Alexis
Arguello (April 19, 1952-July 1, 2009) was a Nicaraguan professional
boxer who competed from 1968 to 1995, and later became a politician.
He was a three-weight world champion having held the WBA featherweight
title from 1974-1976; the WBC super featherweight title from 1978
to 1980; and the WBC lightweight title from 1981 to 1982.
After a successful fourth defense, Arguello moved up in
weight to challenge world junior lightweight champion Alfredo Escalara
in Bayamon, 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 writers) consider one the most brutal
fights in history, Escalera had his eye, mouth and nose broken early,
but was rallying back in the scorecards when Arguello 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 "Bazooka" Lion, Ruben Castillo, future
champion Rolando Navarrete, and Diego Alcala, beaten in only one round.
Arguello
suffered many cuts around his face during his second victory against
Escalera. The on-site doctor wanted him hospitalized, but Arguello
had a flight to catch to Rome the next day to return to Nicaragua,
and he boarded a train from Rimini. The doctor decided to travel with
Arguello, and performed plastic surgery on Arguello's cuts with Arguello
awake.
After eight successful title defenses, Arguello
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 Arguello 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 Wildred 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 Mancini (known as "Boom
Boom" Mancini). Mancini and Arguello engaged in a fight that was later
showcased in a boxing video of the best fights of the 1980s, with
Arguello prevailing by stoppage when he decked 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 Arguello's toughest challenges as he dropped Arguello
in the second round, but ultimately the defending champion prevailed
by stopping Ganigan in the fifth.
Battles with Aaron
Pryor
Arguello successfully defended his lightweight title four times.
After defeating James 'Bubba' Busceme by sixth round stoppage, Arguello
decided to move up in weight class 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 AAaron Pryor, in what
was billed as The Battle of the Champions in Miami, Florida. Arguello
was stopped in the 14th round. The fight sparked controversy, however,
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 the bottle contained an unsanctioned substance. 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 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. Others say that
there was a mixture of cocaine, honey and orange juice in the bottle.