Angel Manfredy (born October 30, 1974) is a
Puerto Rican-American former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
. Angel Manfredy was a popular fighter in the late 1990s.
Personal
Manfredy, nicknamed ''El Diablo'' (''The Devil'') because of his reckless lifestyle and of his boxing style converted to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
after trying to commit suicide in his bed while on
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
.
He wears a tattoo of the
Puerto Rican Flag
The flag of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Bandera de Puerto Rico) represents and symbolizes Puerto Rico and its people.
The origins of the current flag of Puerto Rico, adopted by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in 1952, can be traced to 1868, wh ...
on his shoulder. Also he has a tattoo of the cross and a naked lady.
Amateur career
Manfredy had an amateur record of 48–8.
Professional career
Manfredy was known for his walk-ins to his matches wearing a
latex mask
A rubber mask is a mask made of rubber. Typically, these are made of latex or silicone rubber and designed to be pulled over the head as a form of theatrical makeup or disguise.
The theatrical makeup used by Michael Crawford when he played the P ...
depicting
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...
, which he used until his fight with Floyd Mayweather and conversion to Apostolic Pentecostalism.
During his career, Manfredy defeated notable fighters, such as
Arturo Gatti
Arturo Gatti (April 15, 1972 – July 11, 2009) was an Italian-Canadian professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 2007. A world champion in two weight classes, Gatti held the IBF junior lightweight title from 1995 to 1998, and the WBC su ...
(by technical
knockout
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 striking, a ...
),
Ivan Robinson
Ivan "Mighty" Robinson (born February 27, 1971 in Philadelphia) is a boxer who has compiled a record of 36-12-2 (12 KOs) since becoming a professional in 1992. He challenged once for the IBF lightweight title in 1996.
Background
Born and rais ...
(by
knockout
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 striking, a ...
),
Jorge Páez
Jorge Adolfo Páez (born October 27, 1965) is a Mexican actor, circus performer and former professional boxer. In boxing he held the WBO and IBF featherweight titles. Paez's nickname of ''"El Maromero"'' is in honor of the somersault (referr ...
, and
Julio Díaz (by a split decision). He also fought notables
Floyd Mayweather Jr.,
Paul Spadafora and
Diego Corrales
Diego "Chico" Corrales Jr. (August 25, 1977 – May 7, 2007) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2007. He was a multiple-time world champion in two weight divisions, having held the IBF super featherweight title from 19 ...
. A frequent contender, Manfredy was a former
WBU Super Featherweight champion, but lost in each of four attempts to capture a
World Title
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
. Manfredy currently has a record of 43-8-1 (32 knockouts).
Manfredy lost two of his first five fights, but then won 23 in a row, including wins over former champions such as
Calvin Grove
Calvin Grove (born August 5, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who was the Featherweight champion of the world.
Professional career
Grove turned pro in 1982 and in 1988 captured the IBF featherweight title with a TKO over Antonio ...
, and Jorge Páez, and top contenders such as
Wilson Rodriguez, before landing his first major fight against Gatti, in the latter's hometown of Atlantic City. Manfredy, who was an underdog, dominated the fight, knocking Gatti down in the third round, and eventually stopping him on cuts in round 8.
Following this fight, Manfredy fought twice before fighting
Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a major
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
television event. Manfredy was stopped in the second round after a barrage of punches. Manfredy called the stoppage premature and stated he was not injured. This was one of Manfredy's first fights in his new Christian personality, and celebrated having
Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician ...
appear at the match singing for him during his walk-in.
Following this fight, Manfredy knocked out
Ivan Robinson
Ivan "Mighty" Robinson (born February 27, 1971 in Philadelphia) is a boxer who has compiled a record of 36-12-2 (12 KOs) since becoming a professional in 1992. He challenged once for the IBF lightweight title in 1996.
Background
Born and rais ...
in what had been HBO's Boxing After Dark's highest-rated show of 1999. Manfredy then received another world title shot against
Stevie Johnston in 1999, but was thoroughly outboxed. In 2002 Manfredy challenged Paul Spadafora for the
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
World lightweight title. Spadafora beat Manfredy in a close decision. Manfredy last fought in 2004.
Training and Promoting
In 2017 Manfredy took a position as a trainer and promoter in
Crown Point, Indiana
Crown Point is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 33,899 at the 2020 census. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became the first settlers to ...
in a gym owned by boxer Ricky Carr.
See also
*
List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
Professional boxing record
References
External links
*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manfredy, Angel
1974 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Gary, Indiana
American boxers of Latin American descent
Boxers from Indiana
Puerto Rican boxers
Converts to Christianity
Lightweight boxers