Who killed Oscar "Ringo" Bonavena?

[JC]

Are there many other champions or famous fighters who have been shot dead, I can think of Ketchel and Battling Siki, anyone else got any others?

[Broncano]

.Unlike the Peruvians, who we all know to be self-effacing to a fault, eh, Broncano? (Especially a certain Miss Rosa Elvira, who can efface herself around me anytime.)

.

Hey vike, good to see you around...and regarding your comment, Peruvians are even worse!

[Expug]

Are there many other champions or famous fighters who have been shot dead, I can think of Ketchel and Battling Siki, anyone else got any others?

Frankie Depaula
Bill Brennan
Tyrone Everett
Bummy Davis
Julian Leterlough
Eddie Melo

Im sure there are more.

[BoxBuzz]

A carribean champion...just recently....expug are one of those names inclusive of that recent "news" story? The name itself just left my brain....he was shot by a cop (I think) in the last few months I believe.

[Broncano]

Buzz, that would be Agapito Sanchez from the Dominican Rep.

[BoxBuzz]

Thanks Bronc....it came to me just as I entered that post.......damn grey matter kickin in and out like a bad FM station these days.

[JC]

Are there many other champions or famous fighters who have been shot dead, I can think of Ketchel and Battling Siki, anyone else got any others?

Frankie Depaula
Bill Brennan
Tyrone Everett
Bummy Davis
Julian Leterlough
Eddie Melo

Im sure there are more.

Thanks expug, I remember reading out Brennan as a side note in a book about Dempsey it was some kind of mob hit wasn't it?

[Expug]

Are there many other champions or famous fighters who have been shot dead, I can think of Ketchel and Battling Siki, anyone else got any others?

Frankie Depaula
Bill Brennan
Tyrone Everett
Bummy Davis
Julian Leterlough
Eddie Melo

Im sure there are more.

Thanks expug, I remember reading out Brennan as a side note in a book about Dempsey it was some kind of mob hit wasn't it?

He was shot in his bar in New York. A joint called the Tiajuana cafe , by two wanna be hoods who he had thrown out earlier the same evening.
Depaula was whacked and as far as I know it hasnt been solved.He was running with a bad crowd.
Melo was a mob enforcer , he was also whacked.
Bummy Davis took on two thugs who were robbing his buddies tavern . They had guns . He didnt.
Tyrone Everret was shot by one of his girlfriends .
Dont remember the details on Leterlough.

[KOJOE90]

Are there many other champions or famous fighters who have been shot dead, I can think of Ketchel and Battling Siki, anyone else got any others?

Frankie Depaula
Bill Brennan
Tyrone Everett
Bummy Davis
Julian Leterlough
Eddie Melo

Im sure there are more.

Thanks expug, I remember reading out Brennan as a side note in a book about Dempsey it was some kind of mob hit wasn't it?

Calvin Spinks was killed by shooting and that case was never sloved.

Also South African prospect Ginger Tshabalala was shot to death. I saw him box from ringside a few times and he looked a very usefull Light-Heavyweight.

[locoxelbox]

Now, we should be careful with anything the argentines say because they have a reputation for being self-centered, egomaniacal patriots.

Why are you always aggressive against argentinians .

[Brutu]

A June.13.1980 newspaper article states that former HWY contender Henry Clark sued Mustang brothel owner Joe Conforte for 7 million dollars
for negating an oral contract were Clark was to be Mercardo's trainer,valet and sparring partner.
(Mercardo had defeated Clark on points in a 1979 fight)

[Brutu]

Bonavena was scheduled(again) to fight Ken Norton in June 1976.
I guess the winner was to get a shot at Ali.Thats what I read.

[scartissue]

Frankie Depaula
Bill Brennan
Tyrone Everett
Bummy Davis
Julian Leterlough
Eddie Melo

Im sure there are more.

Thanks expug, I remember reading out Brennan as a side note in a book about Dempsey it was some kind of mob hit wasn't it?

He was shot in his bar in New York. A joint called the Tiajuana cafe , by two wanna be hoods who he had thrown out earlier the same evening.
Depaula was whacked and as far as I know it hasnt been solved.He was running with a bad crowd.
Melo was a mob enforcer , he was also whacked.
Bummy Davis took on two thugs who were robbing his buddies tavern . They had guns . He didnt.
Tyrone Everret was shot by one of his girlfriends .
Dont remember the details on Leterlough.

Brian, great to see you back in action again, dude.

Scartissue

[Broncano]

Why are you always aggressive against argentinians .

Hermano argentino, I have nothing but love and admiration for your country's great boxing history.

Check out my post history, ask around and you will see.

Then again, maybe I made use and abuse of some cliches about argentinians in my original post here, and that may have been out of order,. For that I apologize if it offended you in some way, but keep in mind, that was 7 years ago! I was a young internet hoodlum back then...

[Brutu]

The owner of the Mustang Ranch Joe Conforte just published his autobiography last month.
BREAKS,BRAINS & BALLS.
Its available as an E-book right now,and published in book form in May.
I havent read the book yet,but maybe he answers some questions in it.(or his version anyway.)

[SUGARRAYSMELEE]

I don't know who killed him but I despised his pre fight antics against Ali. He was extremely irritating and disrespectful. I would say Bonavena and Terrel were the only fighters to get under Ali's skin. He punished both of them, and both deserved it.

[Cutman Scabbers]

Frankie Depaula
Bill Brennan
Tyrone Everett
Bummy Davis
Julian Leterlough
Eddie Melo

Im sure there are more.

Thanks expug, I remember reading out Brennan as a side note in a book about Dempsey it was some kind of mob hit wasn't it?

Calvin Spinks was killed by shooting and that case was never sloved.

Also South African prospect Ginger Tshabalala was shot to death. I saw him box from ringside a few times and he looked a very usefull Light-Heavyweight.

Vernon Forrest

[Crease]

Oscar “Ringo” Bonavena was an outstanding and courageous fighter. An authentic heavyweight contender, who went toe to toe with some of the best of all time. I still wonder about his death every time I watch his brave performances against Ali and Frazier.

Indeed, his picture could be in the dictionary under the word: BRAVE

[osc1360]

The Argentines tell it differently. They say that Bonavena had signed a contract to fight Spaniard Jose Manuel Urtain on his way to secure a rematch with Ali. With the odds at 10 to 1 in Ringo’s favor, he supposedly got a call from the mob and was told to take a dive in the fifth or else he would be feeding worms. When he refused, they took away his passport to make sure he wouldn’t flee the country. He called his wife in Argentina and told her, “I should be there in a few days, in the mean time pray for me, darling”. A few hours later, he was a dead man.

Where did you get all that from? I've never heard that Oscar was told by the Mafia to take a dive.

I interviewed the brother of the shooter who killed Bonavena. He was there that morning and saw the whole thing. He even sparred with Bonavena and remembers the time Oscar first showed up in Reno.

The issue of why Bonavena was killed has a lot to do with the respect and loathing that Joe and Sally Conforte had for each other. Oscar was in the middle, sponging off Sally, thinking of retirement, while she wanted out of a loveless marriage. Joe was connected to the Mafia, but so was she. You can read in The Last Mafioso that Joe and Sally put competing death contracts on each other with Jimmy Fratianno. When Joe gave Oscar an ultimatum to leave Reno and to take Sally with him, gave him ten thousand dollars, and two First-Class plane tickets to New York City, Oscar didn't leave. Joe then ordered his death and his bodyguard, Willard Ross Brymer shot him when Oscar came to pick up his gift of cash from Sally that he got each day from the brothel cashier.

You're not going to read that in any book. :)

[osc1360]

When Oscar Bonavena died, he had recently committed to fight Henry Clark in Paris, and was about to sign with Howard Smith for a bout in Uniondale, New York only a few weeks away.

[klompton]

As if Ali was never disrespectful to opponents prior to a fight. what a joke. In reality Bonavena was just aping Alis tactics. and as for Ali punishing him, well, that was one of Alis toughest fights so I dont know about all that B.S.


you can add jackie patterson to champs who were gunned down.

[Broncano]

Where did you get all that from? I've never heard that Oscar was told by the Mafia to take a dive.

"El Grafico" Magazine, from Argentina.

Also documented here:

http://historiasdeldxt.blogspot.com/201 ... -nada.html

His wife Dora Raffo has repeatedly told the story of the ominous phone call hours before his death

[Flump]

More on the phone call to his wife from the Boxing News in 1976.

[osc1360]

Thanks for the article, however, it does little to explain the alleged death threat, or issues of Mafia influence, and so on. I do know that Joe Conforte gave Bonavena a death threat and possibly that why the Buenos Aires tabloids said the Mafia was invloved, see below, because they believed Conforte was Mafia, but it is speculation and mere accusation.

“Bonavena, victim of the Mafia” – Hoy

“The Mafia which controls Yankee boxing, that Mafia which has snuffed out so many lives merely to impose its right to set up fights and fix their results, appears to have gone into action, not only to see that Bonavena’s death is not fully punished, but also to hide the real motives that picked Ringo as the victim. In the shady maneuvering of the underworld, will anyone dare to reveal the truth?” – Ultima Hora

And there in Ultima Hora, Vincente Bonavena saw reproductions of the last letters, postcards from Reno-Tahoe, that Oscar had recently mailed to his children Adriana, aged twelve, and Natalio, aged eight:

“Dear Adri, I sought God and God was within me.”

“Dearest son, Fear makes the brave more brave and the cowardly more cowardly.”

[Brutu]

Bonavena vs George Chuvalo
June.24.1966
at the old Madison Square Garden NYC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bswy9QgjP54