Thomas Americo facts for kids

Thomas Americo (born December 24, 1958 – died September 7, 1999) was a professional boxer from East Timor. He became famous very quickly in his boxing career. In only his second professional fight, he won a big title: the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation's (OPBF) Super Lightweight championship.

Even more amazing, in his third fight, he became the first boxer from Indonesia (East Timor was part of Indonesia at that time) to fight for a world title. He challenged Saoul Mamby, the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Lightweight champion. This also made him the first boxer from East Timor to compete for a world championship.

Thomas Americo's Boxing Journey

Thomas Americo started his professional boxing career on April 19, 1980. His first opponent was Eddie Buttoms, an Australian boxer with a lot more experience. Even though Buttoms had fought 60 times, Thomas Americo won their ten-round fight in Malang. After this loss, Buttoms decided to retire from boxing.

Winning a Major Title

In his very next fight, on August 15, 1980, Thomas Americo faced a promising boxer named Sang Mo-Koo from Busan, South Korea. Mo-Koo was a strong fighter with 21 wins and was expected to challenge for a world title himself. The fight took place in Jakarta. Thomas Americo surprised everyone again! He knocked out the South Korean boxer in the eighth round. This victory earned him the OPBF Super Lightweight title. Because of these two big wins, Thomas Americo was ranked by the WBC and got his own chance at a world title.

Fighting for the World Championship

Thomas Americo's next challenge was against the world champion, Saoul Mamby. Mamby was known for fighting all over the world. He had a record of 30 wins, 12 losses, and 5 draws. Thomas Americo, on the other hand, had only fought twice and won both times.

Their fight on August 29, 1981, was a huge event. It was the first world title fight ever held in Indonesia. The match took place at Jakarta's Bung Karno Stadium. After 15 tough rounds, one judge scored the fight as a draw. However, the other two judges scored it for Mamby. This meant Thomas Americo lost the fight by a majority decision. Even though he lost, it was a huge achievement to fight for a world title so early in his career.

Later Fights

After his world title challenge, Thomas Americo faced another top boxer, Sang-Hyun Kim, who was also a former WBC world Super-Lightweight Champion. This fight happened on December 20, 1981, in Daejeon, South Korea. It was Thomas Americo's first time boxing outside of Indonesia. He lost this fight by decision, and with it, he also lost his OPBF Super Lightweight title.

Next, he traveled to Sydney, Australia, to fight Jeff Malcolm on April 2, 1982. This boxing event was special because it was held at the famous Sydney Opera House. Thomas Americo lost this fight as well, marking his third loss in a row.

Thomas Americo continued to box, facing different opponents. On April 4, 1984, he lost to Rocky Pirottina. He won a few more fights, including a knockout win against Agus Sabara in 1986. His last fight was on June 29, 1987, against Bongguk Kendy for the Indonesian national Super-Lightweight title. Thomas Americo lost this fight by decision and soon after retired from boxing.

He finished his professional boxing career with a record of 8 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw, with 3 of his wins coming by knockout.

Thomas Americo's Death

Thomas Americo passed away tragically on September 7, 1999. This was during the final days of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. There was a lot of violence in the streets of Dili, his hometown. Thomas Americo was pulled from his car and shot by a militia group. His death happened shortly before East Timor became an independent country.

See also

• Joko Arter
• Chris John
• Ellyas Pical