15 Facts About Oscar Bonavena

Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena was an Argentine heavyweight professional boxer with a career record of 58 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw.

Oscar Bonavena is remembered for giving Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali hard-fought bouts.

Oscar Natalio Bonavena was born in Buenos Aires to Italian immigrants.

Oscar Bonavena was a professional boxer, Argentine and South American champion.

Oscar Bonavena participated in several Argentine TV programs such as the Pepe Biondi Show.

Oscar Bonavena was far too inexperienced to take on a top veteran like Folley.

In mid-1966 he was enticed back to New York where the free-swinging Oscar Bonavena ran into trouble outside the ring.

Oscar Bonavena called Muhammad Ali a black kangaroo, and a chicken for draft dodging.

Oscar Bonavena first came to wide public attention after a fine performance: defeating rated contender and Canadian champion George Chuvalo, boxing technically better than expected, and later going the distance against the young hard-hitting great Joe Frazier.

In 1967, after the World Boxing Association stripped Muhammad Ali of the title for refusing to be inducted into the US military, Oscar Bonavena participated in that sanctioning body's 1967 tournament to crown a new heavyweight champion.

Oscar Bonavena left with a seriously battered face, as photographed in the Ring magazine.

Oscar Bonavena absorbed punishment throughout but fought well, getting through with various head and body punches.

On February 26,1976, an overweight and sluggish Oscar Bonavena fought what would be his last fight, winning a ten-round decision over the unranked Billy Joiner in Reno.

On 22 May 1976 Oscar Bonavena was shot dead at the age of 33 by security guard Willard Ross Brymer at the Mustang Ranch brothel near Reno, Nevada, after having become involved in a conflict with its owner, Joe Conforte.

Oscar Bonavena's body was returned to Argentina to lie in state at the Luna Park sports arena in Buenos Aires, where 150,000 people filed by.