José María Gatica
| José María Gatica | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | José María Gatica |
| Nickname(s) | Mono |
| Rated at | Lightweight |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Born |
25 May 1925 Villa Mercedes, San Luis |
| Died | November 12, 1963 (aged 38) Avellaneda, Buenos Aires |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 96 |
| Wins | 86 |
| Wins by KO | 72 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No contests | 0 |
José María Gatica (25 May 1925 – 12 November 1963) was an Argentine boxer, one of Argentina's most famous sports idols. However, his boxing career was surrounded in controversy due to his support of Argentine President Juan Peron. He was portrayed in the biopic Gatica, el mono, directed by Leonardo Favio in 1993.
José María Gatica was born in Villa Mercedes, San Luis, Argentina. His parents were workers and decided to move to Buenos Aires, when Gatica was 7 years old. At the age of 10, Gatica was shining shoes on the streets of Constitución Station in the Federal Capital.
Gatica's childhood was a "savage" one. He never attended school, and never learned to read or write. His family lived in extreme poverty. The streets were his education and he became good with his fists.
He began his fistic career in unsanctioned fights at the Sailor's Home, where naval men bet on these fights. It was there he was discovered by Lazaro Koczil. Gatica had a wild, free swinging ring style. He came out at the bell throwing non-stop looping punches. His first ring nickname was "The Tiger". Fighting for the Central Club Cabins, Gatica won the Argentine Golden Gloves and decided to embark on a professional career.
Gatica was trained by Nicholas Preziosa and turned pro at the famed Luna Park in Argentina. His exciting style soon caught on to the general public, and José María Gatica became the biggest sport's idol in Argentina. New Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón and his wife Evita became his number one fans. Upon meeting Perón for the first time, Gatica commented: " General... Two powers are greeted." Gatica became a vocal supporter of President Peron and his government.
Gatica was married twice during this time. His first wife was Ema Fernández and they had a daughter, María Eva; named after Argentina's first-lady, Evita Perón. His second wife was Ema "Nora" Guercio, and she and Gatica enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle of fine dining, expensive clothing, sportscars, expensive jewels, and rubbing elbows with the elite of Argentina.
Gatica's dreams of a world title were crushed when he fought World Champion Ike Williams in a non-title bout in the United States. Gatica's wild ring style was a failure against Williams, and he suffered a 1st round knockout loss. However, the loss had no effect on Gatica's popularity in Argentina. Called "El Mono" by his thousands of fans, Gatica returned to Argentina to fight a series of exciting brawls with his arch-Argentine rival Alfredo Prada. Their series of action-packed fights were dubbed, "The Graziano-Zale Fights Argentine Style." 25,000 fans attended their last fight.
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