Hispanic Heavyweight tournament...who wins?

[AntonioMartin]

Here are the contestants, and you choose the winner:

john Ruiz-Puerto Rico/USA
Andy Ruiz-Mexico/USA
Luis Firpo-Argentina
Alfredo Evangelista-Uruguay
Paulino Uzcudun-Spain
Artuto Godoy-Chile
Chris Arreola-Mexico/USA
Ossie Ocasio-Puerto Rico
Jose Roman-Puerto Rico
Jorge Luis Gonzalez-Cuba
Fres Oquendo-Puerto Rico
Luis Ortiz-Cuba
Manuel Ramos-Mexico
Oscar Bonavena-Argentina
Jose Luis Garcia-Venezuela (KO'd Ken Norton in 1)
Cesar Brion-Argentina
Nino Valdes-Cuba

[Onetimeonly]

Yuck, bonavena is the best fighter but hard to count on him to win that many in a row. John Ruiz might be the guy. He was consistent.

[Woldemar]

Bernardo Mercado was be a good participant in this tournament.He KO'd Shavers and Berbick.

[DrDuke]

Andy Ruiz can become widely recognised as the best of them. Skilled, tough and fast. He just needs more fights, more big scalps. About the same can be said about Luis Ortiz, but he's old, probably he won't prove too much in the future. Bonavena is among the best too, he has a somewhat of a legendary status, but he was more of a fighter, than a boxer. And John Ruiz actually could outclinch a lot of the mentioned fighters.

[Chuck1052]

Another Hispanic heavyweight was Eddie "The Animal" Lopez of Los Angeles.

- Chuck Johnston

[oogiebe]

Yuck, bonavena is the best fighter but hard to count on him to win that many in a row. John Ruiz might be the guy. He was consistent.

Bonavena was a tough MF'er. Had abhorant skills. I agree Ruiz is probably the guy.

[oogiebe]

I'd throw Greg Peralta in there as well.

[Caractacus]

wouldn't Paulino Uzcadun just be plain "Spanic" since he was from Spain ?
(actually Basque )
so was Jose Manuel Urtain who was a pretty tough cookie back in the 1960's.

[Caractacus]

Alex Miteff from Argentina
and Alejandro Lavorante also from Argentina who had (according to Archie Moore)one of the best hardest jabs ever and he could punch too.

[AntonioMartin]

Bernardo Mercado was be a good participant in this tournament.He KO'd Shavers and Berbick.

I forgot him...and left a few like Alex Garcia, out on purpose as I wanted to make it a 18 man tournament.

A few others I could have included: Pedro Agosto, Marcelino Dominguez who now competes as a Heavy in Argentina, "Paton" Basile, Odlanier Solis......

[AntonioMartin]

wouldn't Paulino Uzcadun just be plain "Spanic" since he was from Spain ?
(actually Basque )
so was Jose Manuel Urtain who was a pretty tough cookie back in the 1960's.

Maybe, but you got to remember, Spain was part of "Hispania"-that's where both Espana (Spain in Spanish) and Hispanic came from-just like Britain was (or is) "Britannia" ...

In fact the old airplane manufacturer from Madrid was named Hispano-Suiza, which was a Spanish-Swiss joint venture company.

[AntonioMartin]

I'd throw Greg Peralta in there as well.

Darn...forgot him!

[Fray Bentos]

A good list and scratching my head to think of anyone else but...

Alex Garcia! Remember him?

Pardon me, you did actually remember him down the thread

[locoxelbox]

What about Juan Carlos Gomez? He was one of the best cruiserweights and had a decent run at heavyweight with solid wins over Oliver McCall, Sinan Samilsam, David Defiagbon and Wladimir Virchis before losing to Vitali Klitschko.

[AntonioMartin]

What about Juan Carlos Gomez? He was one of the best cruiserweights and had a decent run at heavyweight with solid wins over Oliver McCall, Sinan Samilsam, David Defiagbon and Wladimir Virchis before losing to Vitali Klitschko.

That's right! Darn! And Saul Farah who, competition (or lack of therefore) aside, has something like 95 wins in 120 bouts competing mainly in Bolivia but also around the world....

[AntonioMartin]

Alex Miteff from Argentina
and Alejandro Lavorante also from Argentina who had (according to Archie Moore)one of the best hardest jabs ever and he could punch too.

I left him out on purpose..can't remember exactly why but might be because he died in the ring and I really don't like mentioning boxers like him in posts like these...makes me uncomfortable I guess.

[Caractacus]

What about Adilson "Maguila"Rodrigues of Brazil ?
He outpointed Bonecrusher Smith and fought George Foreman.
also Julio Mederos (Cuba)fought LaStarza,Eddie Machen Tommy Jackson,Chuvalo,Sonny Liston
( in Liston's first nationally televised fight in 1956)
some of these lesser know HW may have fought a better quality of opposition
back in the day and forgotten about because they never won a title
,and you couldn't get a title out of a cracker-jack box 60 years ago.
Gregorio Peralta (Argentina)

Luis Pires (Brazil)

MiguelAngel Paez (Argentina)

Jose "King" Roman (Puerto Rico)

Pedro Agosto (Puerto Rico)

Adilson Rodrigues (Brazil)

[Tony1244]

I'd throw Greg Peralta in there as well.

That's what I thinking.

Teofilo Stevenson would beat them all.

[Caractacus]

there was a Cuban Heavyweight back in the 1940's and 1950's named Omelio Agramonte.
I had only heard of him years ago 9 before the inter-net)in a book because he fought Joe Louis in Louis's comeback in 1949.

[Caractacus]

rare film footage of Victorio Campollo,The Argentine HW Champion
( who fought Primo Carnera twice))
first fight-November 1931

Omelia Agramonte (Cuba)

Julio Mederos (Cuba)

Also anyone remember Pedro Lovell (Venezuela) ?

or maybe his alias "Spider Rico"

[Tuan_Jim]

Paulino Uzcudun looks the best of that mob but he was Spanish. The term "Hispanic" is more associated with Central and South America, so I don't think he really belongs here.

Excluding Uzcudun I'd pick Bonavena.

[Caractacus]

just came across a rare find !
film footage of Argentian HW Abel Cestac
previously rarely seen film footage of Archie Moore vrs Abel Cestac (Buenos Aires Argentina) 1951
https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/12457
( at 3:51 of this clip )

[Caractacus]

Jose Santa of Portugal ( 6 ft 8")

Portuguese-American Salvator(Ray) Impellittier ( 6 ft 7.5)

and no one here hasyet mentioned Jose Ribalta (Cuba)
what was he, chopped liver ?

[Caractacus]

Personally,I would pick the dude who walks thru the doorway here at about 1:28 of this clip to win the tournament.

[mattdonnellon]

I'd have Alberto Lovell in there.
PS I'll reveal my winner after Saturday!