Editing Alexis Argüello (section)

== Boxing career ==
=== Featherweight ===
Argüello debuted on October 26, 1968, trained by former boxer Miguel Angel Rivas. After winning his first 3 fights, "The Explosive Thin Man" suffered an unavenged fourth-round KO loss, followed by another split decision loss. Argüello would then win 29 of his next 30 bouts over the next 5 years, including a win over [[José Legrá]]. Eventually, Argüello earned a world [[featherweight]] championship bout against experienced [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] champion [[Ernesto Marcel]]. The fight took place in Panama, Marcel's home country. The young challenger lost a 15-round unanimous decision in the champion's retirement bout. Months after Marcel's retirement, the WBA featherweight title was won by former unified [[bantamweight]] champion [[Rubén Olivares]].

Undaunted, Argüello put together another streak of wins and found himself contending for the WBA featherweight, this time against Olivares in the latter's first defense. The fight took place at [[The Forum (Inglewood, California)|The Forum]] in Inglewood on November 23, 1974. After Olivares had built a small lead on the judges' scorecards, Argüello and Olivares landed simultaneous left hooks in round thirteen. Olivares's left hand caused a visible expression of pain on Argüello's face, but Argüello's left hand caused Olivares to crash hard against the canvas. A few seconds later, Argüello was the new featherweight champion of the world.

Argüello's first defense came against Venezuelan featherweight champion Leonel Hernández. Once again, Argüello fought in enemy territory, as the fight took place in Caracas. Nevertheless, Argüello made short work of his challenger, stopping him by technical knockout in the 8th round. His first defense in Nicaragua was against Rigoberto Riasco. Argüello dominated once again, this time stopping Riasco in the second round. Next up for Argüello would be [[Royal Kobayashi]], a highly touted Japanese challenger who was undefeated until then. After a tense, close start, Argüello's relentless body-punching broke Kobayashi halfway through the fifth round, with the challenger dropping to the canvas twice.

=== Junior lightweight ===
After a successful fourth defense, Argüello moved up in weight to challenge world [[junior lightweight]] champion [[Alfredo Escalera]] in [[Bayamón]], [[Puerto Rico]], in what has been nicknamed ''[[The Bloody Battle of Bayamon]]'' by many. Escalera had been a busy champion with ten defenses, and he had dethroned [[Kuniaki Shibata]] in 2 rounds in Tokyo. In what some experts (including ''[[The Ring (magazine)|The Ring]]'' writers) consider one of the most brutal fights in history, Escalera had his eye, mouth and nose broken early but was rallying back in the scorecards when Argüello finished him, once again in the thirteenth round.

His reign at Junior Lightweight saw him fend off the challenges of Escalera in a rematch held at [[Rimini]], Italy, as well as former and future world champion [[Bobby Chacon]], future two-time world champion [[Rafael Limón|Rafael "''Bazooka''" Limón]], [[Ruben Castillo (boxer)|Ruben Castillo]], future champion [[Rolando Navarrete]], and Diego Alcalá, beaten in only one round.

Argüello suffered many cuts around his face during his second victory against Escalera. The on-site doctor wanted him hospitalized, but Argüello had a flight to catch from [[Rome]] the next day to return to Nicaragua, and he boarded a train from Rimini. The doctor decided to travel with Argüello, and performed [[plastic surgery]] on Argüello's cuts with Argüello awake.

=== Lightweight ===
After eight successful title defenses, Argüello then moved up in weight again, and this time, he had to go to London, England, to challenge world lightweight champion [[Jim Watt (boxer)|Jim Watt]]. Watt lasted fifteen rounds, but the judges gave Argüello a unanimous 15-round decision, thus making him only the sixth boxer to win world titles in three divisions and the second Latin American (after [[Wilfred Benítez]] had become the first by beating [[Maurice Hope]] one month before) to do it. He had to face some lesser-known challengers in this division, one exception being the famous prospect [[Ray Mancini]] (known as "Boom Boom"). Mancini and Argüello engaged in a fight that was later showcased in a boxing video of the best fights of the 1980s, with Argüello prevailing by stoppage when he decked Mancini in round 14. After the fight, Argüello gained many American fans when he embraced Mancini and told a [[CBS]] television audience that he would do anything to help Mancini's father, who at the time was dealing with illness. [[Andrew Ganigan]] proved to be one of Argüello's toughest challenges as he dropped Argüello in the second round, but ultimately, the defending champion prevailed by stopping Ganigan in the fifth.

=== Junior welterweight ===
==== Battles with Aaron Pryor ====
{{Main article|The Battle of the Champions (boxing)}}
Argüello successfully defended his lightweight title four times. After defeating James 'Bubba' Busceme by sixth round stoppage, Argüello decided to move up in weight class again, and on November 12, 1982, he tried to become the first world champion in four different categories, meeting the heavier and future Hall-of-Famer [[Aaron Pryor]], in what was billed as "The Battle of the Champions" in [[Miami, Florida]]. Argüello was stopped in the 14th round. The fight sparked controversy because Pryor's trainer, [[Panama Lewis]], introduced a second water bottle, which he described as "the bottle I mixed" after round 13, leading to speculation that the bottle was tainted. The Florida State Boxing Commission failed to administer a post-fight [[urinalysis]], adding to speculation that the bottle contained an unsanctioned substance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.secondsout.com/Columns/index.cfm?cs=3919&ccs=208 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202014652/http://www.secondsout.com/Columns/index.cfm?cs=3919&ccs=208 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-02-02 |title=SecondsOut Boxing News - Thomas Hauser - Reflections on Lewis-Tyson |website=Secondsout.com |date=2003-01-29 |access-date=2016-12-25 }}</ref><ref name="Ltd 2009">{{cite web  | title=The Hawk's Tale | website=boxing-monthly.co.uk | date=26 November 2005 | url=http://www.boxing-monthly.co.uk/content/0511/two.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426152040/http://www.boxing-monthly.co.uk/content/0511/two.htm | archive-date=26 April 2009 | url-status=dead | access-date=3 November 2019}}</ref> Lewis claimed at various times that the bottle was filled with peppermint [[schnapps]] or [[Perrier]] to help Pryor deal with an upset stomach. It was later revealed in an interview with former Lewis-trained boxer [[Luis Resto (boxer)|Luis Resto]] that Lewis would break apart [[antihistamine]] pills used to treat [[asthma]] and pour the medicine into the water, giving Lewis's fighter greater lung capacity in the later rounds of a fight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2009/07/29/0729panama_lewis.html |title=Controversial boxing trainer Panama Lewis still hoping for another chance |access-date=2009-08-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805081255/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2009/07/29/0729panama_lewis.html |archive-date=2009-08-05 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbssports.com/boxing/story/12007362 |title='Assault in the Ring' a must-see for Margarito - Boxing - CBSSports.com |access-date=2009-08-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010163940/http://www.cbssports.com/boxing/story/12007362 |archive-date=2012-10-10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-hbodoc072209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns |title='Assault in the Ring' a chilling tale - Boxing - Yahoo! Sports |access-date=2014-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727122851/http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-hbodoc072209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns |archive-date=2009-07-27 }}</ref> Others say that there was a mixture of cocaine, honey and orange juice in the bottle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxing.com/the_final_chapter_pryor_argueello_saga_panama_lewis_and_the_black_bottle.html |title=The Final Chapter: Pryor-Argüello I – Panama Lewis and the Black Bottle |website=Boxing.com |date=2012-11-22 |access-date=2016-12-25 |archive-date=2015-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194535/http://www.boxing.com/the_final_chapter_pryor_argueello_saga_panama_lewis_and_the_black_bottle.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A rematch was ordered. This time, in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], Argüello was KO-ed in the tenth and stated after the fight, "I'm not going to fight anymore. I quit." But he later returned to the ring for financial reasons.

===Comeback and post-retirement===
During the 1980s, Argüello briefly fought with the [[Contra (guerrillas)|Contras]] in his native [[Nicaragua]], but after a few months in the jungle, he retired from the war.<ref>[https://vault.si.com/vault/1985/10/21/adrift-sea-choices "Adrift in a Sea of Choices"], Sports Illustrated, October 21, 1985</ref> He then attempted several comebacks into boxing during the late 1980s and early 1990s and had some success, most notably a fourth round stoppage of former World Junior Welterweight Champion Billy Costello in a 1986 televised bout that put him in a position for another shot at the Junior Welterweight title. He retired for good in 1995 with a record of 82 wins, 8 losses, and 65 KOs, along with the recognition of being one of the sport's most universally respected fighters among fans, experts, and boxers.

Argüello was elected to the [[International Boxing Hall Of Fame]] in 1992. In 2008, he was honored by being selected as Nicaragua's flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony of the [[2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing Olympics]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080729011202/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/10/content_8520904.htm "Alexis Arguello to bear Nicaraguan flag in Beijing Olympics"], Xinhua, July 9, 2008</ref>