Alexis Argüello

Alexis Argüello
Alexis Argüello 2009
Data
Birth Name	Alexis Argüello
Weight class	Super featherweight
nationality	Nicaraguan
birthday	April 19, 1952
place of birth	Managua
Date of death	July 1, 2009
Place of death	Managua
style	Left delivery
size	1.78 m
Combat Statistics
Struggles	90
Victories	82
Knockout victories	65
Defeats	8th

Alexis Argüello Bohórquez (born April 19, 1952 in Managua , Nicaragua , † July 1, 2009 there ) was a world champion in boxing and later a Nicaraguan politician.

The tall standard boom Arguello turned professional in 1968 and fought exclusively in Nicaragua until 1974. He lost his professional debut prematurely and was defeated in two further build-up fights, but was finally allowed to compete in his fortieth professional fight on February 16, 1974 against Ernesto Marcel from Panama for his WBA featherweight title . He lost to him on points, but after Marcel's resignation on November 23 of the same year, he defeated his successor, the Mexican legend Rubén Olivares , by knockout in the thirteenth round and thus became world champion.

By 1976 he defended the title four times, then laid it down and rose to the super featherweight division, which is considered his best class. On January 28, 1978, he beat the respected, at the " Ring Magazine " as the fifth best super featherweight of all time, Puerto Rican Alfredo Escalera in the fight for the WBC world title by technical knockout in the thirteenth round. Escalera was once on the ground, but Escalera's lacerations suffered only from the impact that required the fight to be stopped in favor of Guilless. He defended this belt eight times until 1980, including knockout against Escalera and cut-related termination against Bobby Chacon, until he put it down again to move up another weight class. As early as 1978 he had tried his hand at lightweight in a non-title fight against the Dominican Vilomar Fernandez, but lost immediately, so that he was not finally promoted until 1980.

In 1979, the Sandinista in Nicaragua had taken power and confiscated his property and bank account. One of his brothers was killed fighting them. According to the Hall of Fame Bio, Argüello went back to Nicaragua shortly to fight on the side of the Contras , but it is not entirely clear when that was exactly. Later he changed the political camp (see below).

In 1980 he defeated Cornelius Boza-Edwards in the lightweight by knockout and the Mexican southpaw José Luis Ramírez on points (but was himself on the ground).

On June 20, 1981, he also won the WBC world title in this weight class by winning points against the Briton Jim Watt (which made him the sixth fighter who won the championship belt in three weight classes) and defended the belt four times, including against the undefeated eventual title holder Ray Mancini. Against Andrew Ganagan he had to go back to the ground. But even in this weight class it did not last long, as early as 1982 he went one floor higher in the light welterweight division.

Here, however, he was shown his limits by the undefeated WBA world champion Aaron Pryor , in the two fights for his title Argüello lost prematurely. The first fight on November 12, 1982 ended in controversy when, after the thirteenth round, Pryor's infamous trainer Panama Lewis gave his boxer a drink from a second bottle, which he called the "bottle that I mixed". Pryor finally won in the following fourteenth round by technical knockout. Since nothing other than water is allowed in a boxing match, the WBA ordered the rematch, in which Argüello was also defeated eleven months later. The second defeat against Pryor was practically the end of his career, he struggled with many personal problems (alcohol, divorce etc.) in the period that followed. In 1985/1986 and 1994/1995, however, he returned to the ring for four more fights.

In 1992 Argüello was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame .

On July 1, 2009, Argüello was found dead in his home. After the first investigations by the investigating authorities, a self-inflicted gunshot wound is assumed to be the cause of death.

politics

After the end of his sporting career, Argüello became politically active. After serving as vice mayor since 2004, he was elected mayor of Managua in November 2008. Argüello belonged to the FSLN .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ dts news agency: Ex-boxing world champion Alexis Argüello died , July 1, 2009, accessed on July 1, 2009
2. ↑ La Prensa of July 2, 2009: Nicaragua llora por El Caballero del Ring . Archived from the original on July 5, 2009 ; Retrieved July 2, 2009 . 
3. ^ El Nuevo Diario July 1, 2009, Nicaragua pierde una gloria del deporte nacional

Web links

• Alexis Argüello in the BoxRec database
• Monte Cox: Alexis Arguello, The Explosive Thin Man ... "One of the Greatest Ever"

predecessor	Office	Successor
José Dionisio Marenco Gutiérrez	Mayor of Managua January 1 - July 1, 2009	Daysi Torres