Punchers from the Past: Oscar Natalio (Ringo) Bonavena

Photo Credit: Boxrec

Name: Oscar Natalio (Ringo) Bonavena
Born: 25 September 1942 Buenos Aires Argentina
Died: 22 May 1976 aged 33
Career: 1964 to 1976
Record: 68 fights, 58 wins (44 by KO/TKO), 9 Losses (1 by KO/TKO), 1 draw.
Division: Heavyweight
Stance: Orthodox
Titles: Argentinian heavyweight champion
Major Contests
Scored wins over: Tom McNeeley*, Dick Wipperman, George Chuvalo *, Eduardo Corletti, Gregorio Peralta *, Alberto Lovell, Billy Daniels, Jose Giorgetti (twice), Amos Johnson, Hubert Hilton, Kar Mildenberger*, Lee Carr, Alvin Lewis, Larry Middleton, Leotis Martin ,Billy Joiner
Lost against: Zora Folley *, Jose Giorgetti, Joe Frazier(twice) **. Jimmy Ellis**, Miguel Angel Paez, Muhammad Ali **, Floyd Patterson**,Ron Lyle*
Drew with: Gregorio Peralta
**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title
* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title
Oscar Bonavena’s Story :
Born in Buenos Aires his parents were Italian immigrants and Bonavena emerged from relative poverty to become one of the most popular boxers in Argentinian history. Nicknamed “Ringo” for the Beatles haircut he sported he faced almost every top rated heavyweight in his era. He floored Joe Frazier twice in losing a split decision, with Frazier eventually winning the world title and outpointing Bonavena in a title defence and in his 68 fights Muhammad Ali was the only fighter to stop him.
Bonavena had his first professional fight on 3 January 1964 a four round fight in Madison Square Garden (MSG) knocking out Lou Hicks in 83 seconds. The story behind Bonavena leaving Argentina at 21 and fighting in the USA is that, whilst he was a useful amateur and qualified to represent Argentina at the 1963 Pan American Games, he was disqualified in the first round of his first fight at the Games. There were only four competitors in the 81Kg + so it went straight to semi-finals and Bonavena faced American Lee Carr. Bonavena’s wild styled had Carr holding desperately and a frustrated Bonavena decided to take a bite out of Carr’s right nipple for which he was disqualified. That meant he could not fight in the contest to decide third place so did not receive a medal and was handed a one year ban by the Argentinian Federation so headed off to the USA to launch his professional career.
He had eight fights in 1964 winning seven inside the distance. He beat former world title challenger Tom McNeeley and useful Dick Whipperman. Five of the fights were at MSG and as a sign of his popularity the last two fights in 1964 were over ten rounds.
Some over-ambitious matching saw him face the Ring Magazine No 5 Zora Folley in February 1965. It was the main event on the MSG card. It was fight No 80 for Folley, who had drawn with Karl Mildenberger and beaten Gerhard Zech in his last 2 fights, and fight No 9 for Bonavena. Folley handled Bonavena with ease flooring him in the eighth round and winning a wide unanimous decision.
Bonavena headed back down to Argentina and between April and August 1965 scored six inside the distance wins in a row. That set the scene for one of the most anticipated fights in Argentinian boxing history against Gregorio “Goya” Peralta with Peralta’s national heavyweight title on the line.
It is said that opposites attract and in boxing when there are obvious contrasts between two fighters it can be a big attraction. There was a huge gap in experience with Peralta having had 56 fights and Bonavena 15. Peralta was a tall skilful fighter, Bonavena smaller but 18 lbs heavier and a bundle of rough aggression, Peralta a cool gentleman, Bonavena a loud-mouthed provocative, rumbustious type and politics were added to the mix as Peralta was a strong pro- Peronista and Bonavena an anti-Peronista.
The demand for tickets was enormous and with no internet you had to physically go to Luna Park to buy a ticket and thousands travelled to Buenos Aires from the Provinces to do that. By fight night the crowds around the stadium were so large that the promoter was ordered for safety reason to close the gates with the attendance given as 25,236 (a record for a fight in Argentina) but it was felt that more than that crammed their way inside and over 5,000 were locked out and tried to fight their way inside past the police. Peralta boxed well over the early rounds but was floored by left in the fifth. A more controlled than expected Bonavena shook Peralta a couple of times in the late rounds to win on a wide unanimous decision. The twelve round fight was scored on the basis of 20 points per round rather than ten or five and Bonavena won on scores of 238-229, 238-230 and 237-232.
Bonavena continued to fight in Argentina winning 5 of his next 6 fights with the loss coming by disqualification against Jose Giorgetti for a low punch.
Bonavena returned to the USA in 1966 and to MSG for two big fights. He scored a majority decision over George Chuvalo in June and in September faced unbeaten Joe Frazier who had won all of his 11 fights inside the distance. Bonavena changed tactics and fought on the back foot firing jabs and clubbing right counters as Frazier marched forward hooking with both hands. After an even first round Bonavena caught the advancing Frazier with a right to the head that sent Frazier crashing to the canvas on his back. Frazier was up immediately but shaken. After the eight count Frazier moved forward trying to hold but a half punch/half push sent him down again. A third knockdown might have ended the fight but Bonavena could not find the punch he needed and by the bell to end the round he had a cut over his right eye. Frazier had fully recovered and changed his tactics to jab more and outworked Bonavena with Argentinian picking up a couple of late rounds to keep the fight close. At that time scoring in New York was by rounds and unlike today when the scores might be read out in an order to generate some tension, the first two score were read out as 6-4 and 5-4 for Frazier which were greeted by boos from the crowd. The third official scored it 5-5 in rounds. The officials also had to score the fight by points and if a score on a card was even on rounds the supplementary points system was applied to that and the third card was read out as 8-5 for Bonavena making it a split decision.
Bonavena headed home again and scored four more wins in 1966 giving him a 25-3 record. He started 1967 by outpointing Georgetti in revenge for the disqualification loss and added four inside the distance wins.
Muhammad Ali had been stripped of the heavyweight title after refusing to be drafted into the US Armed forces and the WBA ordered a tournament to find a new champion. The way it was set up was that the winner of Jimmy Ellis vs. Leotis Martin would fight the winner of Bonavena vs. Karl Mildenberger and the winner of Jerry Quarry vs. Floyd Patterson would meet the winner of Thad Spencer vs. Ernie Terrell. Ellis beat Martin and Bonavena floored Mildenberger four times and outpointed him but was then himself floored twice and outpointed by Ellis. That ended Bonavena’s his role in the tournament which was eventually won by Ellis who became the WBA champion.
Bonavena again travelled back to Argentina and 1968 was a year for some return fights and almost a complete success. He had eight fights and won the first seven. Those wins included a third round kayo of Lee Carr, his opponent from the Pan American Games, a points victory over useful Roberto Davila a revenge victory on a majority decision over Zora Folley and a unanimous decision over Leotis Martin. The spoiler came on 10 December when Bonavena again faced Joe Frazier. Frazier had refused to enter the WBA tournament and instead won recognition from New York and four other US States as champion by stopping undefeated Buster Mathis in March 1968 and defended it in June with a stoppage of Manuel Ramos. There were no dramatics this time as Frazier won on scores of 74-64, 72-64 and 70-67(15 rounds on a 5 point scoring system).
It was back to more routine business in 1969. Bonavena beat Brazilian Luis Faustino Pires, German Wilhelm von Homburg and fellow-Argentinian Alberto Lovell and drew with Gregorio Peralta in a return fight. He started 1970 with a disqualification loss against Miguel Angelo Perez for a low blow before scoring knockouts over Lovell, Jose Menno, Manuel Ramos, James J Woody and Pires.
Muhammad Ali had returned to the ring with a win over Jerry Quarry in October 1970 and Bonavena faced Ali at MSG on 7 December 19070. Ali had not yet reached his pre-suspension peak but outboxed Bonavena being 12-2, 10-3-1 and 8-5-1 in front going into the fifteenth round. A totally exhausted Bonavena was down early in the fifteenth from a left hook. He stumbled to his feet and then went down partly from a right but mainly from exhaustion. Ali was already celebrating and Ali’s corner men had climbed on to the ring apron. However Bonavena got up and was staggering along the ring as the referee followed him applying an eight count. The referee indicated the fight should continue and Bonavena collapsed to his hands and knees from a right and the fight was over. The only time Bonavena was stopped inside the distance.
That defeat took something out of Bonavena and he lost his seat at boxing’s top table. He had 14 more fights but lost important fights against Floyd Patterson-Bonavena’s last fight at the MSG and in which he broke his hand in the fourth round – and Ron Lyle. His last fight was on 26 February 1976 when he outpointed journeyman Billy Joiner and three months later he was dead.
Bonavena had been living at a mobile home park at the Mustang Ranch brothel near Reno Nevada. It was said he had fallen out with Joe Conforte the owner of the Mustang Ranch. One week before his death Bonavena had reported to the police that his mobile home had been broken into and that personal effects, including his passport, had been destroyed. His widow Dora said that her husband had recently received death threats and told her by telephone that he planned to return to Buenos Aires in the next few days. On 22 May 1976 Bonavena was shot dead by a Conforte employee, security guard Willard Ross Brymer.
Bonavena’s body was returned to Argentina to lie in state at the Luna Park sports arena in Buenos Aires and over 150,000 people came to pay their respects.
The fights against Peralta, Frazier and Ali had built a huge following for Bonavena in Argentina and he was more than just a boxer. He had recorded a song that sold well, acted in a revue and appeared on television. After his death a seven episode TV programme was produced covering his life.
When looking at the list of opponents he met and defeated he is arguably the best heavyweight Argentina has produced.