Pascual Pérez (boxer)

Pascual Pérez
Born(1926-05-04)May 4, 1926
DiedJanuary 22, 1977(1977-01-22) (aged 50)
Other namesEl León Mendocino
Statistics
Weight(s)Flyweight
Height4 ft 11 in (1.50 m)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights92
Wins84
Wins by KO57
Losses7
Draws1
Medal record
Men's boxing
Representing  Argentina
Olympic Games
1948 LondonFlyweight

Pascual Nicolás Pérez (May 4, 1926 January 22, 1977) was an Argentine flyweight boxer. Pérez was born in Tupungato in the Mendoza Province of Argentina, he went on to make history by becoming Argentina's first world boxing champion.

Pérez usually did poor at the ticket gates in Argentina after he became world champion, forcing him to defend his world title on the road many times and to become known as a world-traveling champion. His first international success was a gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in United Kingdom.

He and Delfo Cabrera were the only two Argentines to be an Olympic gold medalists in the London Olympics of 1948. Perez reigned as World Champion from 1954 to 1960. As an amateur he fought 125 bouts. Turning professional in 1952, he fought 92 fights (84 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw), in which he won 57 fights by knockout, a record that places him in an elite group of boxers who have won more than 50 fights by knockouts. He defended his title against nine contenders in a span of six years. He is considered one of the three greatest flyweight boxers in history alongside Miguel Canto and Jimmy Wilde. Along with Carlos Monzon, he is considered one of the best fighters ever to box. He has been inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2004, the American Boxing Confederation posthumously declared him the South American champion.