Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Luis Ángel Firpo, (October 11, 1894? - August 7,
1960), better known as Luis Firpo was a
boxing|boxer of enormous transcendence in Latin
America. Born in the Junín, Argentina area, he
was nicknamed The Wild Bull of The Pampas.

In 1917, Firpo began his professional boxing
career by beating Frank Hagney by a decision in
six in Buenos Aires. Originally declared a no
decision, the bout's result was later changed to a
win for Firpo. 

For his second bout, he traveled, on January 1918,
to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he suffered his
first defeat, a first round knockout at the hands
of Angel Rodriguez. He put a string of six wins in
a row after that, and so on November 1 of 1919, he
found himself challenging Dave Mills in Santiago,
Chiie|Santiago, for the South America|South
American Heavyweight title. He lost on that
occasion by a decision in 15 rounds, but then came
back with a win over Andres Balsa by a knockout in
round six.

On April 20 of 1920, he and Mills had a rematch
and Firpo won the title with a first round
knockout. After one more win, he and Mills faced
each other in a rubber match, and the result was
the same as that of their second bout: Firpo the
winner by a knockout in the first. In 1921, Firpo
had a raise in quality of opposition, when he
defeated fringe contender Gumboat Smith twice, the
first by decision in 12 and the second by
knockout, also in 12.

In 1922, he continued his raise in the Heavyweight
rankings by winning all four of his fights by a
knockout.

Firpo began 1923 by knocking out former title
challenger Bill Brennan in the 12th round. He
followed that with seven more wins in a row,
including wins over Jack McAuliffe and former
world champion Jess Willard. After a win against
Charlie Weinert, Firpo challenged world
Heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, at New York on
September 14. Firpo became the first hispanic in
history to challenge for the world's Heavyweight
championship when he met Dempsey. Firpo was
floored seven times before he trapped Dempsey
against the ropes and launched a combination that
sent Dempsey out of the ring in round one. Dempsey
hit his head against a writer's typing machine,
and for one moment, it looked as if Firpo would
become the first hispanic in history to become
world Heavyweight champion. But Dempsey got up at
the count of nine, and proceeded to knock Firpo
out in round two. This fight has been called by
critics and experts as one of the greatest fights
in history. Despite losing, Firpo gained
substantial fame all over Latin America after this
bout, as many people on different parts of that
region spoke about his feat of dropping Dempsey. 

In 1924, Firpo won his first three fights by
knockout, but then lost his last two by decision,
the last of which was to legendary Black
challenger Harry Wills.

He retired for a short period, but came back in
1926 to beat Erminio Spalla by a decision in ten.
Then, he kept away from the fight game for nine
years, but he attempted another comeback in 1936,
winning two fights before being beaten by a
knockout in three by future Joe Louis challenger
Arturo Godoy.

Firpo's popularity around Latin America could not
be measured until years later, when a professional
soccer|football team in El Salvador, a Latin
American country that is thousands of miles away
from Firpo's Argentina, was named after him. In
addition, various schools, streets and avenues
across Latin America have been named after him.

Firpo had a record of 32 wins and 6 losses in 38
fights, with 26 wins by knockout.

Afterwards, he became a car-dealer and a rancher.

On his passing in 1960, Luis Firpo was buried in
La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires.

==See also==
Jack Dempsey versus Luis Firpo

== External links ==

* http://www.genetunney.org/magazine34.html Gene
Tunney's description of Firpo's multimillionaire
success after retirement from the ring.