Profile of Alexis Arguello on Famous Like Me

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Alexis Argüello (born April 19, 1952), is a former world champion boxer, born in Nicaragua. His career had a rocky start, with his having been knocked out in the first round. He later avenged that loss and built a string of wins that led him to a world Featherweight championship challenge against the experienced Ernesto Marcel in Marcel's home country of Panama. The young lost a 15-round unanimous decision.

Undaunted, Argüello began another streak of wins, and found himself in the ring with a world champion again, this time challenging Marcel's successor to the throne, Mexican world champion Ruben Olivares in Los Angeles. After Olivares built a small lead on the judges' scorecards, Argüello and Olivares landed simultaneous left crosses in round thirteen. Olivares's left hand caused a visible pain expression on Argüello's face, but Argüello's left hand caused Olivares to crash hard against the canvas. A few seconds later, Argüello was the new Featherweight champion of the world.

Argüello defended this title a few times, then moved up in weight to challenge world Junior Lightweight champion Alfredo Escalera in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Escalera had been a busy champion with ten defenses, and he had dethroned Kuniaki Shibata in 2 rounds in Tokyo. In what some experts (including Ring Magazine writers) consider one of the most brutal fights in history, Escalera had his eye, mouth and nose busted early, but was rallying back in the scorecards when Argüello finished him, once again in the thirteenth round.

His reign at Junior Lightweight saw him fend off the challenges of Escalera in a rematch held at Rimini, Italy, as well as boxers with names like two-time world champ Bobby Chacon, two-time world champ Rafael 'Bazooka' Limon, Ruben Castillo, and Diego Alcala, beaten in only one round.

Arguello suffered many cuts around his face during his second victory against Escalera. The on-site doctor wanted him hospitalized, but Arguello had a flight to catch from Rome the next day to return to Nicaragua, and he boarded a train from Rimini. The doctor decided to travel with Arguello, and performed plastic surgery on Arguello's cuts with Arguello awake.

Argüello then moved up in weight again, and this time he had to go to London, England, to challenge world Lightweight champion Jim Watt. Watt lasted fifteen rounds, but the judges gave Argüello a unanimous 15-round decision, thus making him only the sixth boxer to win world titles in 3 divisions, and the second Latin American (after Wilfred Benitez had become the first by beating Maurice Hope one month before) to do it. He had to face some less known challengers in this division, one exception being the famous prospect Ray Mancini, who would later go on to be the subject of a made for television movie himself. Mancini and Argüello engaged in a fight that was showcased on a boxing video about some of the best fights of the 1980s, with Argüello prevailing after 14 rounds.

After defeating James 'Bubba' Busceme by a knockout in 6 rounds, Argüello decided it was time to move again, and on November 12, 1982, he tried to make history and become the first ever world champion in 4 different categories, meeting the heavier and future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Pryor, in what was billed as The Battle of The Champions in Miami, Florida. A little known fact about this fight is that, with no police personnel near Argüello's dressing room before the fight, a tragedy was just prevented when an armed man approached Argüello's locker, intent on killing Argüello. Argüello was rushed into a shower by his handlers, the man got arrested and it became known that Sandinistas had planned to kill Argüello before or during the fight.

It was an extremely controversial contest, with Argüello being left helpless against the ropes in the 14th round, referee Stanley Christodoulou stepping in to stop the fight. Argüello was hospitalized after the fight, and he took a few months off before getting back into the ring.

It was discovered months after the fight, and with the help of a video tape, that Pryor's corner had gotten a mysterious bottle into the ring and given it to their fighter after the 12th round, during which Pryor was hurt by Argüello's punches and seemed to be in bad conditions. What that bottle contained is anybody's guess, but it became the grounds for the WBA to grant a rematch, which was fought September 10, 1983. Argüello and Pryor again fought a famous fight, but Arguello would lose for a second time to the WBA's world Jr. Weltwerweight champion, this time by a knockout in the 10th round. Both him and Pryor announced their retirement after the rematch.

Argüello later joined the Contras in his native Nicaragua but after a few months in the jungle he retired from the war. He attempted several comebacks during the late 1980s and early 1990s but had little success.

Argüello's possessions in Nicaragua had been taken by the Sandinista government in 1980 and Argüello had to move to Miami. Because of his public criticism of the Sandinista government, Argüello was admired by many Cuban residents of the area. Still intimidated by Fidel Castro's figure, those Cubans saw Argüello as a person who could publicly talk against Communism for them.

Argüello is now a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

Alexis Arguello became involved in Nicaraguan politics, and, in 2004, he was elected as Managua's vice-mayor. Arguello mysteriously dissapeared shortly after, but he was found healthy.

He is referenced in the Warren Zevon song "Boom Boom Mancini."

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