Manuel Ortiz (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Manuel Ortiz was one of the very best boxers of the 1940s, and was named to Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years. In 1996, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...

.http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/modern/ortizmanuel.html

Amateur career

Ortiz, who was of Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...

 descent, started an amateur career in 1937.http://www.pe.com/sports/boxing/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_boxing_feature_11.3dcc8fa.html Within a year, Ortiz won the Southern California Amateur Flyweight Title, the Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...

 Title, and the National AAU title in Boston. He also defeated Chief Lopez, who was an Olympic runner-up, and Bobby Hagar(father of former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar) twice. In their first fight, Ortiz decked Hagar 17 times. In their second match, Ortiz decked Hager twenty times.

Professional career

Ortiz turned pro in 1938 and in 1942 won the World Bantamweight Title by beating Lou Salica. He defended the title 15 times before losing to Harold Dade
Harold Dade
Harold Dade was an American boxer and Bantamweight champion.-Amateur career:*Won the 1940 Chicago Golden Gloves Championship in the flyweight division by decision over Gene Evans...

 in 1947. He regained the title in a rematch later in the year, and defended the title five more times before losing the belt to Vic Toweel
Vic Toweel
Victor "Vic" Anthony Toweel was a South African boxer and former undisputed World bantamweight champion.Toweel was the first South African to hold a world title.-Personal:...

 in 1950. He retired 5 years later in 1955.

Outside the Ring

  • Ortiz made a very brief appearance in a gym scene in the 1947 movie Killer McCoy.
  • Ortiz served in the U.S. Army.
  • Ortiz died from cirrhosis of the liver after a long illness in 1970.
  • Ortiz is the very first boxer in the prominent boxing online database on Boxrec.com
    Boxrec.com
    BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to keep updated records of professional boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a mediawiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing: ....

    , having the Global ID number of simply "1".


External links

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