Boxer and politician; Born April 19, 1952; Died July 1, 2009. Alexis Arguello, who has died aged 57 from a single gun-shot to his chest in an apparent suicide, was the Nicaraguan boxer who ended Scottish great Jim Watt's reign as world champion and went on to become mayor of his country's capital city last year. He had spoken publicly of his struggle with depression, alcohol and drug use.
Boxer and politician; Born April 19, 1952; Died July 1, 2009.
Alexis Arguello, who has died aged 57 from a single gun-shot to his chest in an apparent suicide, was the Nicaraguan boxer who ended Scottish great Jim Watt's reign as world champion and went on to become mayor of his country's capital city last year. He had spoken publicly of his struggle with depression, alcohol and drug use.
He outfought Watt at Wembley Arena in June 1981, and won the bout on points. The judges gave him a unanimous 15-round decision, making him only the sixth boxer to win world titles in three divisions: lightweight, featherweight and super-featherweight.
Nicknamed the Explosive Thin Man, he retired in 1995 and in 1999 was voted best junior lightweight and sixth-best lightweight of the twentieth century. His popularity at home was so great that he carried the flag for Nicaragua at the Beijing Olympics.
"Not only was he one of the greatest fighters I've ever seen, he was the most intelligent," said Bob Arum, who promoted some of his biggest fights. "He was a ring tactician. Every move was thought out. And he was a wonderful, wonderful person."
Arguello turned professional in 1968. Six years later he knocked out Olivares in the 13th round to win the world featherweight title. He went on to win the super-featherweight and lightweight titles, his 5ft 10ins frame allowing him to move up in weight without losing his tremendous punching power. He was considered for a while the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
He moved up in weight again in November 1982 to challenge Pryor for the 140-pound belt, a match billed as Battle of the Champions.
The two waged an epic battle in Miami before Pryor knocked out Arguello in the fourteenth round.
"It was a brutal, brutal fight," Arum said. "That was something I will never, ever forget as long as I live."
It was claimed that Pryor's trainer gave him a water bottle after the 13th round containing an illegal substance - an accusation Pryor denied. A rematch was ordered and they met again a year later in Las Vegas. This time, Pryor knocked out Arguello in the 10th round.
Arguello announced after the fight that he would retire but he returned to win two fights in 1985 and 1986. After that, he did not step in the ring until 1994, when he made a brief comeback. He retired for good the following year.
He fought against the Sandinista government in the 1980s after it seized his property and bank account, but later joined the party and ran for mayor of Managua last November. He won, though opponents alleged the vote was fraudulent.
His death prompted Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to announce he was cancelling a trip to Panama for the inauguration of President-elect Ricardo Martinelli. "This is a heartbreaking announcement," said a presidential spokeswoman. "He was the champion of the poor, an example of forgiveness and reconciliation."
- By FILADELFO ALEMAN
