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The sport of boxing took
heavy losses in 2009
of TheColumnists.com
Some of the most colorful and exciting prizefighters of the past took the final count of 10 during 2009, some of them way too early to suit their many fans.
Can you imagine, for instance, that Arturo Gatti, the thundering scrapper whose three evenly-fought slugfests with Mickey Ward, each of them worthy of "fight of the year" stature, would die the victim of a strangling in a hotel room in South America?
Gatti's death is still shrouded in mystery. Did his wife somehow manage to choke him with the strap of her purse while he was too intoxicated to fight her off? That was the original assmption when Brazilian police charged her with murder, but charges later were dropped and Gatti's death ruled a suicide. Investigations may still uncover more.
Gatti was in Ipojuca, Brazil, on vacation with his Brazilian wife, Amanda, when he met his end. He was only 37 years old and had been the most exciting boxer of his era, a fearless slugger who engaged in some of the bloodiest battles in ring history. Yet he'd been involved in a domestic dispute run-in with the law for allegedly beating Amanda before they were married. Friends said they were on the verge of a divorce when Gatti died.
His overall record was 40 wins, 31 of them by knockout, and nine losses. He held the super-featherweight and junior welterweight championships and finished his career as a welterweight,
Another great who died in 2009 was Alexis Arguello of Nicaragua, who took his own life by gunshot at age 57. Arguello was regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time--a superb boxer-puncher who held three world titles--the featherweight (1974-77), super-featherweight (1978-80) and lightweight (1981-83) championships. He twice fought for the world junior welterweight title, losing twice by knockout to Aaron Pryor. He retired with a record of 82 wins, 65 of them by kayo, and only eight losses. Super popular in his native land, Arguello later was elected mayor of Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua.
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Another legendary fighter left us in 2009: Heavyweight contender Roland LaStarza, who came the closest to handing Rocky Marciano his only defeat in the ring. In their 1950 10-round non-title fight, LaStarza lost a controversial split decision by one point. That was LaStarza's first loss--and many ringsiders thought he had outpointed the bruising Rocky.
In their rematch for the world title, Marciano battered LaStarza for a knockout defeat in the 11th round. Once LaStarza retired from the ring, he became an occasional movie and TV actor, appearing in "Point Blank" (1967) and "The Outfit" (1973) in tough guy roles. He was a regular in the TV series "The Gallant Men" (1962-63) and also appeared in "Batman," "77 Sunset Strip," "Perry Mason" and "The Wild, Wild West." He died at age 82.
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world heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano (right) in their 1953 title fight after nearly handing Marciano his first loss in a non-title fight in 1950. |
Not quite in the same league was Greg Page, who looked like a great heavyweight champ on paper, but was not an exciting ring performer despite his overall record of 58 wins, 48 of them my knockout, with 17 losses and one draw. Page won the lowly-regarded USBA heavyweight crown in 1981, stopping Stan Ward on cuts in the seventh. He fought Tim Witherspoon for the vacant WBC heavyweight crown in 1984, but came into the ring seriously out of shape and lost a close 12-round decision. Page won the WBA heavyweight crown from South African Gerrie Coetzee, but lost it in his first defense to Tony Tubbs, a man he'd defeated six times in the amateurs. That was his last title fight.
Page suffered a serioius head injury in a bout with Dale Crowe in 2000 and a stroke followed. He never recovered from that injury and was confined to a wheelchair afterward. He died in his sleep at age 50, after winning a $1.2 million lawsuit settlement with Kentucky boxing officials for the lack of medical personnel at his final fight.
©2010 by Ron Miller. This column first posted Jan. 11, 2010.
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