Lupe Pintor

José Guadalupe Pintor Guzmán (born April 13, 1955), better known as Lupe Pintor, is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1995. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC bantamweight title from 1979 to 1983 and the WBC super bantamweight title from 1985 to 1986.

Early life and his career

Lupe Pintor was born into a poor, working-class family in Cuajimalpa, just outside Mexico City in 1955 and is alleged to have had an extremely violent relationship with his father, eventually forcing him to run away. He lived for some time on the city streets and began boxing professionally in 1974.

He opened his account with a second-round knockout of Manuel Vázquez and immediately stepped up to ten round bouts, claiming a decision over Francisco Nunez on his next outing. He suffered his first loss three fights later, when he was disqualified against Magarito Lozano, but claimed victory in his next eight bouts, seven by knockout, including wins over notables Juan Díaz, Rocky Mijares and Willie Jespen.

Pintor first boxed future World Bantamweight Champion Alberto Davila on 25 February 1976, losing a decision over ten rounds, then embarked on a winning streak of some twenty-two fights in a row. Amongst the fighters he beat during this period were Gerald Hayes – who later conquered Juan Laporte – and Antonio Becerra, the only man to get the better of Salvador Sánchez as a professional boxer.

He then travelled to Puerto Rico, where he lost a ten-round decision to Leo Cruz – himself a future world champion. Upon returning to Mexico, Pintor lost for the second time in a row, carelessly dropping a decision to journeyman Jose Luis Soto. Another winning streak, comprising five fights in a row, all by way of knockout and he was ready for a shot at the world title.

World championships

Carlos Zarate was Pintor's stable mate and a fellow Mexican. He was an outstanding champion and continues to be rated one of the very best of all Bantamweights. The records, however, show that Pintor edged a very close and controversial split decision, following a remarkable contest that saw him hit the canvas in round four. But the judges were so at variance when recording their verdict, that (like already stated) the contest remains a matter of controversy today. Naturally, the new world champion's relationship with Zarate – already strained – took another hit and Zarate retired in disgust.

Pintor was a busy champion and he began his reign by engaging in three non-title bouts, beating Aucencio Melendez by a knockout in the first and avenging his loss to Jose Luis Soto before losing a rematch with Manuel Vázquez by a knockout in six. Then he began to defend his title in earnest, retaining it with a knockout in twelve over Alberto Sandoval in Los Angeles and drawing over fifteen with Eijiro Murata in Tokyo.

His next bout ended tragically. He defended against Johnny Owen of Wales in Los Angeles. Many of the fans present and the authors of The Ring's Boxing in The 20th Century, have agreed that the fight should have been stopped during round ten. But it carried on until the close of the twelfth, when Pintor unleashed a savage right-hand, knocking his opponent out cold. Owen failed to regain consciousness, lapsed into a coma and died seven weeks later. This fight was documented in the film Faces of Death II.

Saddened, Pintor – encouraged by Owen's family – resumed his career by avenging his loss to Davila, retaining the title by unanimous decision. He went on to retain the belt against Jose Uziga – again by decision – and Jovito Rengifo, by a knockout in eight. He stopped Hurricane Teru in the fifteenth and final round to close 1981 and began 1982, by retaining the title against Seung-Hoon Lee with an eleventh-round knockout.

Soon after the Lee fight, Pintor vacated his world title and started eyeing the WBC Super Bantamweight crown worn by the great Wilfredo Gómez. Stepping up, he immediately beat former WBA World Bantamweight Champion Jorge Luján and then, on 3 December of that year, he and Gómez met as part of the Carnival of Champions in New Orleans. Showcased on HBO, this duel was subsequently dubbed the division's 'Fight of The Decade' by The Ring magazine. But it did not go Pintor's way. Gómez recorded a fourteenth-round knockout and relinquished his own title five months later.

Pintor was inactive throughout 1983. He returned to the ring a year-and-a-half later as a fully-fledged Super Bantamweight defeating Ruben Solorio on 16 February 1984 and busied himself thereafter trying to get another shot at the world title. his perseverance paid off when he was pitted against Juan 'Kid' Meza, the WBC's Super Bantamweight Champion on 18 August 1985. Pintor floored the defending champion three times on the way to collecting a unanimous decision and celebrated his new status as a double world title holder.

His first defense of this new crown did not go to plan. Traveling to Bangkok to meet Samart Payakaroon, Pintor exceeded the division weight limit and was subsequently stripped of his title at the scales. Payakaroon could still become champion if he defeated Pintor but if Pintor won the title would be declared vacant. Payakaroon pounded Pintor to defeat in five rounds and the ex-champion quit fighting for the next eight years.

Pintor made a comeback of sorts in 1994, but at the comparatively advanced age of thirty-eight, he was long past his best. Winning just twice in seven contests over the next eighteen months, he was finally convinced that it was time to retire.

Honors

Pintor was named The Ring magazine Comeback of the Year fighter for 1985.

After boxing

Pintor opened a boxing school in Mexico City. In 2002, he was invited to Merthyr Tydfil by Johnny Owen's family to help unveil a bronze statue commemorating the boxer's life and career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2008, Pintor reunited with Carlos Zarate and joined Juan Laporte as the three former victims of Wilfredo Gómez showed up at a party dedicated to Gómez for his fiftieth birthday in Puerto Rico.

Pintor, along with Hector Camacho, Hilario Zapata, and several non-boxers, was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in December 2015 and inducted in June 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
72	Template:No2Loss	56–14–2	Russell Mosley	KO	2 (10)	Jul 21, 1995	Template:Small
71	Template:No2Loss	56–13–2	Rodrigo Cerda	PTS	10	Dec 2, 1994	Template:Small
70	Template:Yes2Win	56–12–2	Kevin Sedam	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Nov 18, 1994	Template:Small
69	Template:No2Loss	55–12–2	Leonardo Mas	RTD	8 (12)	Aug 13, 1994	Template:Small	Template:Small
68	Template:No2Loss	55–11–2	Fernando Caicedo	UD	12	Apr 2, 1994	Template:Small	Template:Small
67	Template:No2Loss	55–10–2	Ramon Sanchez	PTS	10	Feb 25, 1994	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	55–9–2	Carmelo Gomez	PTS	10	Jan 14, 1994	Template:Small
65	Template:No2Loss	54–9–2	Samart Payakaroon	KO	5 (12), Template:Small	Jan 18, 1986	Template:Small
64	Template:No2Loss	54–8–2	Billy White	TKO	10 (?)	Dec 12, 1985	Template:Small
63	Template:Yes2Win	54–7–2	Juan Meza	UD	12	Aug 18, 1985	Template:Small	Template:Small
62	Template:DrawDraw	53–7–2	Javier Marquez	SD	10	Jun 10, 1985	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	53–7–1	Eugenio Morgan	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	Apr 19, 1985	Template:Small
60	Template:No2Loss	52–7–1	Adriano Arreola	TKO	7 (10), Template:Small	Jan 17, 1985	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	52–6–1	Ronnie Gary	TKO	6 (10), Template:Small	Jan 1, 1985	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	51–6–1	Cleo Garcia	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Apr 26, 1984	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	50–6–1	Ruben Solorio	UD	10	Feb 16, 1984	Template:Small
56	Template:No2Loss	49–6–1	Wilfredo Gómez	TKO	14 (15), Template:Small	Dec 3, 1982	Template:Small	Template:Small
55	Template:Yes2Win	49–5–1	Jorge Luján	UD	10	Sep 23, 1982	Template:Small
54	Template:Yes2Win	48–5–1	Lee Seung-hoon	TKO	11 (15), Template:Small	Jun 3, 1982	Template:Small	Template:Small
53	Template:Yes2Win	47–5–1	Hurricane Teru	KO	15 (15), Template:Small	Sep 22, 1981	Template:Small	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	46–5–1	Jovito Rengifo	TKO	8 (15), Template:Small	Jul 26, 1981	Template:Small	Template:Small
51	Template:Yes2Win	45–5–1	Jose Felix Uziga	UD	15	Feb 22, 1981	Template:Small	Template:Small
50	Template:Yes2Win	44–5–1	Alberto Dávila	MD	15	Dec 19, 1980	Template:Small	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	43–5–1	Johnny Owen	KO	12 (15), Template:Small	Sep 19, 1980	Template:Small	Template:Small
48	Template:DrawDraw	42–5–1	Eijiro Murata	SD	15	Jun 11, 1980	Template:Small	Template:Small
47	Template:Yes2Win	42–5	Alberto Sandoval	TKO	12 (15)	Feb 9, 1980	Template:Small	Template:Small
46	Template:No2Loss	41–5	Manuel Vazquez	RTD	5 (10), Template:Small	Dec 29, 1979	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	41–4	Jose Luis Soto	PTS	10	Oct 29, 1979	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	40–4	Torito Melendez	KO	1 (?)	Oct 5, 1979	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	39–4	Carlos Zárate Serna	SD	15	Jun 3, 1979	Template:Small	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	38–4	Rodrigo Gonzalez	TKO	3 (10), Template:Small	May 1, 1979	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	37–4	Livio Nolasco	TKO	6 (10), Template:Small	Mar 10, 1979	Template:Small
40	Template:Yes2Win	36–4	Agustin Vega	KO	3 (?)	Nov 11, 1978	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	35–4	Roger Buchelli	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Sep 26, 1978	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	34–4	Richard Rozelle	KO	5 (10), Template:Small	Jul 18, 1978	Template:Small
37	Template:No2Loss	33–4	Jose Luis Soto	PTS	10	Jun 30, 1978	Template:Small
36	Template:No2Loss	33–3	Leonardo Cruz	PTS	10	Apr 22, 1978	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	33–2	Antonio Becerra	PTS	10	Mar 31, 1978	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	32–2	Gerald Hayes	UD	10	Feb 25, 1978	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	31–2	Davey Vasquez	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Jan 30, 1978	Template:Small
32	Template:Yes2Win	30–2	Joaquin Gonzalez	KO	2 (10)	Dec 18, 1977	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	29–2	Baby Kid Chocolate	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Nov 8, 1977	Template:Small
30	Template:Yes2Win	28–2	Tony Rocha	KO	4 (10), Template:Small	Oct 8, 1977	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	27–2	Andres Torres	TKO	4 (10), Template:Small	Aug 20, 1977	Template:Small
28	Template:Yes2Win	26–2	Ramon Guillen	KO	1 (?)	Jul 2, 1977	Template:Small
27	Template:Yes2Win	25–2	Eduardo Limon	KO	1 (?)	Jun 17, 1977	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	24–2	Tranquita Brown	KO	1 (?)	May 20, 1977	Template:Small
25	Template:Yes2Win	23–2	Gabby Cantera	KO	7 (?), Template:Small	Apr 12, 1977	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	22–2	Orlando Amores	KO	1 (?)	Mar 11, 1977	Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	21–2	Evaristo Perez	KO	1 (?)	Feb 26, 1977	Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	20–2	Babe San Martin	TKO	7 (10)	Jan 29, 1977	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	19–2	Jose Angel Cazares	KO	1 (10)	Jan 1, 1977	Template:Small
20	Template:Yes2Win	18–2	Nacho Beltran	KO	3 (?)	Nov 13, 1976	Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	17–2	Jose Antonio Rosa	TKO	6 (10), Template:Small	Oct 2, 1976	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	16–2	Samuel Machorro	PTS	10	Aug 1, 1976	Template:Small
17	Template:Yes2Win	15–2	Manuel Killer	KO	2 (10)	Jun 26, 1976	Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	14–2	Gallito Castro	KO	1 (?)	Jun 2, 1976	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	13–2	Jose Luis Cruz	TKO	9 (10)	Mar 27, 1976	Template:Small
14	Template:No2Loss	12–2	Alberto Dávila	UD	10	Feb 25, 1976	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	12–1	Catalino Flores	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Dec 4, 1975	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	11–1	Alvaro Lopez	KO	2 (10)	Oct 11, 1975	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	10–1	Willie Jensen	KO	7 (10), Template:Small	Sep 20, 1975	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	9–1	Roberto Alvarez	KO	1 (10)	Jul 25, 1975	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	8–1	Rocky Mijares	TKO	6 (10)	Apr 16, 1975	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	7–1	Andres Reyes	PTS	10	Mar 10, 1975	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	6–1	Martin Valencia	KO	6 (?)	Feb 19, 1975	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	5–1	Juan Diaz	KO	2 (10)	Dec 21, 1974	Template:Small
5	Template:No2Loss	4–1	Magallo Lozada	DQ	4 (?)	Oct 16, 1974	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Salvador Martinez	PTS	10	Sep 10, 1974	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Manuel Castanedas	TKO	4 (?)	Jul 24, 1974	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Francisco Javier Nunez	UD	10	May 7, 1974	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Manuel Vazquez	KO	2 (10)	Mar 26, 1974	Template:Small

See also

• List of WBC world champions
• List of Mexican boxing world champions

Sources

(i) There are few online accounts of Pintor's upbringing. A sensitive description may however, be located here: [1]. (ii) For an in-depth discussion of Pintor's controversial defeat of Carlos Zarate, see: [2]. (iii) A ring report describing the Owen fight can be found here: [3]. (iv) For more on Pintor's relationship with Johnny Owen's family, see: [4]. (v) For a piece on Pintor's return fight with Albert Davila, go to Boxing Insider [5]. (vi) Details of Pintor's ring record can be found at the Boxing Records Archive: [6].

External links

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