SPORTSCLOPEDIA 65: ALEXIS ARGUELLO STOPS RAFAEL "BAZOOKA" LIMON IN JULY 8, 1979
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 08 Jul 2023
July 8, 1979 – Alexis Arguello stopped Rafael “Bazooka” Limon in the eleventh round to retain his WBC super featherweight title at Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum, New York. Arguello, who was on his fifth title defense, opened a cut over the right eye of Limon in the first round and took advantage of the injury as he pummeled the challenger until referee Tony Perez stopped the bout because of the gravity of the cut.
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Blood flowed out from the nasty cut over Limon’s right eye. The gash was long which extended from his eyebrow to his forehead and Limon’s body and yellow trunks were tainted with blood. Limon protested when Referee Tony Perez waived the fight one minute and 40 seconds of the round. Limon wanted to continue fighting but the referee decided that the cut was too alarming.
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Arguello was comfortably ahead in all three official score cards. Referee Perez had it 98-94, Judge Arti Aidela saw it 99-93, and Eva Shain scored it 98-92.
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Arguello of Barrio Monseñor Lezcano, Managua, Nicaragua was a three-weight world champion, was the WBA featherweight champion from 1974 to 1976, the WBC super featherweight titlist from 1978 to 1980; and the WBC lightweight title holder from 1981 to 1982.
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Also, he held the Ring magazine and lineal featherweight titles from 1975 to 1977; the Ring lightweight title from 1981 to 1982; and the lineal lightweight title in 1982.
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Arguello has been named as one of the greatest boxers of his era. He never lost any of his world titles in the ring, instead he relinquished them each time he fought for titles in higher weight classes. After his retirement from boxing, he became active in Nicaraguan politics and in November 2008 was elected mayor of his native Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua.
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The Ring magazine ranked Arguello as 20th of their "100 greatest punchers of all time". He was recognized as one of the 20 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring magazine and is considered as one of the greatest boxers in Latin America and one of the few fighters to have fought in four different decades.
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Rafael Limon of Tlaxco, Tlaxcala, Mexico was the WBC super featherweight champion twice between 1980 and 1982. He also challenged for the same title in 1979 and 1983.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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