Angel Manfredy is a
Puerto RicanA Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
-American former boxer who has fought in the Junior
WelterweightWelterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
,
LightweightLight-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
and Junior Lightweight divisions. Angel Manfredy was a popular late 1990s fighter.
Personal
Manfredy, nicknamed
El Diablo (
The Devil) because of his reckless lifestyle and of his boxing style converted to
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
after trying to committ suicide in his bed while on
cocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
.
He wears a tattoo of the Puerto Rican Flag on his shoulder. Also he has a tattoo of the cross and a naked lady.
Professional career
Manfredy was known for his walk-ins to his matches wearing a
latex maskLatex mask generally refers to a full-head enclosure or disguise, often worn by someone as a part of a costume and usually made from natural latex rubber, though some masks can be made of vinyl, silicone rubber or foam latex. Latex masks are particularly popular around holidays such as Halloween,...
depicting
SatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, which he used until fight with Floyd Mayweather and conversion to Apostolic Pentecostalism.
During his career, Manfredy has defeated
Arturo GattiArturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...
(by technical
knockoutA knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
),
Ivan RobinsonIvan "Mighty" Robinson is a boxer who has compiled a record of 36-12-2 since becoming a professional in 1992. He attended Simon Gratz High School.- Professional career :...
(by
knockoutA knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
),
Jorge PáezJorge Adolfo Febles Páez is a Mexican boxer, actor and circus performer. Páez is the former WBO and IBF Featherweight champion. Paez is nicknamed " El Maromero", in honor of the acts he performs at the circus. Paez has been a circus performer in his northwest Mexico hometown since he was very young...
, and
Julio DíazJulio Díaz is a Mexican professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division. A former IBF lightweight champion, he is also the brother of boxing trainer Joel Díaz and former World Champion Antonio Díaz.-Professional career:Diaz captured the IBF lightweight interim title with a win over Ricky...
(by a split decision). He has also fought such notables as
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. is an American professional boxer. He is a five-division world champion, where he has won seven world titles, as well as the lineal championship in three different weight classes...
and
Paul SpadaforaPaul Spadafora is a native of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania who is a professional boxer. Spadafora was the IBF's world Lightweight champion.-Personal background:...
. A frequent contender, Manfredy never won a major world title, losing in each of four attempts. Manfredy currently sports a lifetime record of 42-8-1 (31 knockouts).
Manfredy lost two out of his first five fights, but then won an impressive 23 in a row, including wins over former champions such as
Calvin GroveCalvin Grove was a boxer in the Featherweight division. Grove turned pro in 1982 and in 1988 captured the IBF featherweight title with a TKO over Antonio Rivera. He defended the belt once before losing it to Jorge Páez later that same year...
, and Jorge Páez, and top contenders such as
Wilson RodriguezWilson Rodriguez is a retired professional boxer, best known for his 1996 fight with Arturo Gatti and his reign as IBF Inter-Continental super featherweight titleholder, which he successfully defended 6 times.His career record was 48 wins, 10 losses, 3 draws...
, before landing his first major fight against Gatti, in the latter's hometown of Atlantic City. Manfredy was a big underdog but dominated the fight, knocking Gatti down in round 3, and eventually stopping him on cuts in round 8.
Following this fight Manfredy fought some C-level opponents, before fighting
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. is an American professional boxer. He is a five-division world champion, where he has won seven world titles, as well as the lineal championship in three different weight classes...
in a major HBO television event. Manfredy was stopped in the second round after a barrage of punches. Some called the stoppage premature. This was one of Manfredy's first fights in his new Christian personality, and celebrated having
Kid RockRobert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
appear at the match singing for him during his walk-in.
Following this fight Manfredy knocked out
Ivan RobinsonIvan "Mighty" Robinson is a boxer who has compiled a record of 36-12-2 since becoming a professional in 1992. He attended Simon Gratz High School.- Professional career :...
in what had been HBO's Boxing After Dark's highest-rated show of 1999. Manfredy then received another world title shot against
Stevie JohnstonSteven Earl Johnston is an American boxer in the lightweight division. Johnston is a two-time former WBC Lightweight Champion.- Amateur career :...
in 1999, but was thoroughly outboxed. After this Manfredy has boxed some opponents here-and-there with little success. Spadafora beat Manfredy in a close decision in early 2002. Manfredy, who has not fought since 2004, has considered making a comeback.
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