Punchers from the Past: EDUARDO (KO) JORGE LAUSSE

Photo Credit: Boxrec

Name: EDUARDO (KO) JORGE LAUSSE
Born: 27 November 1927 Lomas de Zamora, Argentina
Died: 8 May 1994
Career: 1947 to 1960
Record: 87 fights, 75 wins (62 by KO/TKO), 10 losses (3 by KO/TKO, 2 draws.
Division: Middleweight
Stance: Orthodox (converted southpaw)
Titles: Argentinian and South American middleweight champion
Major Contests
Scored wins over: Mario Diaz, Chico Verona, Ralph Jones, Kid Gavilan **,Gene Fullmer **, Johnny Sullivan, Milo Savage, Ubaldo Sacco, Andes Selpa, Wilf Greaves, Victor Zalazar
Lost to: Mario Diaz (twice), Kid Gavilan**, Bobby Boyd, Andres Selpa (twice), Marcel Pigou,
**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title
* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title
Eduardo Lausse’ Story
Lausse dreamed of being a boxer from an early age and took part in bouts between kids from the Provinces and those from Buenos Aires. He moved on and had his first formal amateur fight at the age of twelve. Eventually his potential was noted by Lazaro Kochi who had previously discovered Pascual Perez and Jose Maria Gatica. He earned a reputation as a puncher whilst still fighting in the amateurs before having his first professional fight at the famed Luna Park in Buenos Aires in March 1947. In a busy 1947 he won his first 17 fights, 15 inside the distance, seven in the first round, before losing over twelve rounds on points to Argentinian champion Amelio Piceda in a non-title fight in December 1947. Piceda had lost only 3 of his 62 fights. After packing those 18 fights into nine months Lausse dialled back on his activity and over the next four year was 12-3-1 in 16 fights. In 1952 he suffered consecutive losses against fellow-Argentinian Antonio Cuevas and on points against former welterweight champion Kid Gavilan before finishing the year with six wins in two months including four in three weeks in December. Despite the couple of set-backs he was improving his skills and living up to his nickname of “KO”. Before he turned professional a trainer convinced him to switch from southpaw to orthodox and Lausse had developed a fearsome left hook. The last three of his wins in December 1952 had come by KO/TKO and that started an amazing run that saw Lausse win his next 34 fights, 29 of them by KO/TKO. His kayo power had already attracted American promoters and in 1953 he was brought to the USA by Charley Johnston who had made regular visits to Argentina with his stable of fighters which included Archie Moore and Sandy Sadler. Lausse won the three fights arranged for him there but missed his family and friends and went back to Argentina.
He took his revenge for two earlier losses by knocking out Antonio Cuevas and then in July 1953 decisioning Mario Diaz to win the Argentinian middleweight title. By January 1954 he had put together a run of 16 wins by KO/TKO and was lured back to America again. His first fight on his return saw his knockout streak end as he won a split decision over clever Jesse Turner. In May he was more impressive in kayoing 82 fight veteran Cuban Chico Varona and in June made his first appearance at Madison Square Garden (MSG) stopping Joe Rindone in two rounds. There were big fights there for him but again he was homesick. He headed back to Argentina and was again bowling over the opposition in quick time. Since being taken the distance by Turner he had won eight in a row by KO/TKO and was back in the USA giving it one more try. In May 1955 he scored his biggest win so far overcoming cuts over both eyes to outpoint world rated Ralph Jones in MSG. Four months earlier Jones had won a wide unanimous decision over Sugar Ray Robinson as Robinson returned after retiring. Robinson regained the middleweight just eleven months after losing to Jones. Lausse popped back home in September to outpoint Kid Gavilan and in November he scored an important and impressive victory by flooring and outpointing Gene Fullmer, who eighteen month later would beat Sugar Ray Robinson for the world title.
Lausse was now No 3 in the world and after the Fullmer win a title fight in 1966 was on the cards. Things did not go to plan. A split draw with Milo Savage ended his 34-fight winning streak and there was an unexpected loss to Bobby Boyd in February. Although Boyd had beaten Fullmer he had lost to Savage and once again Lausse fought with the handicap of cuts over both eyes..
Lausse went back to Argentina and won the South American title with a kayo of Humberto Loayza in June 1956. In August he lost on points to fellow-Argentinian Andres Selpa who had won only one of his last four fights. No one could believe the result so they faced each other again in October with Lausse’s Argentinian and South American titles on the line and Selpa stopped Lausse in the thirteenth round. Lausse did not fight again for a year then returned and scored five inside the distance wins. He faced Selpa for the third time in September 1958 at Luna Park and regained the Argentinian title by outpointing Selpa. The Lausse-loving public threw a shower of coins in derision at Selpa, who, having removed his gloves, went round picking up the coins which incense the crowd and lead to Selpa being given a ban by the Federation. After this third match these two legends of Argentinian boxing had 170 fights between them and Selpa would go on to have a total of 219 fights.
At 30 and after 84 fights Lausse decided to head North for one last try at landing a title fight. The campaign started well as in March 1960 at MSG he floored and stopped Canadian Wilf Greaves who had scored recent wins over Phil Moyer and Ralph Jones. In June he took on Frenchman Marcel Pigou in MSG. He dropped Pigou in the fifth and led on all three cards but was floored in the seventh and lost on a stoppage. Lausse closed his career as he stared it winning on an eighth round kayo over Victor Zalazar in his beloved Luna Park in Buenos Aires where 13 years before in his first professional fight he had stopped Joe McCaddon in two rounds.
With his 62 wins by KO/TKO in 87 fights his ferocious punching and dynamite laden left hook he was idolised at home and a favourite on US TV.
After retirement he work in a number of businesses he had set up including a pizza parlour, a gym, a motorcycle agency and an appliance store before he died on May 8, 1995 due to heart failure at the age of sixty-eight.