Luis Angel Firpo

Luis Ángel Firpo (Junín, Buenos Aires, October 11, 1894 - Buenos Aires, August 7, 1960) was an Argentine boxer known as El Toro de las Pampas and considered the father of Argentine professional boxing.

On September 14, 1923, he faced Jack Dempsey in the so-called fight of the century for the world heavyweight title. In it, Firpo managed to project his opponent out of the ring, but it was not enough to defeat Dempsey who ended up taking the victory. It should be noted that after being taken out of the ring by Firpo, Dempsey had not returned to the ring by his own means, which ended up wrapping the definition in a halo of controversy.

During his career, Firpo defeated such men as Jess Willard, Bill Brennan, Homer Smith, Charley Weinert, Erminio Spalla, Al Reich, Dave Mills, Jack Herman and Walter Lodge.

Childhood and youth

Agustín began working at the Bazzani shoe store. The couple had four children: Serafina, Luis Ángel, Alfredo and Juan. When the latter was born, in 1902, his mother died.

The couple's second child was born on Thursday, October 11, 1894 in the family's home, located at 215 Lavalle Street in the city of Junín. He was baptized in the old San Ignacio Church with the name Luis Ángel. His godparents were Francisco Minotti and Teresa Anselmo

Since he was little, Luis suffered from ear ailments, for which his parents had to take him to Buenos Aires to cure him, in 1898. Back in Junín, the family lived in a country house located near the Tiro Federal. Luis began his primary education at school no. 8.

When he was 12 years old, his father took him to Buenos Aires, where he worked as an employee in a restaurant, in the Telephone Union, and in a pharmacy. He settled in the Boedo neighborhood, and became a supporter of Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro.

Luis Angel Firpo.

Luis Firpo was exempted from Argentine military service, due to his old ailment in his ears.

An anecdote from his youth gives an idea of his strength. Luis worked as a collector in a refractory brick factory, and on one occasion he was robbed by 3 people while he was walking down the street with a sum of money. The subjects threatened him to make him hand over the money. Without saying a word, with the serenity that characterized him, Firpo used his terrible fists. Two of the thieves were knocked out and the third had to flee so as not to follow the same fate.

Félix Bunge was the owner of the refractory brick factory where Luis worked, and he knew how to value the boy's conditions. He even helped him materially so that he could start his career as a boxer.

There is another similar anecdote. When he was just beginning to practice boxing and lived in Villa Crespo, one day when he arrived at his house, he observed that his father was rebuked by another man. Firpo maintained his usual serenity until he couldn't resist anymore. He judged that his father's honor had been injured and decided to intervene. He took the annoying visitor with one hand by the neck and the other by the buttocks, lifted him up as if he were a bag of potatoes, took him to the fence that faced the street and proceeded to throw him to the other side.

First fights

Firpo leaving for the U.S. To face Bill Brennan.

Firpo began his professional career on December 10, 1917 in Buenos Aires, fighting against Frank Hagney. Originally, the jury's decision was without a decision, but it was later changed, giving Firpo the fight as won.

From 1918 to 1920 he had 10 fights in Uruguay and Chile, of which he won 7 by knockout and one by points, and lost one by knockout and another by points.

From the middle of 1920 to the end of 1921 he fought 7 times, 6 of them in Argentina (including an exhibition) and one in Chile. He again gets good results: 5 wins (4 of them by knockout) and a fight without definition.

In 1922 he carried out his first campaign in the United States, with 2 fights in Newark and one in New York. His rivals were Tom Maxted, Joe McCann and Jack Herman respectively.

He completes the year with 3 fights in Buenos Aires: 2 exhibitions and a fight that he wins by knockout.

In 1923 he carried out his second campaign in the United States, also including fights in Cuba and Mexico. He fights boxers like Bill Brennan, Jim Hibbard, Jack McAuliffe, Jack Herman, Jim Hibbard, Jess Willard, Natalio Pera, Pat McCarthy, Joe Burke, Homer Smith, Charley Weinert, and Joe Downey. There were 9 fights (of which he won 7 by knockout, one by technical knockout and one by points) plus 4 exhibitions.

The fight of the century

Firpo pulling Dempsey out of the ring. Photoradio of the magazine El Gráfico.

The peak of his campaign came when he had the opportunity to fight for the world title at all weights, facing none other than Jack Dempsey, one of the greatest boxers in history. It was the first time that an Ibero-American came to that instance. At that time Firpo was 28 years old.

"Dempsey and Firpo", painting by George Wesley Bellows, 1924.

It was on September 14, 1923 at the Polo Grounds in New York, before 80,000 spectators. Firpo immediately displayed all of his energy by dropping Dempsey with a right hand early in the fight. But Dempsey recovered quickly, charging at his opponent and dropping Firpo seven times.

Late in the first round, Firpo pinned Dempsey to the ropes and with a well-aimed jab to the chin knocked him out of the ring. Dempsey fell on top of the journalists, hitting his head on a typewriter, sustaining a cut on the back of his head. Dempsey was between 14 and 17 seconds outside the ring, however the referee only reached the count of 9 when Dempsey managed to return, helped by the journalists. This incredibly slow count, coupled with the fact that Dempsey did not return to the ring of his own accord, caused many to claim that Firpo should have been declared the winner by knockout. In Buenos Aires, the news that the American had been fired from the ring was lived with jubilation, which would transform seconds later into indignation, when in the second round, Dempsey had already recovered and managed to knock down Firpo three times, until the fight was stopped at 57 seconds, declaring Dempsey the winner by knockout, retaining his crown. The referee, Jack Gallagher, was suspended five weeks later by the New York City Commission for counting him out, but the injustice had already been done.

The 14-17 seconds where the American is expelled from the ring were cut from the original film of the fight –acquired by Dempsey himself from the American production company–, showing only his fall and subsequent reinstatement. A copy of this footage was purchased from Dempsey himself by Argentine journalist Carlos Alberto Aguilar, for his documentary series Ayer, the first time the fight could be seen on Argentine television.

The person responsible for the nickname "Raging Bull" ("Wild Bull" in English) or "Wild Bull of the Pampas" ( & # 34; Wild Bull of the Pampas & # 34; ) was the New York journalist Damon Runyon, who named it that way in one of his journalistic notes.

Rest of his career

Luis Angel Firpo.

After the fight of the century, Firpo holds five exhibitions in Montreal, Lima and Buenos Aires. He returns to professional fighting at the beginning of 1924, making 3 fights in Buenos Aires: true to his style, he wins 2 by knockout and one by technical knockout. At the end of 1924 he returned to the United States, where he fought twice without definition.

In 1926 Firpo fought in Argentina against Erminio Spalla, winning on points what seemed to be his last professional fight. However, he returns 10 years later, in 1936, fighting 3 more fights. At that time Firpo was 41 years old, but he managed to win the first two by knockout and lost the last one by abandonment, against Arturo Godoy, retiring permanently from professional boxing.

Retirement from boxing and death

Firpo vault at the Recoleta Cemetery.

Upon returning from his second tour of the United States, Firpo had taken over the representation of Stutz automobiles, and later set up a poultry farm in Florencio Varela.

Already retired from boxing, he dedicated himself mainly to cattle raising, making a career in this field with the same success that he had as a boxer. He was the owner of several estancias, such as & # 34; Los Amigos & # 34; (in Bayauca, 30 km from Junín), "Sin Trugua" and "No Rest" (near Ordoqui in Carlos Casares, "La Marión" (in Ameghino), "La Milanesa" (near Luján) and lands in Mercedes.

In 1952 he acted in the film A Champion is Born and in 1954 he was decorated as a "Caballero del Deporte", in recognition of his merits.

At all times Firpo visited Junín, his hometown, which always knew how to remember his impressive career.

Luis Ángel Firpo died in Buenos Aires on Sunday, August 7, 1960, due to a heart attack. He was 65 years old. His remains rest in a vault designed by the sculptor Luis Perlotti in collaboration with Juan Carlos Ferraro, in the Recoleta Cemetery, in Buenos Aires. In 1980 he received the Konex Award post mortem as one of the 5 best boxers in history.

Professional career

To the Reich and Firpo on the cover of The chart in 1924.

Firpo (third from the left) in 1921 in the courtyard of the cinema-bar "Rivadavia", located in front of Plaza 25 de Mayo, in Junín.

Observations:

• (1) Fails in his attempt to obtain the title of South American heavyweight champion.
• (2) Obtains the title of South American heavyweight champion.
• (3) He holds the title of South American heavyweight champion.
• (4) "Peel of the Century" for the world heavyweight championship.

References:

• Exhib: Exhibition.
• GPKO: nocaut.
• GPKOT: nocaut technical.
• GPP: He won for points.
• PPA: Lost for abandonment.
• PPKO: Lost by nocaut.
• PPP: Lost by points.
• SD: No definition.

Movie

Inspired by Firpo's life and including sequences of some of his fights, the film The Return of the Wild Bull was made, directed by Carlo Campogalliani in 1924.

Legacy

Luis Firpo and his trainers Widmer, Mayer and DeForest.

• In Junin, his hometown, he paid tribute to Firpo with a street that bears his name. Born at Benito De Miguel Avenue at 900, southeast, in the Padre González neighborhood. In addition, a plaque points to the home where he was born, located on Calle Lavalle 215, although the current construction is not the same.
• In El Salvador there is a first division football team, several times champion, named "Club Deportivo Luis Ángel Firpo" in honor of this Argentine fighter.
• The artist George Wesley Bellows painted in 1924 the painting called "Dempsey and Firpo", currently exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
• With reference to this painting, it served as inspiration for the cartoonist Matt Groening, who developed a similar scene for his animated series The Simpsons. Recreational is given in chapter 3 of the 8th season ("Homer for the title"), where the protagonist Homero Simpson begins an incursion into the world of boxing. With the aim of challenging the world champion of the heavy Rufo Tatum (Mike Tyson's parody), Homer begins a climb among which there is a battle in which he draws his rival outside the ring, recreating the moment in which Firpo did the same with Dempsey.
• The writer Julio Cortázar also addressed the issue in his book Round a day in 80 worlds, published in 1967.
• The film "The Hardest Will Be the Fall", directed by Mark Robson and starring Humphrey Bogart, reflects Firpo's stay in the United States and his fight with Jack Dempsey.
• Argentine writer Martin Kohan writes in 2005 the novel Seconds outside, in which it relates, parallel to the main action, the famous fall of Dempsey second to second, from the perspective of the arbitrator and Dempsey himself. The title refers to the controversial account of the referee.
• The song Boedo fighter indie rock band Argentinian Bestia Bebé is dedicated to Firpo.
• In the movie Rocky Mickey's character mentions the fight between Firpo and Dempsey when he tries to convince Rocky to become his manager.