Víctor Galíndez
Encyclopedia
Víctor Emilio Galíndez (born November 2, 1948 in Vedia — died October 25, 1980 in Veinticinco de Mayo, Buenos Aires) was an Argentine
boxer
who was the third Latin American to win the world Light Heavyweight championship, after Puerto Rico
's José Torres
and Venezuela
's Vicente Rondon
.
Galíndez was born in Vedia in the Leandro N. Alem Partido
of the Buenos Aires Province
in Argentina
. He aspired to become both a boxer and a stock car pilot since an early age, but he was more interested in boxing. As an amateur, he compiled a winning record and participated in the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico City
, where he lost in a preliminary round bout. A year earlier he claimed the silver medal at the 1967 Pan American Games
.
Galíndez then turned professional, and on May 10 of 1969, he debuted as a paid fighter with a win over Ramon Ruiz by a knockout
in four at Buenos Aires
. After one more win, he faced Adolfo Cejas in Azul, Argentina, in a fight which resulted in a ten round draw.
In 1970, Galíndez had 10 fights, a span during which he went 5-3-1, with one no contest
. He suffered his first loss, at the hands of Juan Aguilar
, by a decision in ten, and had a second and third fight with Aguilar, of which the second ended in a first round no contest, and the second in another Aguilar decision win. He began his five fight rivalry with Jorge Ahumada
knocking Ahumada out in five rounds, and lost the Argentine Light Heavyweight title with a twelve round decision defeat against Avenamar Peralta.
He and Peralta had an immediate, non-title rematch in 1971, and Galíndez won by a ten round decision. 1971 was a year of rematches for Galíndez, the only new boxer he met that year being Pedro Rimovsky, and he too, had a rematch with Galíndez before that year was over. He lost to Ahumada in the second of the five fights between them, by a decision in Mendoza, Argentina
, then beat him in fight three by a knockout in nine, and in fight four by a knockout in six, both the third and fourth fight being held in Buenos Aires. He and Rimovsky had a first round no contest in their first bout, and drew over the ten round distance in the rematch, and then Galíndez had two more fights with Peralta, losing by a knockout in nine and a decision in 10.
In 1973, Galíndez had eight fights, winning seven and drawing one. He was finally able to obtain Argentina's Light Heavyweight title, by beating Aguilar by a decision in twelve. He beat Aguilar once again, by a knockout in six, and he also beat Eddie Owens, Eddie Duncan and Raul Loyola, the latter being beaten twice, one time defending his Argentine title.
He began 1974 with a step up in class, meeting former world title challenger Ray Anderson
, beating him by a knockout in two. After seven wins in a row, he was given his first shot at a world title, facing Len Hutchins for the WBA
's vacant world Light Heavyweight championship. Galíndez then joined Torres and Rondon as the only Hispanic
Light Heavyweight world champions in history, and Carlos Monzón
as the only Argentine world champions of that era, with a TKO of Hutchins in the thirteenth round to become the WBA's world Light Heavyweight champion.
Ironically, Galíndez, who never fought outside Argentina before becoming a world champion, became a traveling fighter after that. After he beat John Griffin
in Buenos Aires by knockout in six in a non title bout, it was off to South Africa, for his first international fight, which was, at the same time, his first world title defense. He beat Pierre Fourie there by a decision. Next was Las Vegas
, for his first fight in the United States, another non title affair. He knocked out Ray Elson in eight there. Next stop was the Madison Square Garden
in New York, where he and arch-rival Ahumada met for a fifth time, this time with the world title on the line. After beating Ahumada by a decision in 15, Galíndez returned to South Africa, where he once again beat Fourie by decision in 15.
1976 saw a trip to Norway, where he beat Harald Skog by a knockout in three to retain the title, and to Denmark, where he beat Jesse Burnett
by a decision in ten in a non tite affair. Then came a third trip to South Africa, where he knocked out challenger Richie Kates in the 15th and last round, and, after a fight with Billy Douglas
in Buenos Aires, (a win by decision in ten) he found himself in South Africa once again, where he beat Kosie Smith by a decision in fifteen to once again, retain the title.
After beginning 1977 by beating Guillermo Aquirrezabala by a knockout in four in Mendoza
, he and Kates had a rematch in Rome, Italy, where Galíndez once again beat Kates by decision over 15. Next, the Argentine champion and challenger Álvaro Yaqui López faced Galíndez in a 15 round title bout, once again in Italy, and Galíndez retained the title by a decision in Rome. Galíndez' last fight of '77 took him to Italy for a third time, and he beat future world champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
(then Eddie Gregory) by a decision in fifteen.
In 1978, Galíndez went to Italy again, retaining the title with a fifteen round decision in a rematch with Lopez, and then he made a series of non title bouts in Argentina before he went on the road again, this time losing his title to Mike Rossman
by a knockout in 13, in the same undercard where Muhammad Ali
recovered the world Heavyweight title for the third time by beating Leon Spinks
at the Louisiana Superdome
in New Orleans.
After his first fight in 1979, beating Roberto Aguilar
by a knockout in six back home, he and Rossman were supposed to have a rematch in February of that year, but Galíndez refused to fight, arguing that the judges selected for the rematch would probably favor Rossman. However, the rematch did come off later that year, and Galíndez recovered the world championship, once again in New Orleans, knocking Rossman out in 10 rounds. This time, however, he wouldn't last long as king of the Light Heavyweights, and he lost the title in his first defense, by a knockout in 11 to Marvin Johnson
, a boxer who would later join Muhammad Ali
, Sugar Ray Robinson
and Carlos De León
among others as one of the few boxers to be world champions three times in the same category. The fight with Johnson also took place in New Orleans.
After losing a rematch with Burnett in 1980 by a decision in twelve in Anaheim, California
, Galíndez was forced to retire because of two operations to repair his detached retinas, and then he tried to pursue his other dream of becoming a stock-car race pilot. On October 25 of that year, he participated in what would be his first and last Turismo Carretera
race. After going to the pit for repairs, Galíndez was struck by a car that lost control and killed instantly while in the waiting area.
He had a boxing record of 52 wins, 9 losses and 4 draws with 2 no contests, and 34 wins by knockout.
In 2002, Galíndez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame
.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
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 third Latin American to win the world Light Heavyweight championship, after Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's José Torres
José Torres
José Torres , was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he defeated Willie Pastrano to win the WBC and WBA light heavyweight championships...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
's Vicente Rondon
Vicente Rondon
Vicente Paúl Rondón was a former WBA light heavyweight boxing world champion.- Personal background :Rondon was born in extreme poverty in Río Chico, Miranda, Venezuela, and decided to escape his poor surroundings by enlisting in the Venezuelan military at an early age.- Professional career :When...
.
Galíndez was born in Vedia in the Leandro N. Alem Partido
Leandro N. Alem Partido
Leandro N. Alem Partido is a partido located in the north of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 16,000 inhabitants in an area of , and its capital city is Vedia, which is located from Buenos Aires.-Name:...
of the Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He aspired to become both a boxer and a stock car pilot since an early age, but he was more interested in boxing. As an amateur, he compiled a winning record and participated in the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, where he lost in a preliminary round bout. A year earlier he claimed the silver medal at the 1967 Pan American Games
Boxing at the 1967 Pan American Games
The Men's Boxing Tournament at the 1967 Pan American Games was held in Winnipeg, Canada, from July 24 to August 6.- Medal winners :-Medal table:-External links:*...
.
Galíndez then turned professional, and on May 10 of 1969, he debuted as a paid fighter with a win over Ramon Ruiz by a knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
in four at Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. After one more win, he faced Adolfo Cejas in Azul, Argentina, in a fight which resulted in a ten round draw.
In 1970, Galíndez had 10 fights, a span during which he went 5-3-1, with one no contest
No contest (boxing)
No contest is a technical term used in some combat sports to describe a fight that ends for reasons outside the fighters' hands.-Boxing:...
. He suffered his first loss, at the hands of Juan Aguilar
Juan Aguilar
Juan Aguilar is a Paraguayan footballer. He currently plays for Club Guaraní.Aguilar had played for Club Guaraní at 2009 Copa Libertadores. He played 3 out of 6 group stage matches.In summer 2009, he was signed for Eupen on loan....
, by a decision in ten, and had a second and third fight with Aguilar, of which the second ended in a first round no contest, and the second in another Aguilar decision win. He began his five fight rivalry with Jorge Ahumada
Jorge Ahumada
Jorge Victor Ahumada is a former professional boxer. Notable fights include four bouts with Victor Galindez, a title bout with Bob Foster which ended in a draw, and a bout with John Conteh for the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship.-References:...
knocking Ahumada out in five rounds, and lost the Argentine Light Heavyweight title with a twelve round decision defeat against Avenamar Peralta.
He and Peralta had an immediate, non-title rematch in 1971, and Galíndez won by a ten round decision. 1971 was a year of rematches for Galíndez, the only new boxer he met that year being Pedro Rimovsky, and he too, had a rematch with Galíndez before that year was over. He lost to Ahumada in the second of the five fights between them, by a decision in Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
, then beat him in fight three by a knockout in nine, and in fight four by a knockout in six, both the third and fourth fight being held in Buenos Aires. He and Rimovsky had a first round no contest in their first bout, and drew over the ten round distance in the rematch, and then Galíndez had two more fights with Peralta, losing by a knockout in nine and a decision in 10.
In 1973, Galíndez had eight fights, winning seven and drawing one. He was finally able to obtain Argentina's Light Heavyweight title, by beating Aguilar by a decision in twelve. He beat Aguilar once again, by a knockout in six, and he also beat Eddie Owens, Eddie Duncan and Raul Loyola, the latter being beaten twice, one time defending his Argentine title.
He began 1974 with a step up in class, meeting former world title challenger Ray Anderson
Ray Anderson (boxer)
Ray Anderson was a boxer in the light heavyweight division who fought from 1965 to 1977. Anderson currently lives in Akron, Ohio...
, beating him by a knockout in two. After seven wins in a row, he was given his first shot at a world title, facing Len Hutchins for the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
's vacant world Light Heavyweight championship. Galíndez then joined Torres and Rondon as the only Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
Light Heavyweight world champions in history, and Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he successfully defended the title 14 times....
as the only Argentine world champions of that era, with a TKO of Hutchins in the thirteenth round to become the WBA's world Light Heavyweight champion.
Ironically, Galíndez, who never fought outside Argentina before becoming a world champion, became a traveling fighter after that. After he beat John Griffin
John Griffin
-Sports personalities:*John Griffin , English doctor who played international rugby for Wales*John Charles Griffin , American boxer known as Corn Griffin*John-Ford Griffin , American Major League Baseball outfielder...
in Buenos Aires by knockout in six in a non title bout, it was off to South Africa, for his first international fight, which was, at the same time, his first world title defense. He beat Pierre Fourie there by a decision. Next was Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, for his first fight in the United States, another non title affair. He knocked out Ray Elson in eight there. Next stop was the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York, where he and arch-rival Ahumada met for a fifth time, this time with the world title on the line. After beating Ahumada by a decision in 15, Galíndez returned to South Africa, where he once again beat Fourie by decision in 15.
1976 saw a trip to Norway, where he beat Harald Skog by a knockout in three to retain the title, and to Denmark, where he beat Jesse Burnett
Jesse Burnett
Jesse Burnett of Los Angeles, California, was a light heavyweight and cruiserweight boxer. His professional record was 23-18-2 with 11 Knockouts...
by a decision in ten in a non tite affair. Then came a third trip to South Africa, where he knocked out challenger Richie Kates in the 15th and last round, and, after a fight with Billy Douglas
Billy Douglas
Billy Douglas was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist.Douglas played with Larry Ringold while young, both of them having been house in the same boys' institution. He played locally in his teens, and moved to New York City in 1932 as a member of Earle Howard's band. He played with Percy Nelson...
in Buenos Aires, (a win by decision in ten) he found himself in South Africa once again, where he beat Kosie Smith by a decision in fifteen to once again, retain the title.
After beginning 1977 by beating Guillermo Aquirrezabala by a knockout in four in Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
, he and Kates had a rematch in Rome, Italy, where Galíndez once again beat Kates by decision over 15. Next, the Argentine champion and challenger Álvaro Yaqui López faced Galíndez in a 15 round title bout, once again in Italy, and Galíndez retained the title by a decision in Rome. Galíndez' last fight of '77 took him to Italy for a third time, and he beat future world champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad is a retired American boxer.- Amateur career :Boxing under his birth name, Eddie Gregory, Muhammad won two New York Golden Gloves Championships. Gregory won both the 1971 and the 1972 New York Golden Gloves 147 lb Open Championships...
(then Eddie Gregory) by a decision in fifteen.
In 1978, Galíndez went to Italy again, retaining the title with a fifteen round decision in a rematch with Lopez, and then he made a series of non title bouts in Argentina before he went on the road again, this time losing his title to Mike Rossman
Mike Rossman
Mike Rossman is an American former world champion boxer. He is of Jewish/Italian origin, which led to his monikers "The Kosher Butcher" and "The Jewish Bomber." He finished his professional boxing career in 1983 with a record of 44–7–3, with 27 knockouts.-Life and career:Rossman was born in...
by a knockout in 13, in the same undercard where Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
recovered the world Heavyweight title for the third time by beating Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks is a former American boxer. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins, and was the former World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion of the world...
at the Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
in New Orleans.
After his first fight in 1979, beating Roberto Aguilar
Roberto Aguilar
Roberto Aguilar Gómez is an economist, former university official, politician, and Bolivia's Minister of Education since 2 June 2011. Aguilar served as docent, general secretary, and rector in the Universidad Mayor de San Andres in La Paz...
by a knockout in six back home, he and Rossman were supposed to have a rematch in February of that year, but Galíndez refused to fight, arguing that the judges selected for the rematch would probably favor Rossman. However, the rematch did come off later that year, and Galíndez recovered the world championship, once again in New Orleans, knocking Rossman out in 10 rounds. This time, however, he wouldn't last long as king of the Light Heavyweights, and he lost the title in his first defense, by a knockout in 11 to Marvin Johnson
Marvin Johnson
Marvin Johnson is a former boxer from the United States, who fought in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, winning a bronze medal, and made his way up the professional ranks in the light heavyweight division soon thereafter...
, a boxer who would later join Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
, Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
and Carlos De León
Carlos De Leon
Carlos De León, also known as "Sugar" De Leon, is a Puerto Rican former boxer who made history by becoming the first Cruiserweight to win the world title twice. Subsequently, he kept breaking his own record for the most times as Cruiserweight champion by regaining it twice more.- Career :De León,...
among others as one of the few boxers to be world champions three times in the same category. The fight with Johnson also took place in New Orleans.
After losing a rematch with Burnett in 1980 by a decision in twelve in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, Galíndez was forced to retire because of two operations to repair his detached retinas, and then he tried to pursue his other dream of becoming a stock-car race pilot. On October 25 of that year, he participated in what would be his first and last Turismo Carretera
Turismo Carretera
Turismo Carretera is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and the oldest car racing series still active in the world....
race. After going to the pit for repairs, Galíndez was struck by a car that lost control and killed instantly while in the waiting area.
He had a boxing record of 52 wins, 9 losses and 4 draws with 2 no contests, and 34 wins by knockout.
In 2002, Galíndez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
.