Punchers from the Past: Jose Maria Gatica

Jose Maria Gatica

Born: 25 May 1925 Villa Mercedes , Argentina

Died: 12 November 1963 Age 38

Record: 96 fights, 86 wins (72 by KO/TKO, 7 losses (4 by KO/TKO), 2 draws, 1 ND.

First Pro Fight: 7 December 1945

Last Pro Fight: 6 July 1956

Titles: None. He never won the National title or fought for a world title but his exciting style and charisma made him an idol.

Gatica’s Story

From rags to riches is an oft used cliché. Gatica’s story is more a case of what goes around comes around as he went from shining shoes to national boxing idol, friend of Juan and Eva Peron then to a hated figure and back to poverty before dying at 38. He was born in Villa Mercedes and his family was very poor. He was a victim of the 1930’s depression a time known in Argentina as the Infamous Decade. Gatica was forced to work to earn money for the family and he never attended school so could not read or write. When he was seven they moved to Buenos Aires to find work. By the age of ten Gatica was shining shoes and selling newspapers on the streets and having to beat up other kids who tried to steal his pitch. He also earned money on the side in unlicenced fights at an English Mission in the slums battling for prize money that the sailors who had deserted their ships or been thrown onto the shore stayed. Gatica would fight anyone there for twenty pesos sometimes fighting three times in a night. He was spotted there by Albanian barber Lazaro Kochi who would eventually lead Pascal Perez to become Argentina’s first world champion. Under Kochi’s guidance Gatica quickly became a favourite and entered the amateur ranks where he won both the Argentinian and Latin American lightweight titles in 1944 and the Golden Gloves in 1945.

His all-action, free swinging attacking style had attracted a big following and he was already fighting twelve round bouts by his fourth contest. In August 1946 he outpointed Alfredo Prada in a clash of unbeaten fighters. In April 1947 he faced Prada again but retired after five rounds with a broken jaw. In all he and Prada fought each other six times. They were 1-1 as amateurs and 2-2 as professionals. Their wars are legendary not just those between the fighters but also their fans and the Luna Pak was sold out whenever they faced each other (Prada lost only 5 of his 99 fights). Gatica was seen as representing the “have nots” against the middle class from which Prada came so there was also a class war involved. After the defeat by Prada Gatica lost only one of his next 40 fights and the loss in those 40 fights came by disqualification against Chilean Jose Valenzuela in Santiago when Gatica’s second climbed into the ring to complain about low punches and butts. Gatica knocked out Valenzuela in a return match. Gatica’s 43-2-1,1ND record and 32 wins KO/TKO was stirring interest in the USA and he was brought to New York in December 1950 for a “test” bout against a fading 98-bout veteran Terry Young and stopped Young in the fourth round. He was not convincing enough so although he was matched with lightweight champion Ike Williams in January 1951 it was in a non-title fight. It was a disaster-for Gatica. He was floored three times and stopped in the first round. It was a huge disappointment for the then Peronista Government as they had paid Madisson Square Garden $300,000 to get the MSG to put the fight on. The understanding was that if Gatica won Williams would defend the title against Gatica in Buenos Aires in a big night for Peron.

Gatica continued to be hugely popular and successful going 29-2, 1ND with 25 wins by KO/TKO. He clashed with Prada again in September 1953 in a challenge for the Argentinian lightweight title. Once again it was a sell-out but Gatica was knocked out in the sixth round in the only title fight in his 96 bout career. Their series of bouts is accepted as having been the most savage rivalry in the history of Argentinian boxing.

He then put together a run of twelve wins, eleven inside the distance, but the last five were against low level opposition and his days of filling the Luna Park were passed and at the age of 31 after a loss to a novice his career was over.

His decline as a fighter came from living the highlife but the loss of his “idol” status was due as much to politics-not boxing politics. His exciting, all-action style had made him the biggest sports idol in Argentina. President Juan Peron and his wife Eva were his biggest fans and Gatica was a very strong and outspoken supporter of Peron even carrying the words “Peron-Evita” on his dressing gown. The Peronista government used Gatica as a propaganda symbol of Peronism and gave Gatica expensive gifts and a house. It was a turbulent time in Argentina and when Gatica dedicated one of his wins to Peron at a time when Peron had fallen from grace he was arrested by the police. He continued to declare his support for Peron and the Argentinian Boxing Federation revoked his licence and banned him for life.

He had earned serious money as a boxer. He had lived the high life. He had a pet lion, dressed in silk shirts, drank, dined and danced in the best clubs throwing his money away and was now a hated figure for his support of Peron. He had fought 44 times at the Luna Park but suddenly he had no friends, no work and no money, a virtual pariah and erven a returned Perron shunned him leaving him with only the love of his third wife and his three daughters to comfort him. He was selling newspapers on the streets and his old foe Prada gave him a job as a greeter at his restaurant. He and his family lost what little they had in a flood. After attending a football match on 10 November 1963 Gatica slipped and fell to the street from the bus he was riding and the rear wheels ran over him. He died two days later on 12 November 1963.

A movie was made his life and his home town named a sports auditorium after him. His life started as a child of the streets and there was something ironic about his death on the streets.