Lupe Pintor facts for kids

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

Lupe Pintor's Early Life and Boxing Start

Lupe Pintor was born in 1955 in Cuajimalpa, a town near Mexico City. His family was not wealthy. He started his professional boxing career in 1974.

His first fight was a big success! He won by knockout in the second round against Manuel Vázquez. After that, he quickly moved on to longer fights. He won against Francisco Nunez in his next match. Lupe Pintor had his first loss a few fights later. He was disqualified against Magarito Lozano. But he bounced back, winning his next eight fights. Seven of these wins were by knockout. He beat well-known boxers like Juan Díaz and Rocky Mijares during this time.

In 1976, Pintor fought Alberto Davila for the first time. Davila later became a World Bantamweight Champion. Pintor lost that fight. But then, he went on an amazing winning streak! He won twenty-two fights in a row. During this time, he defeated boxers like Gerald Hayes and Antonio Becerra.

Later, he traveled to Puerto Rico and lost a fight to Leo Cruz, who also became a world champion. When he returned to Mexico, Pintor lost another fight to Jose Luis Soto. But he didn't give up! He won five more fights in a row, all by knockout. This winning streak prepared him for a chance at a world title.

Becoming a World Champion

Lupe Pintor's big chance came when he fought Carlos Zarate. Zarate was a very strong champion and a fellow Mexican boxer. Their fight was very close and caused a lot of discussion. Pintor won by a split decision, meaning the judges had different opinions. This win made Lupe Pintor the new world champion!

As a champion, Pintor was very busy. He had three non-title fights first. He beat Aucencio Melendez by knockout and won against Jose Luis Soto. Then, he started defending his title. He kept his title by knocking out Alberto Sandoval in Los Angeles. He also had a draw with Eijiro Murata in Tokyo.

A Difficult Fight and Moving Forward

Pintor's next title defense was against Johnny Owen from Wales. This fight was very tough. Pintor won by knockout in the twelfth round. Sadly, Owen became very ill after the fight and passed away several weeks later. This was a very sad time for Lupe Pintor.

Even though he was very sad, Pintor decided to continue his boxing career. Owen's family encouraged him. He then fought Alberto Davila again and won, keeping his title. He also defended his belt against Jose Uziga and Jovito Rengifo. In 1981, he stopped Hurricane Teru in the final round. In 1982, he won against Seung-Hoon Lee by knockout.

Winning a Second World Title

After the fight with Lee, Pintor decided to move up to a higher weight class. He wanted to challenge for the WBC Super bantamweight title. This title was held by the famous boxer Wilfredo Gómez. Pintor first beat former champion Jorge Luján. Then, in December 1982, he faced Gómez in a huge event called the Carnival of Champions in New Orleans. This fight was shown on HBO and was called the 'Fight of The Decade' by The Ring magazine. However, Gómez won the fight by knockout in the fourteenth round.

Lupe Pintor took a break from boxing in 1983. He returned a year and a half later as a full Super Bantamweight. He won against Ruben Solorio in February 1984. He worked hard to get another chance 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 by a unanimous decision. This made Lupe Pintor a world champion in two different weight classes!

His first defense of this new 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 started. Payakaroon could still become champion if he won. Payakaroon defeated Pintor in five rounds. After this loss, Lupe Pintor stopped fighting for eight years.

Later Career and Retirement

Pintor made a comeback in 1994. But at 38 years old, he was not as strong as he used to be. He won only two of his seven fights over the next year and a half. Finally, he decided it was time to retire from boxing.

Honors and Life After Boxing

Lupe Pintor received an award from The Ring magazine in 1985. He was named the "Comeback of the Year" fighter.

After retiring from boxing, Pintor opened a boxing school in Mexico City. In 2002, he was invited by Johnny Owen's family to Merthyr Tydfil. He helped unveil a bronze statue to remember Owen's life and career.

In 2008, Pintor met up with Carlos Zarate again. They joined Juan Laporte at a party for Wilfredo Gómez's fiftieth 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.

Professional Boxing Record Summary

See also

In Spanish: Lupe Pintor para niños

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