Pascual Pérez (boxer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pascual Pérez
Statistics
Nickname(s)	El León Mendocino
Rated at	Flyweight
Height	4 ft 11 in (1.50 m)
Nationality	Argentine
Born	(1926-05-04)May 4, 1926 Mendoza, Argentina
Died	January 22, 1977(1977-01-22) (aged 50)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	92
Wins	84
Wins by KO	57
Losses	7
Draws	1
Medal record Men's boxing Representing  Argentina Olympic Games Gold 1948 London Flyweight

Pascual Nicolás Pérez (born May 4, 1926 – died January 22, 1977) was an amazing Argentine flyweight boxer. He was born in Tupungato, in the Mendoza Province of Argentina. Pascual Pérez made history by becoming Argentina's very first world boxing champion.

He was often called "El León Mendocino" (The Mendoza Lion). Pérez became a world-traveling champion, defending his title in many countries. His first big international win was a gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in United Kingdom.

Pérez and Delfo Cabrera were the only two Argentinians to win Olympic gold medals at the 1948 London Games. Pérez was the World Champion from 1954 to 1960. As an amateur, he had 125 fights. When he became a professional in 1952, he fought 92 times. He won 84 fights, lost 7, and had 1 draw. He won 57 fights by knockout, which is a very impressive record. He defended his world title nine times over six years. Many people think he is one of the greatest flyweight boxers ever. He is also in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Early life and first steps in boxing

Pascual Pérez was born into a family that made wine in the Uco Valley. He was the youngest of nine children. From a young age, he worked hard with his family.

In 1942, when he was 16, Pérez started boxing. He trained at the Rodeo Deportivo de la Cruz. His coach was Felipe Segura. Pérez quickly showed amazing skill and power, which was unusual for a lighter boxer. He was naturally left-handed but learned to box using his right hand. He was also quite short, only about 1.52 meters (4 feet 11 inches) tall as an adult. This made him smaller than most of his opponents in the flyweight division.

Amateur boxing career

Pérez started his amateur boxing career in January 1944. He fought in 125 amateur matches. He won 16 amateur championships. His first win was the Mendocino Novice Championship in March 1944. This was just two months after he started.

At first, his parents were not very happy about him boxing. To avoid getting caught, he sometimes fought under the name Pablo Pérez.

In 1946 and 1947, Pascual Pérez won important championships. These included the Mendoza, Argentine, and Latin American titles. In 1948, he won the tournament to pick Argentina's Olympic boxing team. Every boxer on that team won a medal at the Olympic Games.

Winning gold at the London Olympics

At the 1948 London Olympics, Pascual Pérez was 22 years old. He won Argentina's tenth Olympic gold medal. This was also the sixth gold medal for boxing for Argentina. Another Argentine boxer, Rafael Iglesias, also won gold on the same day.

Pérez had never fought outside South America before. There was a small mix-up at first. Pérez was mistakenly disqualified because his weight was confused with another boxer. But the mistake was fixed, and he was allowed to fight.

Pérez fought well in the Olympics. In his first match, he beat Ricardo Adolfo from the Philippines. He won when the referee stopped the fight in the second round. In his second match, he beat Desmond Williams from South Africa. The referee also stopped this fight in the third round. He then won against Alex Bollaert from Belgium in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he beat František Majdloch from the Czech Republic.

In the final match, Pérez faced Spartacus Bandinelli from Italy. Pérez used his aggressive style to control the fight. He landed many punches, including a strong right hand. The second round was very intense, with both boxers fighting hard. In the third round, Pérez kept attacking with quick punches. He used his speed to score points. He stopped Bandinelli's attacks with an uppercut. The fight ended with both boxers exchanging blows. Pérez won the gold medal!

When he returned home, Pérez was a hero in Mendoza. The local government gave him a house and a job. Later, Pérez lost a match that would have sent him to the 1952 Olympic Games. After this, he decided to become a professional boxer. Two years later, he became Argentina's first world boxing champion.

Professional boxing career

Pérez started his professional career with manager Lazarus Koci. Koci also managed another famous boxer, José María Mono Gatica.

On December 5, 1952, Pérez had his first professional fight. He beat José Ciorino by knockout in the fourth round. He won his first six fights by knockout. On November 11, 1953, he fought Marcelo Quiroga for the Argentine Flyweight title. He won that fight by a fourth-round knockout in Buenos Aires.

Pérez had an amazing streak of 18 knockouts in a row. This streak ended when he fought Juan Bishop on April 22, 1954. Pérez won that fight by a ten-round decision.

On July 24, 1954, Pérez had a record of 23 wins and no losses. He had won 22 of those fights by knockout. He then fought Yoshio Shirai from Japan. Shirai was Japan's first world champion. This was not a title fight. The fight took place in Buenos Aires and ended in a draw. This was a big deal because no Argentine professional boxer had ever tied with a world champion before. The tie meant that Shirai had to give Pérez a rematch for the world title.

Becoming a world champion

On November 26, 1954, Pascual Pérez fought his first world title match. This was also his first fight outside of South America since the Olympics. He fought Yoshio Shirai again in Tokyo. Pérez knocked Shirai down in the second round and again in the twelfth. From rounds 13 to 15, Pérez almost knocked Shirai out several times. The judges all agreed that Pérez had won by a large margin. He made history by beating Shirai. He became Argentina's first world champion boxer. Pascualito, as he was known, was the smallest flyweight boxer to win a world title.

Over the next few years, Pérez defended his title nine times. He also fought in many different countries. These included Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Curaçao, Japan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Thailand, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Sometimes, his opponents could not make the weight limit for the flyweight division. So, some of his wins were not for the title.

Pérez lost his undefeated record on January 16, 1959. He lost to Japan's Sadao Yaoita by a ten-round decision in Tokyo. But he later defeated Yaoita in a rematch. He also beat other great fighters like Dai Dower (by a first-round knockout) and Dommy Ursua (by a fifteen-round decision).

Pérez lost his world title to Pone Kingpetch of Thailand on April 16, 1960. Kingpetch made history for his country by beating Pérez in Bangkok. They had a rematch on September 22, 1960, in Los Angeles. This was Pérez's first fight in the United States. But he lost by knockout in the eighth round. This was his first knockout defeat.

Later fights and retirement

After losing his title, Pérez won his next 28 fights. He mostly fought against less famous boxers. He did win twice against the Uruguayan boxer Waldemiro Torres. After a few more fights, he faced Bernardo Caraballo in Colombia on July 23, 1963. Pérez lost that fight by a ten-round decision.

He finished his career with fights in Ecuador, Mexico, and Panama. He lost to future world flyweight champion Efren Torres by knockout in Mexico. His very last fight was on March 15, 1964, when he was 37 years old. He lost to Eugenio Hurtado by technical knockout.

Pérez ended his professional career with a record of 84 wins, 7 losses, and 1 draw. He had 58 knockouts. This puts him in a special group of boxers who have won 50 or more fights by knockout.

Awards and legacy

Pascual Pérez is a very respected boxer. He has been inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

When he passed away in 1977, Pascual Pérez was buried in the La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 1955, he received the Gold Olimpia Award. In 1977, he entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1995, the Hall of Fame in Canastota (IBHOF) also included him. He is honored alongside other great Argentine boxers like Carlos Monzon. In 2004, he was officially named the South American champion after his death.

The Mendoza Boxing Palace, which is the home of the Mendoza Boxing Federation, was renamed Estadio Pascual Perez in 2007. This was done to remember him.

In 1980, the Konex Foundation gave Pérez a special award. They named him one of the top 5 boxers in Argentina's history.

Boxrec.com ranks Pérez as the best flyweight boxer of all time.

Throughout his career, Pascual Pérez won 18 tournaments.

Amateur wins

• 1944: Mendocino Tournament Novices
• 1944: Argentine Championship Novice
• 1945: Open Tournament Salta
• 1946: Mendocino Veterans Championships
• 1946: Veteran Argentine Championship
• 1946: Latin American Championship (shared)
• 1947: Mendocino Veterans Championships
• 1947: Veteran Argentine Championship
• 1947: Latin American Championship (shared)
• 1948: Vintage Championship
• 1948: Veteran Argentine Championship (Olympic Team)
• 1948: Olympic Champion in London
• 1950: Mendocino Veterans Championships
• 1950: Veteran Argentine Championship
• 1950: Latin American Championship
• 1950: Good Neighbour Tournament (Lima)

Professional wins

• 1953: Argentine Professional Flyweight Championship
• 1954: World Flyweight Championship
• 2004: South American Champion (declared after his death)

Professional boxing record

Images for kids

• 

  Pascual Pérez, "El Gráfico" magazine, 1948.

See also

In Spanish: Pascual Pérez para niños