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Omar Narváez (boxer) facts for kids

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Omar Narvaez
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Statistics
Real name Omar Andrés Narváez
Nickname(s) El Huracán (The Hurricane)
Rated at
Height 5 ft 2+1/2 in
Reach 64 in
Born (1975-10-07) October 7, 1975 (age 49)
Trelew, Argentina
Stance Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights 55
Wins 49
Wins by KO 25
Losses 4
Draws 2
Medal record
Representing  Argentina
World Amateur Championships
Silver Houston 1999 Flyweight
Bronze Budapest 1997 Flyweight
Pan American Games
Gold Winnipeg 1999 Flyweight

Omar Andrés Narváez (born October 7, 1975) is a famous boxer from Argentina. He became a world champion in two different weight classes. He held the WBO flyweight title from 2002 to 2010. After that, he won the WBO junior bantamweight title, holding it from 2010 to 2014.

Omar Narváez shares a world record with another boxer, Julio César Chávez. They both have 27 successful defenses of their world titles. This means they kept their championship belts 27 times against different challengers. Omar is also known as the longest-reigning flyweight champion in history.

Before becoming a professional, Omar Narváez was an amateur boxer. He represented Argentina in the 2000 Olympics. He reached the round of 16 in the super flyweight category during those games.

Amateur Boxing Career

Omar Narváez had a very successful amateur career before turning professional. He won several important medals for Argentina.

Major Amateur Wins

  • He won a gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. This was a big achievement for him.
  • In 1997, he won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
  • He also won a gold medal at the 1998 South American Games.
  • At the 1999 World Championships in Houston, USA, he earned a silver medal.

Olympic Appearances

  • Omar was an Olympian in 1996 as a flyweight. He won one fight against Joan Guzmán but then lost to Mehdi Assous.
  • He also competed in the 2000 Olympics as a flyweight. He defeated Carlos Valcárcel but then lost to Volodymyr Sydorenko.

International Tournaments

  • Omar is one of the few international boxers to win two medals at the Giraldo Cordoba Cardin tournament in Cuba.
  • He won a gold medal there in 1999 and a bronze medal in 2000.

Professional Boxing Career

Omar Narváez started his professional boxing journey in 2000. He quickly rose through the ranks to become a world champion.

Winning the Flyweight Title

On July 13, 2002, Omar won his first world title. He defeated Adonis Rivas by a unanimous decision to become the WBO world flyweight champion. He defended this title 15 times against many different boxers. This made him the longest-reigning flyweight champion ever.

Moving Up in Weight

After many successful defenses, Omar decided to move up to the super flyweight division. On May 15, 2010, he won the WBO Super Flyweight title. He beat Everth Briceno in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by a unanimous decision. In the same year, he received the Platinum Konex Award. This award recognized him as the best boxer from Argentina in the previous ten years.

First Professional Loss

On October 22, 2011, Omar Narváez faced Nonito Donaire. This fight was at bantamweight. Omar lost the fight by unanimous decision. This was his first loss in his professional career.

Later Career and Title Defenses

After his loss, Omar returned to the super flyweight division. He continued to defend his WBO world super flyweight title eight more times. He fought against seven different boxers during this period. His reign as champion ended on December 30, 2014. He was knocked out by Naoya Inoue in the second round of their fight.

Narvaez vs. Potapov

On October 14, 2017, Omar Narváez fought Nikolay Potapov. Potapov was a highly ranked boxer at the time. Narváez won this fight by technical knockout in the seventh round.

Narvaez vs. Tete

On April 21, 2018, Omar Narváez challenged Zolani Tete for the WBO bantamweight title. Tete won the 12-round fight by a unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 120-108 for Tete on all three scorecards.

Boxing Records

  • Longest-reigning world flyweight champion: Omar held this title for 7 years and 10 months. This is a record in boxing history.

Professional Boxing Record Summary

Professional record summary
55 fights 49 wins 4 losses
By knockout 25 1
By decision 23 3
By disqualification 1 0
Draws 2

Titles in Boxing

Omar Narváez has held several important titles throughout his career.

Major World Titles

  • WBO flyweight champion (112 lbs)
  • WBO super flyweight champion (115 lbs)

Regional and International Titles

  • WBO International super flyweight champion (115 lbs)
  • IBF Latino bantamweight champion (118 lbs) (He won this title two times)

Honorary Titles

  • WBO Super Champion

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Omar Narváez para niños

  • List of flyweight boxing champions
  • List of super-flyweight boxing champions
  • Boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics
  • Boxing at the 2000 Summer Olympics
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