Mate Parlov: Difference between revisions
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==Professional career== |
==Professional career== |
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Parlov took the opportunity to turn professional and won twelve of his first thirteen fights before successfully challenging for the European light-heavyweight title. After defending the European title three times he met Miquel Angel Cuello for the [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] World light-heavyweight title in January 1978. The two men had been scheduled to meet in the quarter-finals at the Munich Olympics but Cuetto had been forced to withdraw injured. Parlov knocked out the Argentine in the ninth round in Milan to become the first professional world champion from a communist country. |
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As a professional, he won the European [[light heavyweight]] title in 1976 and [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] light heavyweight world title in 1978. |
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==After boxing== |
==After boxing== |
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Revision as of 10:35, 30 May 2012
Mate Parlov | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | Mate Parlov November 16, 1948 |
| Died | July 29, 2008 (aged 59) |
| Nationality | Croatian |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | light heavyweight, cruiserweight |
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 29 |
| Wins | 24 |
| Wins by KO | 12 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No contests | 0 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Boxing | ||
Representing  Yugoslavia
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| Olympic Games | ||
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1972 Munich | Light Heavyweight |
| World Amateur Championships | ||
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1974 Havana | Light Heavyweight |
| European Amateur Championships | ||
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1969 Bucharest | Middleweight |
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1971 Madrid | Light Heavyweight |
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1973 Belgrade | Light Heavyweight |
Mate Parlov (November 16, 1948 – July 29, 2008) was a Croatian boxer, and an Olympic gold medalist who was European and World Champion as amateur and as professional. Parlov is universally regarded as the greatest Croatian boxer of all time, as well as one of the greatest Croatian sportspeople of the 20th century.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Background
Mate Parlov was born in Split, but his origins were from the village of Ričice near the town of Imotski.
Amateur
In his amateur career he participated in 310 matches and lost only 13. During his amateur career, Parlov was an eight-time champion of Yugoslavia in the light heavyweight category (1967-1974), five-time champion of the Balkans (1970-1974), two-time champion of Europe (1971 in Madrid, and 1973 in Belgrade) and the world champion at the inaugural 1974 World Championships in Havana, Cuba. He won the Golden Glove award two times, in 1967 and 1969. He participated in the Munich 1972 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division.
- 1968 - Olympic Games, Mexico City, Mexico: Quarter Finals (Middleweight)
- W-PTS Lahcen Ahidous (Mauritania)
- W-PTS Jan van Ispelen (Netherlands)
- L-PTS Chris Finnegan (England) (Finnegan would win the gold medal)
- 1971 - European Championships: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)
- 1972 - Olympic Games, Munich, Germany: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)
- W-KO 2 Nouredine Aman Hassan (Chad)
- W-KO 2 Imre Toth (Hungary)
- W- Forfeit Miguel Angel Cuello (Argentina)
- W-PTS Janusz Gortat (Poland)
- W-TKO 2 Gilberto Carrillo (Cuba)
- 1973 - European Championships: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)
- 1974 - World Championships, Havanna, Cuba: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)
Professional career
Parlov took the opportunity to turn professional and won twelve of his first thirteen fights before successfully challenging for the European light-heavyweight title. After defending the European title three times he met Miquel Angel Cuello for the WBC World light-heavyweight title in January 1978. The two men had been scheduled to meet in the quarter-finals at the Munich Olympics but Cuetto had been forced to withdraw injured. Parlov knocked out the Argentine in the ninth round in Milan to become the first professional world champion from a communist country.
After boxing
His final contact with boxing was in 1984 Olympics, when he was the Yugoslav coach. At those Olympics, Yugoslav boxers achieved their best results ever: one gold, one silver and two bronzes.
After he ended his active boxing career, he moved to Fažana near Pula, away from boxing and the public. He ran his coffee bar in Pula. Periodically he appeared on Croatian national TV as guest-commentator during matches of Željko Mavrović and Stipe Drviš.
Death
In March 2008, Parlov was diagnosed as having lung cancer. Four months later, he died on the way to hospital in Pula, where he had lived with his family after retiring from boxing in 1985.
Honors and awards
- Golden Gloves: 1967, 1969
- Croatian Sportsman of the Year: 1971, 1972, 1973
- Yugoslavian Sportsman of the Year: 1971, 1972, 1974
- Golden Badge award for best athlete of Yugoslavia: 1972, 1974
- Croatian Sportsman of the 20th century [8]
- WBC Honorary Champion: 2006 [9]
- Croatian Walk of Fame: 2008
Professional boxing record
References
- ^ http://www.boks-savez.hr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=217&Itemid=128
- ^ http://www.gloria.com.hr/vijesti/showpage.php?id=5661
- ^ http://www.sportske.hr/Default.aspx?sid=15422
- ^ http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/mate-parlov-se-bori-s-teskom-bolesti-pluca/380708.aspx
- ^ http://www.nacional.hr/clanak/47689/umro-mate-parlov
- ^ http://www.vjesnik.hr/Html/2008/07/30/Clanak.asp?r=spo&c=1
- ^ http://www.radio101.hr/?section=1&page=3&item=32023
- ^ Template:Sl icon RTV Slovenia Umrl boksarski šampion Mate Parlov
- ^ Boxing News and Views World Boxing Council News
External links
- Boxing record for Mate Parlov from BoxRec (registration required)
- Olympiad Medal Results for 1972: Boxing 75-81kg (light-heavyweight) Men
- Statistics and details
1920–1936: 160–175 lb (72.6–79.4 kg) · 1948: 73–80 kg · 1952–2012: 75–81 kg · 2016–2020: 76–81 kg | |
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- 1948 births
- 2008 deaths
- People from Split, Croatia
- Yugoslav boxers
- Croatian boxers
- Light-heavyweight boxers
- Olympic boxers of Yugoslavia
- Olympic gold medalists for Yugoslavia
- Boxers at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Boxers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- World boxing champions
- Deaths from lung cancer
- Olympic medalists in boxing