Miguel Ángel Botta

In 1959 Argentine boxer Miguel Ángel Botta beat José Martins of Brazil in the flyweight final at the Pan American Games in Chicago to win gold. One year later both men competed in the same event at the Roma Olympics, although they did not face each other during the competition. After receiving a bye, Botta then defeated Segundo Macalalad (PHI) and Ezrael Illkhanouf (IRI), before losing to the eventual gold medallist Gyula Török (HUN) in the quarter-finals. A few months later he then turned professional, having an impressive start to his career, winning his first 14 fights.

The schedule of Botta’s early professional career was intense, with him taking part in 16 fights in his first year. After suffering his first loss in his 15th fight, he then won 10 of his next 12 bouts, with all the fights taking place in Argentina. In mid-1963 he fought for the first time outside of his homeland, but suffered two back-to-back losses in Mexico, before finally recording a victory in June of that year. The following year Botta became the Argentine bantamweight champion, holding the title until August 1967. His final fight came in December 1972, which ended in a draw, with Botta finishing his pro career with 63 bouts with 45 wins, 34 by knock-out.