Alexis Arguello's career summation : woz hi rili det gr8 ?

Could n't agree more :good

 

I watched his career and fights live back in the 70s and early 80s. One of top 10 greatest fighters of my time. When I think one punch ko power he is the first I think of.

 

It was a pretty decent assortment of single shot inflicted wins over a good span of time. Salvador Torres [who has posted on this forum], Escalera II [with a hook to the chin after a grueling war], Ganigan [with a right uppercut to the solar plexus], Rooney [with the definitive straight right cross knockout win of his career] and Costello [with another right hand Billy could not recover from] were some of the higher profile knockouts he produced as a result of one punch. [He also knocked out Royal Kobayashi with a hook to the body, but that was after a knockdown in a follow up attack.]

Elizondo aggressively took the fight to him on the ropes, and El Flaco Explosivo fractured his jaw in producing a counter punching knockout. Escalera fell down three times in their rematch from the "Rimini Bomb" [predating Tyson-Berbick by nearly seven years]. Ramirez made it clear after his first match against Rosario that Chapo was a harder puncher, but few could do precision timing and placement to as many vulnerable legal anatomical targets as Alexis [who was literally the closest thing boxing has ever seen to a surgeon in that respect]. The Rimini Bomb did not carry massive force behind it, but connected at the perfect spot on the jaw hinge to ruin Escalera's equilibrium.

He stopped a variety of world class and championship caliber opponents with a variety of different punches to the head and body, including cut inducing jabs [especially when wearing Reyes Gloves]. It can be argued Escalera is not considered great because of his twin defeats at Arguello's hands. [Alexis himself believed strongly that the Snake Man belongs in Canastota, and there's little doubt Alfredo would be there now if Arguello had challenged Sammy Serrano instead of him. But Alexis always went after who he considered the best champion in the division.]

Arguello wanted a rematch against Ramirez in the worst way for his first LW title defense, and said so in a ringside television interview immediately prior to Mancini-Ramirez. But Boom-Boom pitched the 12 round shutout, so Ray got the shot.

Navarrete was his final defense at 130. Why would the 5'5" Rolando want a rematch with Alexis at 135 if he was still at 130, and gunning for or defending that SFW belt? [Especially since Arguello would not even make his next title defense for another year and a half at the higher weight AFTER Navarrete had won his former 130 pound title.] For whatever it's worth, Arguello-Navarrete was not competitive before the cut, and the WBC did have a regulation on their admittedly loosely and selectively enforced books barring immediate rematches in title fights.

Bobby Chacon was widely considered the loser of his next match after El Flaco, a controversial ten round SD decision in his favor against Limon in their third bout. When Alexis vacated, Rafael was judged by the WBC to have been superior in his rivalry with Bobby over their first three bouts, so he was the one who got to replace Arguello in a box-off with Idelfonso Bethelmy for their vacant belt. The 5'5-1/2" Schoolboy got his next title shot at Boza Edwards a month before Alexis dethroned Watt at 135, and Chacon was stopped by Corny after 13 draining rounds.

Chacon, Navarrete and Boza Edwards weren't disappointed Arguello moved up to lightweight, they were relieved. [Cornelius moved down to super featherweight from lightweight after having an unpleasant non-title sampling of Alexis at 135 immediately following Arguello-Navarrete.]

Very few defeated opponents expressed a desire for title rematches with Arguello. Escalera and Mancini were two of the exceptions. Watt retired rather than try to regain the WBC LW Crown, despite Alexis expressing to Jim a standing offer of a rematch. Mancini was quickly satisfied with his acquisition of the WBA LW championship from Art Frias seven months later [as was Boom-Boom Senior].