Alexis Arguello a.okay.a. El Flaco Explosivo (The Explosive Skinny Man) or El Cabellero Del Ring (The
Gentleman of the Ring) is a 3 weight world champion that competed from 1968 to 1995.
He held the WBA Featherweight title from 1974 to 1976; The WBC Tremendous Featherweight title from 1978 to 1980 and the WBC Light-weight title from 1981 to 1982. His checklist of accomplishments additionally consists of holding the Ring Journal title from 1975 to 1977, whereas additionally holding the lineal featherweight crown. From 1981 to 1982he was additionally the Ring Champion, and picked up the lineal light-weight title in 1982.
Alexis Arguello is commonly acknowledged as one of many prime fighters of his period. He has the unimaginable distinction of by no means really dropping his titles within the ring. Every time his title was misplaced, it was executed on his personal accord in an effort to pursue titles in larger weight lessons.
He’s considered top-of-the-line punchers ever within the sport. He stood at 5’10”, which made him
abnormally tall for a fighter competing in decrease weight lessons. He’s typically in comparison with the good Joe
Louis. His basic expertise have been extremely sound, he was environment friendly and calculating, and dissected
opponents with surgicaleon like precision. Like a surgeon, he had had an arsenal of instruments to carry out
with. His jab was image excellent, his left hook was implausible, nevertheless it was his straight proper hand that always
spelled doom for a lot of opponents.
Via 85 whole fights in his profession, he achieved 77 wins, with62 coming by means of KO. This lead him to be ranked because the twentieth biggest puncher of all-time by RingMagazine after they complied their itemizing in 2003. Ring Journal additionally acknowledged him because the twentieth greatest fighter in all of boxing up to now 80 years.
The Starting
Arguello was considered one of eight youngsters and born on April 19, 1952 in Managua, Nicaragua, considered one of eight
youngsters. His father was a shoemaker and his mom a housewife. Arguello and his household labored in
abject poverty in considered one of Managua’s worst neighborhoods. The circumstances the household lived in grew to become so
taxing, that it prompted his father to aim suicide by leaping into an deserted nicely when Argeullo
was simply 5 years previous. 4 years later when he was solely 9, his household knowledgeable him they might no
longer afford to maintain him in class. At that time he determined to run away to work on a dairy farm. On the
age of 13, he relocated to Canada in an effort to offer for his household.
Sadly, tragedy and hardship would outline a lot of Arguello’s adolescence, and finally his
life. Nicaragua was deep within the throes of Civil Warfare through the 70’s. His brother Eduardo joined the
Sandinista Insurgent group, and previous to the top of the battle was captured and killed by Nicaraguan
authorities forces. Regardless of his brother preventing for the rebels, when the Sandinista got here to energy in
1979 they seized his 2 properties, boats, vehicles, and financial institution accounts. The rationale why? He had taken a photograph
with Anastasio Somoza, who occurred to be a hated dictator, which marked Arguello as a authorities
sympathizer.
Featherweight
After a quick beginner profession, the place he compiled a file of 58-2 with 48 KO’s. He made his skilled
debut on October 26, 1968. His early profession would give no indication that Arguello was something particular.
He began out by profitable his first 3 fights. The subsequent two fights, went the other way. He suffered
a shocking KO for which he was by no means capable of search retribution, as a result of his opponent Omar Amaya
by no means fought once more. His second loss can be to Oscar Espinosa by way of break up resolution. He did nevertheless get
revenge on Espinosa, defeating him a yr later by a break up resolution.
After his second defeat he would win 29 out of his subsequent 30 fights. His first likelihood at a championship got here in February of 1974 towards WBA Champion Ernesto Marcel. His first championship would elude him on this evening, as he misplaced a 15 spherical unanimous resolution, in what turned out to be Marcel’s remaining bout of his profession. This may not deter Arguello within the slightest. He picked up 4 extra wins, earlier than difficult Ruben Olivares for the title he was unable to seize in a previous try. In what would develop into a basic struggle, Olivares held an ever so slight lead after 12 rounds. Spherical 13 noticed Arguello cease Olivares and declare his first championship, the WBA Featherweight title. After 4 extra defenses, he relinquished his championship and made the transfer to Tremendous Featherweight.
Tremendous Featherweight
Arguello moved up with a view to problem champion Alfredo Escalera. Escalera was an lively and
completed champion, making 10 defenses of his WBC title. This struggle would go on to be referred to as “The
Bloody Battle of Bayamon”, and is remembered for its brutality. Escalera had his ears, eyes, nostril, and
mouth busted open. Regardless of that Escalera was making a comeback on the scorecards, nevertheless it was not
sufficient, as Argeullo went on to cease him within the thirteenth spherical. His tenure at Tremendous Featherweight was
spectacular. He defeated Escalera in a rematch, then went on to defeat future two-time world champions Bobby Chacon, Rafael Limon, and Ruben Castillo. He additionally defeated Rolando Navarrete who would change into a world champion in his personal proper.
He made 8 profitable defenses of his title earlier than making the transfer to light-weight.
Light-weight
Making the transfer to light-weight, Arguello was looking for his 3 rd world title in 3 divisions. He would
should journey to London, England to take action. He took on WBA Champion Jim Watt. Alexis Arguello went into hostile territory and dominated Watts profitable a unanimous resolution. He grew to become solely the sixth boxer in historical past (on the time) to take action. He defended his title 4 instances on this division, most notably towards Ray “Growth Growth” Mancini. Arguello retained his title by way of a 14th spherical KO. It was after the struggle that Arguello
earned the gentleman moniker, and endeared him to American audiences. He supplied Mancini
help for his father, who on the time was coping with an sickness.
Tremendous Light-weight
Alexis Arguello would transfer to Tremendous Light-weight, in his quest to change into boxing’s 1st 4 division champion. That is the place he would interact within the 2 most notable fights of his profession towards future Corridor of Famer Aaron Pryor. The first struggle occurred on November 12, 1982 in Miami, FL. Pryor and Arguello engaged in a forwards and backwards affair over the course of 13 rounds. In the course of the thirteenth , Arguello landed an enormous proper hand that snapped Pryor’s head again and left him strolling very slowly again to his nook. At this level the struggle grew to become eternally mired in controversy.
In between rounds, Pryor’s coach Panama Lewis requested for a water bottle, particularly asking for “the one I combined”. Nobody will ever really know if the water bottle was tainted, and plenty of have speculated on what might have been within the bottle, particularly contemplating that the Florida State Athletic Fee didn’t carry out a urinalysis after the struggle. Regardless, in spherical 14 Pryor got here out renewed and stopped Arguello within the 14th spherical. Any controversy that existed after the primary struggle rapidly grew to become an afterthought. Arguello gave a spirited effort, however was knocked down thrice earlier than finally being stopped in 10 rounds. The hunt for a 4th world title was over, and so it appears was the illustrious profession of Alexis Arguello. He proclaimed after the struggle “I’m not going to struggle anymore. I stop”
Comeback & Publish Retirement
Like many fighters earlier than him Arguello got here again to struggle for monetary causes. He fought sporadically
between the late 80’s and early 90’s earlier than lastly calling it quits in 1995. He went again to his native
Nicaragua following the loss to Pryor. He fought briefly with the Contras, earlier than switching allegiances to
the Sandinista’s. He was elected to the Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame in 1992, and in 2008 he was
chosen because the flag bearer for Nicaragua within the Beijing Olympics. Later that yr in 2008 he was voted
vice-mayor in his hometown of Managua.
Sadly, after his profession was over, Alexis Arguello struggled with drug habit and melancholy and on July 1, 2009, Alexis Argeullo died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; He was 57 years previous.