Lupe Pintor facts for kids

José Guadalupe Pintor Guzmán, known as Lupe Pintor, is a famous Mexican former professional boxer. He was born on April 13, 1955. Lupe Pintor became a world champion in two different weight classes. He held the WBC bantamweight title from 1979 to 1983. Later, he also won the WBC super bantamweight title, holding it from 1985 to 1986. He competed as a professional boxer from 1974 to 1995.

Lupe Pintor's Early Boxing Days

Lupe Pintor grew up in a working-class family in Cuajimalpa, near Mexico City. He had a difficult childhood and eventually left home. He lived on the city streets for some time before starting his professional boxing career in 1974.

His first fight was a success, winning by knockout in the second round. He quickly moved on to longer fights. He won many of his early matches, often by knockout. Some of the boxers he beat during this time included Juan Díaz and Rocky Mijares.

In 1976, Lupe Pintor fought Alberto Davila for the first time and lost. However, he then went on an impressive winning streak, winning 22 fights in a row! During this period, he defeated boxers like Gerald Hayes and Antonio Becerra. Later, he traveled to Puerto Rico and lost a fight to Leo Cruz, who would also become a world champion.

Becoming a World Champion

Lupe Pintor got his first chance at a world title against Carlos Zarate. Zarate was a very strong champion. In a very close and debated fight, Pintor won by a split decision. This meant that some judges thought Pintor won, and others thought Zarate won. This victory made Lupe Pintor the new WBC Bantamweight World Champion.

As champion, Pintor was very active. He defended his title several times. He beat Alberto Sandoval by knockout in Los Angeles. He also had a draw (a tie) with Eijiro Murata in Tokyo.

A Difficult Fight

One of Pintor's title defenses was against Johnny Owen from Wales. It was a very tough fight. In the twelfth round, Pintor delivered a powerful punch that knocked Owen out. Sadly, Owen never woke up and passed away seven weeks later. This was a very sad time for Lupe Pintor.

Owen's family encouraged Pintor to continue his boxing career. He did, and he went on to defend his title successfully against Alberto Dávila, winning by a unanimous decision. He also defended his belt against Jose Uziga and Jovito Rengifo. In 1981, he stopped Hurricane Teru in the final round. In 1982, he defeated Seung-Hoon Lee by knockout.

Moving Up in Weight

After these victories, Pintor decided to move up to a heavier weight class. He wanted to challenge the great Wilfredo Gómez for the WBC Super Bantamweight title. Before fighting Gómez, Pintor beat former world champion Jorge Luján.

On December 3, 1982, Pintor and Gómez met in a highly anticipated fight in New Orleans. It was a thrilling match, but Gómez won by knockout in the fourteenth round.

Lupe Pintor took a break from boxing in 1983. He returned in 1984 as a full Super Bantamweight boxer. He worked hard to get another shot at a world title. His hard work paid off! On August 18, 1985, he fought Juan 'Kid' Meza, who was the WBC Super Bantamweight Champion. Pintor knocked Meza down three times and won the fight by a unanimous decision. This made Lupe Pintor a world champion in two different weight classes!

Final Fights and Retirement

Pintor's first defense of his new super bantamweight title did not go as planned. He traveled to Bangkok to fight Samart Payakaroon. However, Pintor weighed too much for the division. Because of this, he lost his title before the fight even began. Payakaroon could still win the title if he beat Pintor. Payakaroon defeated Pintor in five rounds. After this loss, Pintor stopped fighting for eight years.

Lupe Pintor made a comeback in 1994. However, he was 38 years old and not as strong as he used to be. He won only two of his next seven fights. After about 18 months, he decided it was time to retire from boxing for good.

Awards and Recognition

In 1985, Lupe Pintor was named The Ring magazine's Comeback of the Year fighter. This award recognized his amazing return to win a second world title.

Life After Boxing

After retiring from boxing, Lupe Pintor opened a boxing school in Mexico City. He wanted to share his knowledge and help new boxers.

In 2002, he was invited to Merthyr Tydfil by Johnny Owen's family. He helped to unveil a bronze statue that honored Owen's life and boxing career. This showed the respect and understanding between the two families.

In 2008, Pintor reunited with his former rival, Carlos Zarate. They joined other boxers at a party for Wilfredo Gómez's 50th birthday in Puerto Rico.

In December 2015, Lupe Pintor was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He was officially inducted in June 2016. This is one of the highest honors a boxer can receive.

See also

In Spanish: Lupe Pintor para niños

• List of WBC world champions
• List of Mexican boxing world champions