Andrés Balsa Antón (11 March 1883 – 16 December 1973) was a Spanish boxer,
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
, and
football manager
''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...
, taking charge over
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues), the club was fou ...
,
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña () or simply Depor, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia, that competes in the Segunda División, the ...
, and
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol, S. A. D. (; ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF or simply Valencia, is a Spanish professional Association football, football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top tier of the Spani ...
in the 1920s and 1930s.
He had a brief acting career, playing the role of Ursus in the Italian film Quo Vadis?, but he is best remembered for his fight against
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926.
One of the most iconic athl ...
in 1921.
Early life
Andrés Balsa was born on 11 March 1883 in
Mugardos
Mugardos is a small fishing borough and municipality in the comarca of Ferrol (comarca), Ferrol, located in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is bordered with the municipaliti ...
,
A Coruña
A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...
, as the son of a humble farmer and grandson of a single mother, and his childhood was spent like that of all the children in his town, working very hard and going through hardships.
Unlike the others, however, he eventually outgrew all of them, being six feet tall with its corresponding tonnage, a giant between sizes of 1,65. So, at the beginning of the 20th century, he began to go from fair to fair, giving shows and displaying his unparalleled strength and fortitude, until he decided to enlist in the merchant marine to head towards America.
Fighting career
First steps
It was in the decks of those merchant ships that Balsa learned to fight, carrying out night skirmishes as entertainment in the usual impasses of such long voyages. On a trip to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 1902, when he was 19, one of the ship's officers insisted and encouraged him to enter a wrestling tournament on Broadway with a prize of 500 dollars, in which an American champion challenged anyone to fight him, to which Balsa agreed, but only with the condition of not being abandoned if he were injured or badly off; Balsa easily defeated his opponent long before the 15 minutes ran out. He thus decided to leave the Navy, and began investing his prize in training in the free and pugilistic arts.
Wrestling career
With an imponent height, a great weight, and a strength that the media of the time considered "herculean", Balsa began training under an English champion, a certain Jack Nelson, who introduced him to the official circuit around 1909, taking him on tour through
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
and
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, where he defeated tough opponents in wrestling matches, such as the champion in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Taro Miyake. However, it was a bittersweet glory, since his fighting style was often compared to "dancing on stage", and was considered unorthodox for purists, who stated that "he lacks any technique", and even the Spanish press, which echoed his victories in the United States and Cuba, described his successes with similar words.
By 1912, news about his achievements across the United States was already being covered in some American newspapers, including in
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, which recounted his exploits in outdoor combat; the Americans soon began to call him "Bull-Dog" because he was unstoppable in a fight. In 1915, Balsa was one of the 35 wrestlers who participated in the world wrestling tournament held in New York, where he achieved three victories before falling to the eventual champion.
His time in the United States, where Balsa had beaten dozens of champions, had earned him a reputation as an invincible champion, which caused him great problems as he could not find any opponents to face; for instance, in October 1916, he went to Panama for a tournament that turned out to be a failure, as no one dared to fight against him, and in a tournament in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, he had to shout for someone to fight him, but the only one who accepted the challenge was a Russian who asked him to fight in
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...
, believing that Balsa would decline the invitation, which did not happen, so the Russian excused himself because he was "unwell that day".
Boxing career
Confident in his abilities, Balsa decided to leap into the competitive world of boxing, a sport for which he had no technique, no knowledge, no strategy, but despite this, he continued to win in the ring. He is said to have been a pioneer of Spanish boxing in Latin America, making his boxing debut in
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
in May 1918, against Victor Vallejos, whom he defeated by knockout. After several fights in Chile and Argentina, where he lost to the "Wild Bull of Las Pampas",
Luis Ángel Firpo
Luis Ángel Firpo (October 11, 1894 – August 7, 1960) was an Argentine boxer. Born in Junín, Argentina, he was nicknamed ''The Wild Bull of the Pampas''. He was the first Latin American in history to challenge for the world heavyweight titl ...
, he fought in
Montevideo
Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
on 18 October 1919, against Angel Rodriguez, losing on points. This campaign in Latin America helped him dodge the bloodbath of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
in Europe.
After fighting in cities such as
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
, Madrid, and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, Balsa returned to Galicia at the end of the War, arriving in the
port of Vigo
Port of Vigo (, ) is located in Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain.
Vigo is the base for the big fishing companies which have prominent presence in countries such as Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Australia, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, C ...
on 1 July 1920, where he was received as a true idol, since the press had recounted his adventures in America. He achieved several victories in Galicia against Spanish heavyweights, such as Armando Anderson, Frank Croezier, Francisco Alis, and Salvador Almela, in places like Ferrol, Madrid, and Barcelona, and this victories prompted him to return to New York in 1921, to challenge
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926.
One of the most iconic athl ...
for the world heavyweight title. In the build-up for this challenge, several American newspapers heavily criticized him, stating that "his only important training was in a bullring" and that "Balsa knows as much about boxing as a pig knows about using a toothbrush", but just a few days later, he won a match with such a taste of triumph that the bruised American begged him to be his trainer. However, he ended up being defeated by Dempsey, who would remain the uninterrupted champion until 1926. Dempsey later stated that he had never faced such an extraordinary rival as Balsa, and that his victory had been due to "pure luck". Oddly, he is still remembered today in America thanks to his fight against Dempsey, while no one remembers him in his native Galicia.
In the following year, on 8 October 1922, he achieved an epic victory against the Cuban champion Antolin Fierro, doing so by knockout in three rounds. Balsa then returned to South America, where in Mexico, he faced the great Canadian boxer
Sam Langford
Samuel Edgar Langford (March 4, 1886 – January 12, 1956) was a Canadian boxing standout of the early part of the 20th century. Called the "Greatest Fighter Nobody Knows", by ESPN, Langford is considered by many boxing historians to be one of ...
, who was knocked down in the fifth round in an eventual loss in six rounds when he broke his hand and was unable to continue; they faced each other twice more, with the Galician losing in both occasions. In 1925 he returned to Spain intending to seek the national title from
Paulino Uzcudun
Paulino Uzcudun Eizmendi (3 May 1899 – 5 July 1985) was a Basque Spanish heavyweight boxer, who is considered to be the greatest heavyweight from Spain. Uzkudun is the Basque spelling of his last name. He was the youngest of nine siblings. In ...
, who refused to face Balsa, who that year was crowned Galician heavyweight champion against Raul Rodriguez in Vigo. In the early 1920s, Balsa began suffering a physical decline that would lead him to a series of strong defeats with boxers of not very high category in 1925. Ahead of his last boxing match, Balsa was still weighing the KO from the Belgian Jack Humbeeck a few days earlier, and his 40 years of flesh and muscle weighed much more, and thus he barely lasted two rounds against José Santa, a weak Portuguese who came from sparring, just so that "Hércules" could have some joy.
Acting career
On one of his trips to Mexico, Balsa was invited to a bullfight, where he was forced to grab a fighting bull by the horns with his arms, successfully pinning its head to the ground in just 3 minutes. From then on, he began featuring bull wrestling in his acts, and due to his fame as such, Balsa participated in the Italian film Quo Vadis? directed by
Enrico Guazzoni
Enrico Guazzoni (18 December 1876 – 23 September 1949) Birth name Enrico Guazzone. Additionally, document states in lower right, "è morte in Roma in 23-9-49 / died in Rome 23 September 1949". was an Italian screenwriter and film director. G ...
, receiving $5,000 to play the role of Ursus, the protector of the beautiful Ligia, who had to fight a bull in the
Colosseum
The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...
in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, which remains one of the most iconic scenes in Cinema history. However, this role has been wrongly attributed to Bruto Castellani, who repeated the role in the 1924 version. He can also be seen in the skin of a gladiator in other famous films like
Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to:
Fiction
*'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace
** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899
** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...
.
Managerial career
First steps
From the age of 40, his ability as a fighter began to diminish, so Balsa hung his gloves and announced himself as a physical culture teacher in his gym in Vigo, and soon he also began focusing on a sport that had been attracting his attention for a long time, football. At the time, it was inappropriate for footballers to dedicate time to training the body, and it was in this capacity that Balsa found a living, thus avoiding times of famine that retired boxers like him had to endure at the time.
Vigo and Coruña
In 1924 he joined the technical staff of Celta de Vigo as a physical trainer, and the pleasant level of his players helped him make the transition from trainer to coach in 1925, replacing
Francis Cuggy
Francis Cuggy (16 June 1889 – 27 March 1965) was an English football player and coach. A right-half, he won the Football League championship with Sunderland in 1912–13 and made two appearances for England. He later coached Spanish club Ce ...
, and from then on, Balsa's career remained linked to the world of football. His methods were so effective that Vigo won the Galician Regional Championship in 1926, and reached the semifinals of the 1926 Copa del Rey. In the 1927 cup, Vigo won all the games of its group, with 34 goals in favor and only 8 against, but then fell in the round of 16 in a third tiebreaker match against
Arenas Club de Getxo
Arenas Club de Getxo is a Spanish football club based in the town of Getxo, near Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded in 1909, it currently plays in , holding home games at Campo Municipal de Gobela, with a 2,000-se ...
. On one occasion, he picked up and carried an injured player off the field by himself. At the end of the season, there was a renewal of the board of directors of Celta, who decided to replace Balsa with the Scottish W. H. Cowan, so despite his achievements in 1926, he was fired from Celta after only one season and a half.
Balsa then joined Deportivo de Coruña as a masseuse, but some sources claim that he actually worked as a coach. He ended up being exploited at Coruña due to the greed of its president, who combined his duty as the team's coach with shows during patron saint festivities in the towns, carried away by the president of the club, appearing under the name ''El incógnito'' in Madrid, dressed in a Mexican mask from his good times, recovering the title of world wrestling champion in 1929. At the end of the 1928–29 season, Balsa decided to leave his homeland once again, landing in Cartagena, where he took charge of second division side Cartagena, for whom he fought to raise money for the team, which led him to carry out his last boxing fight on 14 February 1932, against Alfred Ozrout, in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. He then returned to Madrid, where he briefly trained the city's municipal police just as he had done in his Mexican stage with the federal
fire department
A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...
.
Castellón and Valencia
In 1931, Balsa joined the ranks of
CD Castellón
Club Deportivo Castellón, S.A.D. is a professional List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team based in Castellón de la Plana, in the Valencian Community. Founded on 20 July 1922, it currently plays in , holding home games at ''Nou E ...
as a coach, where his work received criticism very similar to that he had as a wrestler, since he was accused of a total lack of knowledge of football technique. Under his responsibility, in the 1931–32 and 1932–33 campaigns, Castellón finished as last classified in the
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
. He then moved to Valencia in 1934, around the time that the city was experiencing a football fever due to having reached its first-ever
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
final, which they lost 1–2 to Madrid FC. In the summer of 1935, however, after the interim manager Antonín Fivébr took a flight to Moscow to experience the revolution, Valencia hired him as coach, thus becoming the first Spaniard coach in the history of the club, where he remained for over a decade.
Balsa made his debut as Valencia's coach on 8 November against and stayed as such until 1937, for a total of 1,431 days, and although he won the in 1937, his overall results at the helm of the team were once again not very outstanding. When the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
broke out, Balsa remained loyal to the
Spanish Second Republic
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII. It was dissol ...
, forming part of the new Valencia team made up of workers after the confiscation of the equipment by the employees and footballers. Under his leadership, Valencia reached the final of the 1937 Copa de la España Libre, which they lost 0–1 to Levante. His fidelity to the Republic helped him keep his position in a club founded by Blasquistas, in a time that has been poorly documented, blurred, and skipped by history with the recurring catchphrase "and then the war broke out"; officially he coached at Valencia for two seasons, although he actually coached for four, from 1936 until 1940. Balsa remained in the technical and coaching staff of the Valencian team until 1946, the year in which the trail of Balsa disappeared again.
Balsa went on to manage Castellón (1946–47) and
CD Eldense
Club Deportivo Eldense is a Spanish football team based in Elda, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1921, the club plays in the Segunda División, and holds home matches at '' Estadio Municipal Nuevo Pepico Amat'', which has a ...
(1947–48). In 1950, Valencia played a
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
against Burjassot CF for the benefit of their former coach. In his last years, Balsa exhibited himself in some charity events.
Death
At the end of the 1950s, Balsa emigrated to Brazil with his wife, along with his son Andrés, owner of an important estate. At the end of the 1960s, in December 1968, his son died at the age of 43, a victim of a rapid illness, and the family was ruined, so Valencia CF gave him money to return and settle in Valencia. He grew old in Latin America and died discreetly in Madrid on 16 December 1973, at the age of 90.