Pascual Pérez (boxer)

Pascual Nicolás Pérez (March 4, 1926 – January 22, 1977) was an Argentine flyweight boxer. Pérez was born in Tupungato in the Mendoza Province of Argentina, he went on to make history by becoming Argentina's first world boxing champion.

Ironically, Pérez usually did poor at the ticket gates in Argentina after he became world champion, forcing him to defend his world title on the road many times and to become known as a world-travelling champion. His first international success was a gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in United Kingdom.

In December 5, 1952, Pérez beat José Ciorino by knockout in round four at the small Argentine city of Gerly, to begin his professional boxing career. After winning his first six fights by knockout, he challenged Marcelo Quiroga, November 11 of 1953, for the Argentine Flyweight title, winning the fight by a fourth round knockout at Buenos Aires.

Pérez's knockout streak reached 18 knockouts in a row, and it lasted until he met Juan Bishop, on April 22, 1954, winning by a ten round decision.

On July 24 of that year, and with a record of 23 wins, no losses, with 22 wins by knockout, Pérez met Yoshio Shirai, who, coincidentally, had been Japan's first world champion in history, in a non-title fight held at Buenos Aires. The fight was declared a draw (tie) by the judges after ten rounds, and a rematch was set, this time with the world Flyweight title at stake.

On November 26 of '54, Pérez fought what was both his first fight abroad outside the Olympics, and his first world title fight. He made history by beating Shirai by a fifteen round decision, becoming Argentina's first world champion boxer, in Tokyo.

Over the course of Pérez's next thirty fights, he would defend his title only nine times, lose for the first time, and fight in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Curaçao, Japan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Thailand, Uruguay and Venezuela. Many of his fights would have been title fights, but some of his opponents were not able to make the Flyweight division's 112 pound weight limit, so Pérez often had to settle for non-title wins instead. He lost his undefeated record to Japan's Sadao Yaoita on January 16 of 1959, by a ten round decision in Tokyo. Among the fighters he defeated to retain his world title were Dai Dower (by a first round knockout), Dommy Ursua (by a fifteen round decision) and Yaoita in a rematch, by a thirteenth round knockout.

Pérez would lose his title to another first time world champion, Thailand's Pone Kingpetch, who made history for his country by beating Pérez by a fifteen round decision at Bangkok on April 16, 1960. A rematch between Pérez and Kingpetch was fought on September 22 of the same year, at Los Angeles, but Pérez's first fight in the United States was also his first knockout defeat, as he was beaten in eight rounds by Kingpetch.

Pérez's next twenty eight opponents had a combined record of 0-61-1, and Pérez beat each of them. Faced with perennial world title contender Bernardo Caraballo in Colombia, however, Pérez lost by a ten round decision on July 23, 1963.

He finished his career with fights in Ecuador, Mexico and Panama, losing a third round knockout to future world Bantamweight champion Efren Torres on his fight in Mexican soil.

Pérez had a record of 84 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, with 58 knockouts, number which places him in the exclusive group of boxers to have won 50 or more fights by knockout.

He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.On his death in 1977, Pascual Pérez was interred in the La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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