Luis Ángel Firpo
| Luis Ángel Firpo | |
|---|---|
Firpo pictured on El Gráfico, in 1923.
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | El Toro Salvaje de las Pampas |
| Height | 6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m) |
| Born | 11 October 1894 Junín, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Died | August 7, 1960 (aged 65) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
Luis Ángel Firpo (October 11, 1894 – August 7, 1960) was an Argentine boxer.
Born in Junín, Argentina, he was nicknamed The Wild Bull of the Pampas.
In 1917, Firpo began his professional boxing career by beating Frank Hagney by a decision in six in Buenos Aires. Originally declared a no decision, the bout's result was later changed to a win for Firpo.
For his second bout, he traveled, in January 1918, to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he suffered his first defeat, a first round knockout at the hands of Angel Rodriguez. He put a string of six wins in a row after that, and so on November 1, 1919, he found himself challenging Dave Mills in Santiago, for the South American Heavyweight title. He lost on that occasion by a decision in 15 rounds, but then came back with a win over Andres Balsa by a knockout in round six.
On April 20, 1920, he and Mills had a rematch and Firpo won the title with a first round knockout. After one more win, he and Mills faced each other in a rubber match, and the result was the same as that of their second bout: Firpo the winner by a knockout in the first. In 1921, the quality of Firpo's challengers improved, when he defeated fringe contender Gunboat Smith twice, the first by decision in 12 and the second by knockout, also in 12.
In 1922, he continued his rise in the Heavyweight rankings by winning all four of his fights by a knockout.
Firpo began 1923 by knocking out former title challenger Bill Brennan in the 12th round. He followed that with seven more wins in a row, including wins over Jack McAuliffe and former world champion Jess Willard. After a win against Charlie Weinert, Firpo challenged world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey at New York City on September 14, becoming the first Latin American in history to challenge for the title.
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