Why is Luis Angel Firpo in the IBHOF?

Because any man that can knock Jack Dempsey out of the ring should be in the HOF.

 

Because he participated in a culturally significant fight.

 

Literally this it’s a famous painting and an iconic bout connected to someone as big as Babe Ruth - Sly Stallone is also in the HOF right?

 

Basically the same reason Corbett and Kilrain are there

 

Firpo was huge in Latin America

How huge?

He has streets named after him in different countries and a football team also named after him in El Salvador, which is near Mexico, which is the polar opposite of Argentina in Latin America, map-wise (well, Mexico Cuba and Puerto Rico all are, actually).

Plus you need to take into account it was the 1920s, a singular champion in every division and no regular, super, interim, etc champions. It was much harder to get a title chance, let alone a world title.

He deserves to be in.

 

And Jose Sulaiman...

 

Fat Boy Meehan ought to be as well, given that he actually beat Dempsey.

 

In speed boxing. He was much better at speed boxing.

 

Don't you know..?

 

Theres some truth to this but its sort of a Zhang situation. Zhangs resume wouldn't normally merit HOF induction but hes going to get it because hes Chinese and was a founding father of the sport for such a large part of the global population. Firpo had a far greater cultural impact and you could argue before Pele he was the most famous South American sportsman. Its the Hall of "Fame" and Firpo was very famous.


Firpo also beat Ermino Spalla and Weinart(they were 1-1). The former was an IBU champ and the latter was a perenial top 10 HW for like 10 years. Weinart went almost undefeated at LHW before he made the jump and probably deserves to make the IBHOF. McAuliffe was undefeated at the time they fought too. Firpos resume is light by the standards of the day but when you've got people calling Usyk the HW GOAT after 7 fights its hard to keep guys like Firpo out of the HOF.

Botha might have fought almost everyone but he did lose almost all those fights to a man. He also had his belt taken away because of PEDs.

 

He’s in because
1.he broke a glass ceiling with South American sports.
2. He engaged in what was deemed the most exciting sporting event (not just boxing all of sports) of the first half of the 20th century.
3. One of the most famous sports related artworks depicts his finest moment.

Does that get him into my hall of fame no way. He’s not in for merit.
However on a whole and especially in the modern era category Boxing has kept induction into the heavyweight division to be a premium. I believe the only non lineal HW to gain induction is Norton.

 

He fought what was called the Fight of The Century in those days.

 

I'm a bit confused by some of the answer but I don't have a problem with Firpo either.

You guys do know Tex manufactured Firpo? He tried to do the same with Uzcudun later but Paulion picked up too many Ls.


Got to be good to be lucky, but Firpo's a spot of luck. Fame, sure, plenty, and so IBHF, sure, but the praise from the fans like he's special ... eh... crack a book.