Armando Muñíz (born May 3, 1946) is a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and former NABF

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

Champion. Muñiz was a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team.

1968 Olympic record

Below are the results of Armando Muñiz, an American boxer, who competed at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics: * Round of 64: bye * Round of 32: defeated Marian Kasprzyk (Poland) on points, 4-1 * Round of 16: defeated Max Hebeisen (Switzerland) on points, 4-1 * Quarterfinal: lost to Mario Guilotti (Argentina) on points, 1-4

Professional career

In November 1971, Muniz knocked out title contender Clyde Gray (29-1) to capture the NABF

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

Championship. The bout was held at the Auditorium in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, California. Muniz made the last defense of his title in 1972 when he knocked out the favored Adolph Pruitt in eight sizzling rounds. Muniz, one of the most popular fighters in Southern California, fought twenty-three times at the historic

Olympic Auditorium The Grand Olympic Auditorium is a former sports venue in southern Downtown Los Angeles, California. The venue was built in 1924 at 1801 South Grand Avenue, now just south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The grand opening of the Olympic Auditorium ...

in downtown Los Angeles. In 1975, Muniz traveled to

Acapulco, Mexico Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

to challenge welterweight kingpin Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles. A 6-1 underdog at the opening bell, Muniz pounded on Napoles for 12 rounds. With the champion bleeding from both eyes, referee Ramon Berumen, raised the arm of Napoles after consulting with the WBC officials at ringside. Most boxing experts have referred to the Napoles "victory" as one of the worst robberies in boxing history. Muniz was cited as the "uncrowned" champion until Napoles defeated him in a rematch. Muniz made two more unsuccessful attempts at the title in 1977, losing to

Carlos Palomino Carlos Palomino (born August 10, 1949) is a Mexican former professional boxer. Palomino is a former World Welterweight Champion and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Palomino is also an actor who has been featured in several tele ...

. He retired in 1978. Muniz, a college graduate, taught at

Rubidoux High School Rubidoux High School is a four-year public high school in Jurupa Valley, California. It is part of the Jurupa Unified School District, and it opened in 1959. It is one of four high schools in the district, the others being Jurupa Valley High Sc ...

in Riverside, California, for over twenty years. Muniz starred in Taxi (TV series) in season 2, episode 15 "The Reluctant Fighter". He portrayed a retired, former champion boxer named Benny Foster trying to make a comeback.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 44 Wins (30 knockouts, 14 decisions), 14 Losses (2 knockouts, 12 decisions), 1 Dra

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Sugar Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professiona ...

, RTD , 6 , 09/12/1978 , align=left,

Springfield Civic Center The MassMutual Center (formerly Springfield Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena and convention center complex located in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, in the city's Metro Center. The arena opened in 1972 and the convention center opened ...

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, UD , 15 , 27/05/1978 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Pete Ranzany Pete Ranzany (born April 6, 1952 Pete Ronzoni in Sacramento, California) was an amateur boxer who represented the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1973. He defeated future world welterweight champion Carlos Palomino at the 1972 Olympic Trials, but lost to ...

, TKO , 6 , 13/12/1977 , align=left,

Sacramento Memorial Auditorium The Sacramento Convention Center Complex is a complex of entertainment venues and a convention center located in downtown Sacramento, California. The complex consists of the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center (formerly Community Center Theate ...

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, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, José Palacios , SD , 10 , 06/08/1977 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ruben Vazquez Zamora , KO , 8 , 17/06/1977 , align=left,

El Paso County Coliseum El Paso County Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in El Paso, Texas. It opened on May 21, 1942 and was built originally to support a rodeo and livestock show, but later expanded to cater other types of events. A variety of events th ...

, El Paso, Texas, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Zovek Barajas , TKO , 4 , 02/06/1977 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Antonio Leyva , KO , 1 , 20/03/1977 , align=left,

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars P ...

, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, TKO , 15 , 21/01/1977 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jimmy Heair , UD , 12 , 17/06/1976 , align=left,

Dudley Field FirstBank Stadium (formerly Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium) is a American football, football stadium located in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1922 as the first stadium in the American South, South to be used exclusively for college foo ...

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Abel Cordoba , SD , 10 , 08/05/1976 , align=left, Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ruben Arocha , TKO , 5 , 11/04/1976 , align=left,

Chihuahua, Chihuahua The city of Chihuahua ''(La Ciudad de Chihuahua)'' () is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. , the city of Chihuahua had a population of 925,762 inhabitants. while the metropolitan area had a population of 988,065 inhabitants. ...

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José Nápoles José Ángel Nápoles, nicknamed ''Mantequilla'' ("Butter", referring to his smooth boxing style), (April 13, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was a Cuban-born Mexican professional boxer and a World Welterweight Champion. He is frequently ranked as one ...

, UD , 15 , 12/07/1975 , align=left,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

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, TD , 12 , 30/03/1975 , align=left,

Acapulco, Guerrero Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

, Mexico , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Hedgemon Lewis Hedgemon Lewis (February 25, 1946 – March 31, 2020) was an American professional boxer and trainer. He held the NYSAC welterweight world title in 1972 and challenged for welterweight world championships on three occasions; the unified WBA, an ...

, UD , 10 , 03/12/1974 , align=left, Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Johnny Rico , SD , 10 , 07/09/1974 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Ángel Espada Ángel Luis "Cholo" Espada Mangual (born February 2, 1948) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer. He was the WBA's world Welterweight champion in 1975-76. A music lover, Espada also organized, during the late 1970s, a salsa orchestra. Bio ...

, PTS , 10 , 29/07/1974 , align=left,

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Lloyd , KO , 1 , 29/06/1974 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Roy Barrientos , PTS , 10 , 03/06/1974 , align=left,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

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Marcos Geraldo Marcos López (born September 28, 1954), better known as Marcos Geraldo, is a Mexican former boxer who was champion at both middleweight and light heavyweight. Career Geraldo was born in Sonora, Mexico, and fought out of Baja California for much ...

, MD , 10 , 18/04/1974 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Eddie Perkins Eddie Perkins (March 3, 1937 – May 10, 2012) was an American light welterweight boxer. He compiled an amateur boxing record of 26–10. Professional career Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Perkins turned professional in 1956. He was man ...

, UD , 12 , 22/03/1974 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Walter Charles , KO , 3 , 08/03/1974 , align=left,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dave Oropeza , KO , 3 , 26/01/1974 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jose Miranda , UD , 10 , 08/11/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Zovek Barajas , MD , 10 , 11/10/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Antonio Roldán Antonio Roldán Reyna (born 15 June 1946) was a Mexican boxer who competed in the featherweight division (– 57 kg) during his career as an amateur. He was born in Mexico City. Amateur career Roldán was a gold medalist at the 1968 Sum ...

, TKO , 2 , 06/09/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Ernie Lopez Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez (September 24, 1945 – October 3, 2009) was an American professional boxer. He twice fought for the world welterweight boxing title, losing title bouts to José Nápoles in 1970 and 1973. He was a missing person from 199 ...

, TKO , 7 , 26/07/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Thurman Durden , KO , 2 , 07/06/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Manuel Gonzalez , MD , 10 , 04/05/1973 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Frank Kolovrat , TKO , 4 , 09/03/1973 , align=left,

Tucson Convention Center The Tucson Convention Center (previously named the Tucson Community Center) is a large multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes an 8,962-seat indoor arena, two performing arts Theat ...

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, SD , 12 , 30/01/1973 , align=left,

Denver Auditorium Arena Denver Auditorium Arena was an indoor arena located at the corner of 13th and Champa Streets in Denver, Colorado. It was constructed as the Denver Municipal Auditorium in 1908 during the administration of Denver Mayor Robert W. Speer. The build ...

, Denver, Colorado, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Adolph Pruitt , TKO , 8 , 02/12/1972 , align=left, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jose Martin Flores , UD , 10 , 15/11/1972 , align=left,

Silver Slipper The Silver Slipper was a casino in Paradise, Nevada, that operated from September 1950 to November 29, 1988. The building was designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr. History Opened in 1950, the casino was built on the grounds of the Last Fron ...

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the fif ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eltefat Talebi , MD , 10 , 24/10/1972 , align=left, Valley Music Theater, Woodland Hills, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Percy Pugh , KO , 2 , 11/09/1972 , align=left, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ruben Vazquez Zamora , UD , 12 , 31/07/1972 , align=left, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Prince Jimmy Hamm , TKO , 2 , 10/07/1972 , align=left, Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cassius Greene , TKO , 6 , 19/06/1972 , align=left, Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Raul Soriano , MD , 10 , 22/05/1972 , align=left,

Inglewood Forum Kia Forum (formerly The Forum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located between West Manchester Boulevard, across Pincay Drive and Kareem Court, it is north of SoFi Stadium and t ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mario Olmedo , TKO , 1 , 25/03/1972 , align=left,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Peter Cobblah , UD , 10 , 18/03/1972 , align=left, Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, Long Beach, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Emile Griffith Emile Alphonse Griffith (February 3, 1938 – July 23, 2013) was a professional boxer from the U.S. Virgin Islands who won world titles in three weight divisions. He held the world light middleweight, undisputed welterweight, and middleweight t ...

, UD , 10 , 31/01/1972 , align=left, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Clyde Gray , KO , 9 , 19/11/1971 , align=left,

Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a convention center located in Long Beach, California. Built on the former site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue is composed of the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach Ar ...

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gil King , TKO , 5 , 14/08/1971 , align=left,

Anaheim Convention Center The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original comp ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Chucho Garcia , MD , 10 , 17/07/1971 , align=left, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mario Marquez , KO , 3 , 19/06/1971 , align=left,

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating cap ...

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left,

Oscar Albarado Oscar Albarado (September 15, 1948 – February 17, 2021) was an American former professional boxer who held the undisputed light middleweight world championship from June 1974 to January 1975. Professional career Known as "Shotgun", Alba ...

, PTS , 10 , 06/05/1971 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cipriano Hernandez , UD , 10 , 18/03/1971 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Seyler , TKO , 3 , 12/02/1971 , align=left,

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park (Los Angeles), Exposition Park, in the University Park, Los Angeles, University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial ...

, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, James Caffey , TKO , 7 , 07/01/1971 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jose Carreon , KO , 1 , 10/12/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Crispen Benitez , KO , 2 , 12/11/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Victor Manuel Basilio , TKO , 4 , 08/10/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Walter Charles , PTS , 6 , 26/09/1970 , align=left,

Valley Music Theater The Valley Music Theater was a theater-in-the-round performing arts hall located in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It was just south of the Ventura Freeway at 20600 Ventura Boulevard, in the Chalk Hills of the western San Fernando Val ...

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bobby Watts , PTS , 6 , 03/09/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, José Valencia , KO , 2 , 20/08/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Takuji Iwase , KO , 2 , 06/08/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eltefat Talebi , TKO , 1 , 23/07/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe Adams , TKO , 3 , 16/07/1970 , align=left,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Muniz, Armando Boxers from Chihuahua (state) Sportspeople from Chihuahua City Welterweight boxers 1935 births Living people American boxers of Mexican descent Mexican emigrants to the United States Boxers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for the United States