Luis Ángel Firpo

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Luis Ángel Firpo (October 11, 1894 – August 7, 1960) was an Argentine boxer. Born in Junín, Argentina, he was nicknamed The Wild Bull of the Pampas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was the first Latin American in history to challenge for the world heavyweight title. His bout against Jess Willard set a world record for boxing attendance at the time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His 1923 heavyweight title fight against Jack Dempsey was named Ring Magazine Fight of the Year for 1923.

Firpo was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the Old Timer category as part of the class of 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Boxing career

In 1922 he arrived in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He rose quickly in the Heavyweight rankings by winning all four of his fights that year by knockout. The first three in the United States made him a national hero in Argentina.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He returned to his home town Buenos Aires to fight Jim Tracey in front of 20,000 spectators. Firpo won by knockout in the 4th round.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Luis Firpo, G. Widmer, A. Mayer, J. DeForest (cropped).jpg

Firpo and his handlers

Firpo began 1923 at Madison Square Garden knocking out former title challenger Bill Brennan in the 12th round with a right. Brennan had to be taken to the hospital afterwards for a concussion. "Dempsey never hit me any harder than this fellow," said Brennan. Adding that he couldn't wear his old hat because his head was too swollen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He followed that with seven more wins in a row, including a win over former world champion Jess Willard. Willard was 41 at the time, and his age forced the bout to be moved from New York to New Jersey.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The event drew enormous interest, as 100,000 fight fans crowded the event with an estimated 25,000 more turned away, an attendance which set a world record for boxing at the time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After a win against Charley Weinert, Luis Firpo was scheduled for a heavyweight title shot against Jack Dempsey.

Firpo was the first Latin American in history to challenge for the world heavyweight title. In anticipation for the Dempsey-Firpo bout, a Firpo sparring session drew a crowd of 12,000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The match was at the Polo Grounds, normal capacity 55,000, but an additional 20,000 seats were constructed bringing the total to 75,000 for the fight,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> later expanded to 83,000. The police estimated that 150,000 people showed up, including a mass extending a quarter mile in every direction around the arena.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Bellows George Dempsey and Firpo 1924.jpg

Firpo sending Dempsey outside the ring; Dempsey and Firpo, 1923 painting by George Bellows

Firpo was floored seven times in the first round of the bout, before he trapped Dempsey against the ropes and launched a combination that sent the champion out of the ring. Dempsey was helped into the ring at the count of nine (in spite of having been seventeen seconds outside the ring; fighters are given a twenty-second count when they are knocked through the ropes). After getting back in the ring Dempsey took 13 consecutive shots from Firpo.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the second round Dempsey rallied and knocked out Firpo. It was named Ring Magazine Fight of the Year for 1923.

He returned to Argentina for a period, fighting only 3 official bouts while he planned another return to the United States. Originally planned as a 10 match tour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 80,000 attended his fight against Harry Wills,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> however he was defeated. He followed that with a loss against Charley Weinert, who Firpo had previously beaten. Both were by newspaper decision.

Retirement

Afterwards, Firpo became a car-dealer for Stutz and a rancher. By 1940 he was ranching on a large scale in Carlos Casares with 8,000 cattle, 4,000 sheep and 400 horses. He discovered the boxer Abel Cestac in July 1940.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Firpo and Jack Dempsey agreed to jointly manage Cestac, who went on to become the South American heavyweight champion.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On his passing in 1960, Luis Firpo was buried in La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. His mausoleum has a statue of him at the front.<ref>The Rough Guide to Buenos Aires</ref>

Legacy

File:Firpo tomb recoleta.JPG

Luis Angel Firpo vault in the Cemetery of Recoleta, Buenos Aires, where his remains were interred

Firpo's popularity around Latin America was immeasurable. Years later, C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo, a professional football team in El Salvador was named after him. In addition, various schools, streets, and avenues across Latin America have been named after him.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The painting Dempsey and Firpo by George Bellows has appeared in many films including Goodfellas, and television including The Simpsons with Homer Simpson in the place of Firpo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With some calling it "the most influential sports painting ever."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2003, he was named by The Ring as one of the 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Professional boxing record

References

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External links

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Gene Tunney's description of Firpo's multimillionaire success after retirement from the ring.
22-9-1923, El Gráfico, Firpo vs. Dempsey
Un KO di 17 secondi (IT) - Dempsey vs. Firpo, un "match" indimenticabile
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