Old bones Ian wrote:One of the things (among many) that i love about Arguello is he was a gentleman, he proved that you don't have to be in an opponents face before a fight, no bravado. He'd go into a press conferance and wish his opponent well.
When Arron Pryor went to his first press conferance to annouce the Arguello fight, he thought he'd get up in Alexis's face and try and rile him with a few choice words. But Arguello was so glowing in his praise of Pryor, that Arron couldn't bring himself to insult him, they just shook hands.
Also when Alexis lost to Pryor for the 2nd time, he went across the ring and said 'Ah Pryor my old friend'
Now that takes class
--Alexis Arguello, to Peter Heller, late 1980s.I keep hurting and I say, Alexis, you have to stay here. I‘d make my family rich if I were to die. They‘d get three million dollars if I were to disappear. They want me here, but I‘m lonely in the world. Even my wife knows that, she senses it. I can‘t do it. I wish I could. I wish I could, Jesus Christ, leave this place. What can I do in this world? Make money? I don‘t want money. I already spent twenty years on top of the world. Money is nothing. Money is bullshit. I have invested two million dollars. It doesn‘t mean shit. Look, with so little I‘m happy.
My kids, my wife, happy. If I want a drink, I‘ll drink. What else can I do? We come here for a reason. God wants me to be here, and I have to be here as long as he wants me, for a reason. You know, we lose courage sometimes because we are human beings. There are so many wrong things going on in the world, so how can I behave? I don‘t want to keep living because I know there are so many wrong things and I know that people can do better. Like my country. This country wanted the war because they wanted to sell weapons. I see those things and I get disenchanted. The beauty of the world has disappeared.
"The beauty of the world has disappeared..." There are days when I feel like getting that tattooed somewhere.
