Pete Ranzany (born April 6, 1952 Pete Ronzoni in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

) was an amateur

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 ...

who represented the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

from 1970 to 1973. He defeated future world

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 th ...

champion Carlos Palomino at the 1972 Olympic Trials, but lost to eventual gold medalist Sugar Ray Seales in the finals. A conventional boxer with a solid

jab A jab is a type of punch used in martial arts. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended from the side of ...

and vicious left hook that Ranzany utilized to the body of his opponents, he was known to take opponents out with one single shot to the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

. His trainer, Joey Lopes—also a one-time fighter in the Sacramento region—was often criticized for protecting Ranzany, thus giving Ranzany the label of a "hometown fighter." Ranzany rose to the rank of number-one challenger in the world in the late 1970s as a

. Ranzany knocked out Randy Shields on February 14, 1978, in the 11th round to earn the NABF welterweight title. On September 9, 1978, Ranzany fought for the WBA world welterweight title against title holder Jose "Pipino" Cuevas, before a crowd of over 17,000 people in the outdoor Charles C. Hughes Stadium in Sacramento. After doing well in the first round, Ranzany was

knocked out A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving strikin ...

by a right-hand blow from Cuevas in the 2nd round. One year later, on August 12, 1979, Ranzany lost to

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 professional ...

at Caesars Palace in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, getting knocked out in the 4th round. Ranzany came back to Hughes Stadium the following year to defeat Sal Lopez (older brother of future Jr. Lightweight champion, Tony "The Tiger" Lopez) with a 6th-round knockout on September 5, 1980. After this victory, Ranzany got one more shot at a premier welterweight, losing to

Wilfred Benítez Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...

on December 12, 1980, in a 10-round unanimous decision. On October 30, 1982, Ranzany defeated former lightweight champion Sean O'Grady in a 10-round unanimous decision. , -

References

* http://thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/1646 * Mladinich, Robert.
Pete Ranzany: The Pride of Sacramento
, FightBeat.com. Retrieved 2008-06-10. * "Ranzany's Last Round", ''The New York Times'', September 29, 1983. * Mulcahey, Marty.
On This Day in Boxing History: September 9
" MaxBoxing.com. Retrieved 2008-06-10. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranzany, Pete 1952 births Boxers from Sacramento, California Living people Welterweight boxers American male boxers