Santa Camarão
Encyclopedia
José Soares Santa known as Santa Camarão ("Camarão" being a family nickname) or Zé Santa in Portugal
, and as José Santa in America
, was a Portuguese
boxer
who was the tallest known Heavyweight of all time in the 1930s.
, Portugal, Santa was a remarkable individual 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall and weighed (265 lbs) 120 kg, at a time when the average height was approximately 5 ft 5 in.
His boxing career lasted from 1925-1933. He fought Pierre Charles for the European title in 1929 which he failed to capture. During his career he fought in Europe, North and South America taking on heavyweight Champs Max Baer, and Primo Carnera
(Carnera won the fight by a 6th round decision), in Madison Square Gardens, USA.
Santa starred in the first film where Portuguese was spoken on screen, Liebe Im Ring / Love In The Ring (1930), a film by Reinhold Schünzel in Berlin
, in 1930. He starred alongside heavyweight boxing champ Max Schmeling
in this film about a boxer.
In 1932 he married a Portuguese American, Mary Loreto. He became a hero to Portuguese people all over the world. After retiring from the ring he moved back to the house where he was born Ovar with his wife and son and where he would eventually die in 1968.
Until 7 ft 2 in, 147 kg (23st) Heavyweight Champ Nikolay Valuev became a Professional Boxer in 1993, Santa was one of the tallest heavyweights in boxing history. He enjoyed a sizable reach advantage over most rivals, and when seen on fight footage, he seems like a towering giant compared to many heavyweights of his era, who were usually shorter than him.
In 1999, a street
of Lisbon
was named after him "RUA JOSÉ SANTA CAMARÃO".
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and as José Santa in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was a Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who was the tallest known Heavyweight of all time in the 1930s.
Biography
Born to António Soares Santa and Josefa Pereira dos Santos in OvarOvar
Ovar Municipality is a municipality in Aveiro District, Baixo Vouga Subregion in Portugal. It has a total area of 147.4 km² and a total population of 56,296 inhabitants, and 42,582 electors . The city of Ovar itself has a population of 16,849....
, Portugal, Santa was a remarkable individual 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall and weighed (265 lbs) 120 kg, at a time when the average height was approximately 5 ft 5 in.
His boxing career lasted from 1925-1933. He fought Pierre Charles for the European title in 1929 which he failed to capture. During his career he fought in Europe, North and South America taking on heavyweight Champs Max Baer, and Primo Carnera
Primo Carnera
Primo Carnera was an Italian boxer, nicknamed the Ambling Alp, who became the world heavyweight champion.-Biography:...
(Carnera won the fight by a 6th round decision), in Madison Square Gardens, USA.
Santa starred in the first film where Portuguese was spoken on screen, Liebe Im Ring / Love In The Ring (1930), a film by Reinhold Schünzel in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, in 1930. He starred alongside heavyweight boxing champ Max Schmeling
Max Schmeling
Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in the late 1930s transcended boxing, and became worldwide social events because of their national associations...
in this film about a boxer.
In 1932 he married a Portuguese American, Mary Loreto. He became a hero to Portuguese people all over the world. After retiring from the ring he moved back to the house where he was born Ovar with his wife and son and where he would eventually die in 1968.
Until 7 ft 2 in, 147 kg (23st) Heavyweight Champ Nikolay Valuev became a Professional Boxer in 1993, Santa was one of the tallest heavyweights in boxing history. He enjoyed a sizable reach advantage over most rivals, and when seen on fight footage, he seems like a towering giant compared to many heavyweights of his era, who were usually shorter than him.
In 1999, a street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
was named after him "RUA JOSÉ SANTA CAMARÃO".