Alexis Argüello

Alexis "The Explosive Thin Man" Argüello (born April 19, 1952 in in Managua, Nicaragua), is a former professional Nicaraguan boxer and three time World champion.

Pro career

"The Explosive Thin Man" suffered an unavenged first round TKO loss in his 1968 professional debut, but then won 36 of his next 38 bouts, which then led him to a world Featherweight championship bout against experienced WBA champion Ernesto Marcel of Panama in Panama. The young challenger lost a 15-round unanimous decision in Marcel's retirement bout.

Undaunted, Argüello began another streak of wins, and found himself in the ring with a world champion again, this time challenging Marcel's successor to the throne, Mexican world champion Ruben Olivares in Los Angeles. After Olivares 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 pain expression 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 defended this title a few times, then 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 "Ring Magazine" writers) consider one of the most brutal fights in history, Escalera had his eye, mouth and nose busted 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 world champion Bobby Chacon, former world champion "Rafael 'Bazooka' Limon", Ruben Castillo, and Diego Alcala, 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.

Argüello then moved up in weight again, and this time he had to go to London, England, to challenge world Lightweight champion 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 3 divisions, and the second Latin American (after Wilfred Benitez had become the first by beating Maurice Hope one month before) to do it. He had to face some less known challengers in this division, one exception being the famous prospect Ray 'Boom-Boom' Mancini, who would later be the subject of a made for television movie. 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.

Battles with Aaron Pryor

After defeating James 'Bubba' Busceme by sixth round stoppage, Argüello decided to move up in weight class time again, and on November 12, 1982, he tried to become the first world champion in 4 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. He was stopped in 14. A controversy erupted over a specific water bottle requested by trainer Panama Lewis which Pryor drank from before the start of the fourteenth. Because the newly created Miami Boxing Commission had neglected to perform a post-fight urinalysis, a rematch was ordered. This time, in Las Vegas, Arguello 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 Contras in his native Nicaragua, but after a few months in the jungle he retired from the war. [ [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1120040/7/index.htm "Adrift in a Sea of Choices"] , Sports Illustrated, October 21, 1985 ] 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 82 wins, 8 losses, and 65 KO:s after a ten round decision loss to Scott Walker.

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 Beijing Olympics. [ [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/10/content_8520904.htm "Alexis Arguello to bear Nicaraguan flag in Bejing Olympics"] , Xinhua, July 9, 2008] .

He remains very friendly today with his old rival Aaron Pryor, and the pair still see each other several times a year. He is also now involved in Nicaraguan politics, and, in 2004, he was elected vice-mayor of Managua.

Arguello Now Running For Mayor of Managua

On March 6, 2008, Argüello was nominated by the Sandinista National Liberation Front--the same party against whom he took up arms in the 1980s--to run for mayor of capital city Managua in upcoming open elections. Argüello will run for the mayoral office in the upcoming November 2008 elections against the candidate of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party, Eduardo Montealegre, who came in second to Daniel Ortega in the 2006 presidential election.

See also

* List of lightweight boxing champions

* List of WBC world champions
* List of boxing triple champions‎

References

External links

*
* [http://www.tigerboxing.com/articles/index.php?aid=1001244863 Ian Palmer's TigerBoxing article on Argüello]
* [http://www.braggingrightscorner.com/freemanarguello.html Aladdin Freeman's BraggingRights Interview With Arguello 2004 ]
* [http://www.pr-inside.com/ex-world-boxing-champ-alexis-arguello-to-r475485.htm Arguello Reference: Running For Mayor in 2008]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeiZHmRiaUs Latin Legends Profile Arguello Historical Film Clip on Youtube ]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10WuorTAcK8 Highlights of Alexis Arguello's 1986 Comeback Bout Against Bily Costello on Youtube ]