Arturo Godoy (October 10, 1912 – 1986) was a Chilean
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
, also nicknamed "Arturito".
Biography
He was born in
Iquique
Iquique () is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the Atacama Desert. It has a population of 191, ...
on October 10, 1912. He was South American Heavyweight Champion and had an extensive and successful career in Argentina, Cuba, Spain, and the United States roughly between 1931 and 1954. In New York, he beat
Tony Galento.
He is best known for his two epic fights with
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He re ...
for the
World Heavyweight Championship in 1940. The first was held at the
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
on February 10, 1940, and went the full length of 15 rounds. The 2 ringside judges split their votes and the tie was broken by the referee, who gave it to Louis, to the protest of a substantial part of the audience, who had been won over by the fact that Godoy showed no fear of Louis and by the additional fact that Louis was not able to knock out his opponent after a string of K.O.s and T.K.O.s. South Americans and Chileans in particular thought that Godoy had indeed won the fight and from then on the figure of Godoy acquired mythical proportions. A second fight was scheduled for June 20, 1940. Joe Louis prepared to counteract Godoy's strategy and ring tactics, focusing on bringing him up from his unusual low stance with a combination of hooks to the body and uppercuts. Godoy fought bravely but the referee had to stop the fight in the 8th round. Godoy continued fighting until 1954 and returned to Chile, where he was regarded as a hero.
He died in Chile in 1986.
Legacy
His life was used as the base for the novel "Muriendo por la dulce patria mía" (
Planeta, 1998) by
Roberto Castillo Sandoval.
Professional boxing record
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Godoy, Arturo
1912 births
1986 deaths
Heavyweight boxers
People from Iquique
Chilean male boxers
20th-century Chilean people