie Zivic

1947: Willie Pep KO5 Joey Fontana

1951: Ray Robinson TKO4 Cyrille Delannoit

1956: Mike Rossman was born Michael Albert DiPiano in Turnersville, NJ

1966: Sonny Liston TKO7 Gerhard Zech

1967: Carlos Ortiz KO1 Sugar Ramos

1975: Muhammad Ali W15 Joe Bugner

1976: Alfredo Escalera W15 Buzzsaw Yamabe

Juan Guzman W15 Jaime Rios

1977: Wilfred Benítez TKO1 Easy Boy Lake

1979: Juan Guzman W15 Jaime Rios

1983: Las Vegas, Nevada, referee Richard Green who officiated the November 13th, 1982 WBA Lightweight World title fight between defending champion Ray Mancini KO14 challenger Duk Koo Kim (Kim passed four days later of injuries sustained in the bout) passed at home from a self-inflicted gunshot.

1987: Terry Marsh KO6 Akio Kameda

Nigel Benn KO1 Leon Morris

1995: Naseem Hamed K 2 Juan Polo Perez

1997: Nevada Athletic Commission suspends Mike Tyson indefinitely & withholds $20m purse for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during their heavyweight title fight June 28th

2001: Julien Lorcy W12 Takanori Hatakeyama

Ivan Calderon W6 Jose Manuel Ramirez

Miguel Cotto TKO4 Rudolfo Lunsford

2005: Román González age 18 debuts KO2 Ramon Urbina

2007: Takefumi Sakata W12 Roberto Vasquez

2009: Alexis “El Flaco Explosivo” Arguello Passes

2011: Pongsaklek Wonjongkam W12 Takuya Kogawa

Oleydong Sithsamerchai KO1 Petchprakan Manoprungroj

2017: Alexander Povetkin W12 Andriy Rudenko

Jelena Mrdjenovich DSD10 Stephanie Ducastel          

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2023: Natasha Jonas TKO8 Kandi Wyatt

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