Mauro Mina

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 05 May 2006, 05:51

Not much has been written about this guy. He has some impressive wins but why didn't he get a crack at the title? Why is he forgotten? Has anybody got any of his fights?

enrique · Post by **enrique** » 05 May 2006, 06:10

I have his fight with Henry Hank. Mina was an excellent fighter who had the bad luck of getting a detached retina about the time he was due for a title shot. He's definitely an icon in Peru and died of cancer a few years ago.

I have an interview with Mina on tape and he comes across as being a very nice man.

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 05 May 2006, 07:02

Thanks Enrique

He has a great record. It's shame abou the injury. Why do you think he slipped off the radar for boxing press and fans alike? I haven't read much but he seems to be a lost gem. How would you rate him? One of the best fighters neevr to hold a title, I have heard...

surf-bat · Post by **surf-bat** » 08 May 2006, 14:55

Ezzard wrote:Thanks Enrique

He has a great record. It's shame abou the injury. Why do you think he slipped off the radar for boxing press and fans alike? I haven't read much but he seems to be a lost gem. How would you rate him? One of the best fighters neevr to hold a title, I have heard...

He's kinda like a big Mike McCallum in that he could pretty much do it all(box, slug), but didn't have huge charisma and was a maximum risk/minimal gain fight for the reigning light-heavies. Also consider that he was from a country(Peru) that doesn't have a lot of pull in boxing and so probably didn't have a promoter that could at least embarrass the other contenders into fighting him.

I have the Hank fight as well and Mauro looks pretty impressive. The Eddie Cotton fight exists as well but I haven't been able to find it.

I wonder if his fight with Bob Foster is out there somewhere?

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 09 May 2006, 11:23

Thanks Nero...

Anyone know if the Foster fight is on tape?

Broncano · Post by **Broncano** » 26 May 2006, 18:14

The only Mina fight in existence in full that I'm aware of is against Hank. There are clips and highlights of his other fights in Lima (Cotton, Towne, Von Clay, Sixto Rodriguez, Allen Thomas, etc..) but not versus Foster.
And by the way, there is a Peruvian filmmaker here in New York currently working on a docummentary on Mauro's life. Mauro was not only the only world class boxer Peru ever produced, but also a decent, disciplined fellow who knew when to call it quits. he was the archetypical case of the fighter who was too good for his own good, ala Charley Burley or the very same man he beat, Eddie Cotton.

Broncano · Post by **Broncano** » 26 May 2006, 20:21

Incidentally, although to this day Foster claims that he was robbed in Lima and there's no known footage of the fight, this newspaper clipping might actually prove him wrong:

[img=http://img95. .us/img95/1765/img0206gh.th.jpg]

BoxBuzz · Post by **BoxBuzz** » 26 May 2006, 20:37

http://img95. .us/img95/1765/img0206gh.jpg

Broncano · Post by **Broncano** » 03 Jan 2008, 02:08

For those of you who have not had the pleasure to watch him here's a short clip of Mauro's win against Henry Hank in MSG in 1964.

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

dagosd2000 · Post by **dagosd2000** » 04 Jan 2008, 13:44

Thanks guys for keeping Mauro in our memories. I remember watching his fight with Hank on TV,but he disappeared after that. Keep us posted on that documentary.

elmersalsa · Post by **elmersalsa** » 05 Jan 2008, 20:55

I knew about him years ago as a kid back in the 70s...The guy speaking in Spanish is a well known boxing commentator in Latin America. His name is Juan Carlos Tapia from Panama City, Panama.

He got all the boxing videos, rare gems and fights from the Orient and all over the world. His boxing library is more extensive and complete than Bill Cayton's.

But Mauro Mina was a hell of a fighter. He said that he liked to fight and he got into boxing when he was in elementary school. He had a scrap with another guy and the school principal called both of them to his office.

Mauro said that the principal said: "You are coming here to fight, huh?...Here are 2 pairs of boxing gloves, fight now in front of me"... Unbelivable stuff.

Broncano · Post by **Broncano** » 06 Jan 2008, 11:43

Juan Carlos Tapia is a legend indeed, Elmer. Not only does the man have a vast fight film collection, but in my opinion he is the best blow-by-blow Spanish boxing commentator of all time.

On a side note, Mauro's grand-nephew, lightweight Carlos Zambrano, is living and training in New Jersey and will make his pro debut in the very near future. He has had a decent amateur career, reaching the semifinals in the World Championships in Chicago and winning a few regional tournaments in South America.