One of many biggest, most beloved world champions, Nicaragua’s Alexis Arguello, died on this present day 15 years in the past. “The Explosive Skinny Man,” a world ruler at three weights – featherweight, tremendous featherweight, light-weight – reportedly dedicated suicide with a rifle, with the 57-year-old supposedly firing two bullets into his personal coronary heart.
The boxing world was each saddened and shocked. But, as is the case with fellow ring warrior Arturo Gatti, loads of folks have an actual drawback in terms of accepting the truth that Arguello, a fearless fighter, gave in and took his personal life. The theories abound to this present day – with some folks strongly suggesting Arguello, who had gotten into politics after leaving the ring, was killed in Managua on account of his disenchantment with the highly effective Daniel Ortega regime. We are going to by no means know.
However within the ring, Arguello was all however unbeatable. All through some 85 professional fights, Arguello received 77. On the identical time, when it comes to his eight losses, three got here early in his profession, and one got here proper on the finish when Alexis was well beyond his finest. On the identical time, the opposite losses got here in opposition to nice fighters, Ernesto Marcel (a factors loss in Arguello’s first try at profitable the featherweight title), Vilomar Fernandez (through MD), and Aaron Pryor, who bested Arguello twice up at 140 kilos.
Arguello was a machine within the ring: blessed with unimaginable stamina, a brilliant, enviable ring IQ, precision punching, an incredible chin, glorious steadiness, and a willingness to battle the perfect of the perfect.
Among the many tremendous fighters Arguello defeated are Ruben Olivares, Royal Kobayashi, Alfredo Escalera, Rafael “Bazooka” Limon, Bobby Chacon, Ruben Castillo, Cornelius Boza-Edwards, Jose Luis Ramirez, Jim Watt, Ray Mancini.
Within the first struggle Alexis engaged in with “Hawk” Pryor, it has at all times been strongly instructed that the notorious coach, Panama Lewis, assisted his fighter Pryor by means of his ‘black bottle. ‘ The story of how a instantly energized Pryor got here out full of fireplace and fury within the 14th spherical, getting the brutal stoppage win, is an typically repeated one. Once more, we are going to by no means know for certain what occurred.
After a return loss to Pryor, Arguello boxed simply 4 extra instances, profitable two within the Eighties. A 42-year-old Arguello then went 1-1 in a comeback launched in 1994. Elected into the Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame in 1992, Arguello stays a real hero to thousands and thousands.
Had he lived, had Arguello not been murdered, or had he not dedicated suicide, the previous three-weight king could be 72 years outdated as we speak and residing the lifetime of a boxing idol.
No matter you’re feeling occurred to Alexis Arguello on this present day 15 years in the past, it must be agreed by all that we misplaced an incredible one far too quickly.
