Luis Angel Firpo

1894-1960

Firpo was born on October 11, 1894, in Junín, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 9 he moved with his family to Buenos Aires and at the age of 20 he began training with amateurs boxers. He is considered the father of Argentine boxing, for the massive devotion and support after his fight with Jack Dempsey in 1923.

On December 10, 1917 he began his professional career, measuring 1,88 meter and weighing 98 kilos. He was then nicknamed  "The wild bull of the Pampas ", after an American journalist saw him bleeding badly during a fight, but staying on his feet

On April 30, 1920 he became the South American Champion, after a KO in the first against Dave Mills, in Santiago de Chile; where he had arrived by foot (crossing the Andes), due to lack of money for transportation..

With anyone knowing he had a fractured humero, on September 14, 1923, he fought for the World Heavy Weight Championship in New York against Jack Dempsey. The fight turned into a myth and many people think that it was the biggest fight of all the times. Jack Dempsey defeated Firpo by K.O. in the second round, after being thrown out of the ring in the Polo Grounds of New York.

During this intense and historical fight, Firpo fell approximately seven times in the first round; but at two minutes and a half of the first round, after his seventh fall, he recovered and hit Dempsey so hard that he threw him out of the ring for 17 seconds. There was a lot of controversy around this fall because the umpire did not end the fight and ultimately Firpo was defeated. The umpire,  Johnny Gallagher, was suspended for five weeks by the Municipal Commission of New York. That day Firpo became a boxing legend for Argentinean fans.

In 1926 he retired from boxing after defeating Spalla for the second time; but returned one more time ten years later at the age 41.

On June 11, 1936 he fought his last fight, at Luna Park Stadium, abandoning in the third round. His records indicate that he won 31 fights, tied 7 and lost 4.

He died on August 7, 1960.