Armando Muñíz (born May 3, 1946) is a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

former professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and former NABF

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

Champion. Muñiz was a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team.

1968 Olympic record

Below are the results of Armando Muñiz, an American boxer, who competed at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics: * Round of 64: bye * Round of 32: defeated Marian Kasprzyk (Poland) on points, 4-1 * Round of 16: defeated Max Hebeisen (Switzerland) on points, 4-1 * Quarterfinal: lost to Mario Guilotti (Argentina) on points, 1-4

Professional career

In November 1971, Muniz knocked out title contender

Clyde Gray Clyde Gray (born March 10, 1947) is a Canadian professional welter/ light middle/middleweight boxer of the 1960s, '70s and '80s who won the Canada welterweight title, and Commonwealth welterweight title, and was a challenger for the North Ameri ...

(29-1) to capture the NABF

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

Championship. The bout was held at the Auditorium in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, California. Muniz made the last defense of his title in 1972 when he knocked out the favored Adolph Pruitt in eight sizzling rounds. Muniz, one of the most popular fighters in Southern California, fought twenty-three times at the historic Olympic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. In 1975, Muniz traveled to

Acapulco, Mexico Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicircular bay, Acapulco has been a port since the ear ...

to challenge welterweight kingpin Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles. A 6-1 underdog at the opening bell, Muniz pounded on Napoles for 12 rounds. With the champion bleeding from both eyes, referee Ramon Berumen, raised the arm of Napoles after consulting with the WBC officials at ringside. Most boxing experts have referred to the Napoles "victory" as one of the worst robberies in boxing history. Muniz was cited as the "uncrowned" champion until Napoles defeated him in a rematch. Muniz made two more unsuccessful attempts at the title in 1977, losing to

Carlos Palomino Carlos Palomino (born August 10, 1949) is a Mexican former professional boxer. Palomino is a former World Welterweight Champion and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Palomino is also an actor who has been featured in several telev ...

. He retired in 1978. Muniz, a college graduate, taught at

Rubidoux High School Rubidoux High School is a four-year public high school in Jurupa Valley, California. It is part of the Jurupa Unified School District, and it opened in 1959. It is one of four high schools in the district, the others being Jurupa Valley High Scho ...

in Riverside, California, for over twenty years. Muniz starred in

Taxi (TV series) ''Taxi'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 12, 1978, to May 6, 1982, and on NBC from September 30, 1982, to June 15, 1983. It focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers a ...

in season 2, episode 15 "The Reluctant Fighter". He portrayed a retired, former champion boxer named Benny Foster trying to make a comeback. He also acted in 1989's film "

Fists of Steel ''Fists of Steel'' is a 1988 American straight-to-video film. It stars Carlos Palomino, Henry Silva, Marianne Marks, Kenny Kerr, Sam Melville, Robert Tessier, Alexis Arguello and Rockne Tarkington. The movie was directed by Jerry Schafer. Apar ...

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 44 Wins (30 knockouts, 14 decisions), 14 Losses (2 knockouts, 12 decisions), 1 Dra

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Sugar Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as Sugar Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professionally between 1977 and 1997, winning quintuple c ...

, RTD , 6 , 09/12/1978 , align=left,

Springfield Civic Center The MassMutual Center (formerly Springfield Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena and convention center complex located in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, in the city's Metro Center. The arena opened in 1972 and the conventio ...

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

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, UD , 15 , 27/05/1978 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Pete Ranzany Pete Ranzany (born April 6, 1952 Pete Ronzoni in Sacramento, California) was an amateur boxer who represented the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1973. He defeated future world welterweight champion Carlos Palomino at the 1972 Olympic Trials, but lost to e ...

, TKO , 6 , 13/12/1977 , align=left,

Sacramento Memorial Auditorium The Sacramento Memorial Auditorium is a historic auditorium located in Sacramento, California. Completed in 1926, the Auditorium opened in February, 1927. The building was constructed as a memorial to Sacramento County veterans of the Spanish ...

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, José Palacios , SD , 10 , 06/08/1977 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ruben Vazquez Zamora , KO , 8 , 17/06/1977 , align=left,

El Paso County Coliseum El Paso County Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in El Paso, Texas, United States. It opened on May 21, 1942 and was built originally to support a rodeo and livestock show, but later expanded to cater other types of events. A variet ...

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Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

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, TKO , 15 , 21/01/1977 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jimmy Heair , UD , 12 , 17/06/1976 , align=left,

Dudley Field FirstBank Stadium (formerly Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium) is a football stadium located in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1922 as the first stadium in the South to be used exclusively for college football, it is the home of the Vander ...

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Abel Cordoba , SD , 10 , 08/05/1976 , align=left, Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ruben Arocha , TKO , 5 , 11/04/1976 , align=left,

Chihuahua, Chihuahua The city of Chihuahua or Chihuahua City ( ; Lipan language, Lipan: ) is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. , the city of Chihuahua had a population of 925,762 inhabitants. while the metropolitan area had a popu ...

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José Nápoles José Ángel Nápoles (April 13, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was a Cuban-born Mexican professional boxer. He was a two-time undisputed welterweight champion, having held the WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' welterweight titles between 1969 and 1975. ...

, UD , 15 , 12/07/1975 , align=left,

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

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, TD , 12 , 30/03/1975 , align=left,

Acapulco, Guerrero Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicircular bay, Acapulco has been a port since the ear ...

, Mexico , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Hedgemon Lewis Hedgemon Lewis (February 25, 1946 – March 31, 2020) was an American professional boxer and trainer. He held the NYSAC welterweight world title in 1972 and challenged for welterweight world championships on three occasions; the unified WBA, a ...

, UD , 10 , 03/12/1974 , align=left, Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Johnny Rico , SD , 10 , 07/09/1974 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Ángel Espada Ángel Luis "Cholo" Espada Mangual (born February 2, 1948) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer. He was the World Boxing Association, WBA's world Welterweight champion in 1975-76. A music lover, Espada also organized, during the late 1970s ...

, PTS , 10 , 29/07/1974 , align=left,

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Lloyd , KO , 1 , 29/06/1974 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Roy Barrientos , PTS , 10 , 03/06/1974 , align=left,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

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Eddie Perkins Eddie Perkins (March 3, 1937 – May 10, 2012) was an American light welterweight boxer. He compiled an amateur boxing record of 26–10. Professional career Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Perkins turned professional in 1956. He was manag ...

, UD , 12 , 22/03/1974 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Walter Charles , KO , 3 , 08/03/1974 , align=left,

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, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dave Oropeza , KO , 3 , 26/01/1974 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jose Miranda , UD , 10 , 08/11/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Zovek Barajas , MD , 10 , 11/10/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Antonio Roldán Antonio Roldán Reyna (born 15 June 1946) is a Mexican boxer who competed in the featherweight division (– 57 kg) during his career as an amateur. He was born in Mexico City. Amateur career Roldán was a gold medalist at the 1968 Su ...

, TKO , 2 , 06/09/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Ernie Lopez Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez (September 24, 1945 – October 3, 2009) was an American professional boxer. He twice fought for the world welterweight boxing title, losing title bouts to José Nápoles in 1970 and 1973. He was a missing person from 19 ...

, TKO , 7 , 26/07/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Thurman Durden , KO , 2 , 07/06/1973 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Manuel Gonzalez , MD , 10 , 04/05/1973 , align=left, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Frank Kolovrat , TKO , 4 , 09/03/1973 , align=left,

Tucson Convention Center The Tucson Convention Center (previously named the Tucson Community Center) is a multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes an 8,962-seat indoor arena, two performing arts venues, a ...

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, SD , 12 , 30/01/1973 , align=left,

Denver Auditorium Arena Denver Auditorium Arena was an indoor arena located at the corner of 13th and Champa Streets in Denver, Colorado. It was constructed as the Denver Municipal Auditorium in 1908 during the administration of Mayor Robert W. Speer. The building was o ...

, Denver, Colorado, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Adolph Pruitt , TKO , 8 , 02/12/1972 , align=left, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jose Martin Flores , UD , 10 , 15/11/1972 , align=left,

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Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eltefat Talebi , MD , 10 , 24/10/1972 , align=left, Valley Music Theater, Woodland Hills, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Percy Pugh , KO , 2 , 11/09/1972 , align=left, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ruben Vazquez Zamora , UD , 12 , 31/07/1972 , align=left, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Prince Jimmy Hamm , TKO , 2 , 10/07/1972 , align=left, Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cassius Greene , TKO , 6 , 19/06/1972 , align=left, Inglewood Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Raul Soriano , MD , 10 , 22/05/1972 , align=left,

Inglewood Forum The Kia Forum, also known as Los Angeles Forum and formerly Great Western Forum, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located on West Manchester Boulevard, with Pincay Drive to the ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mario Olmedo , TKO , 1 , 25/03/1972 , align=left,

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Peter Cobblah , UD , 10 , 18/03/1972 , align=left, Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, Long Beach, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

Emile Griffith Emile Alphonse Griffith (February 3, 1938 – July 23, 2013) was an American professional boxer who won world titles in three weight divisions. He held the world light middleweight, undisputed welterweight, and middleweight titles. His best-kno ...

, UD , 10 , 31/01/1972 , align=left, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, KO , 9 , 19/11/1971 , align=left,

Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a convention center located in Long Beach, California. Built on the former site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue is composed of the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach A ...

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gil King , TKO , 5 , 14/08/1971 , align=left,

Anaheim Convention Center The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California, and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original co ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Chucho Garcia , MD , 10 , 17/07/1971 , align=left, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mario Marquez , KO , 3 , 19/06/1971 , align=left,

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating ca ...

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left,

Oscar Albarado Oscar Albarado (September 15, 1948 – February 17, 2021) was an American former professional boxer who held the undisputed light middleweight world championship from June 1974 to January 1975. Professional career Known as "Shotgun", Alb ...

, PTS , 10 , 06/05/1971 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Cipriano Hernandez , UD , 10 , 18/03/1971 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Seyler , TKO , 3 , 12/02/1971 , align=left,

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park, in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and just south of the campus of the University of ...

, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, James Caffey , TKO , 7 , 07/01/1971 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jose Carreon , KO , 1 , 10/12/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Crispen Benitez , KO , 2 , 12/11/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Victor Manuel Basilio , TKO , 4 , 08/10/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Walter Charles , PTS , 6 , 26/09/1970 , align=left,

Valley Music Theater The Valley Music Theater was a theater-in-the-round performing arts hall located in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It was just south of the Ventura Freeway at 20600 Ventura Boulevard, in the Chalk Hills of the western San Fernando Va ...

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bobby Watts , PTS , 6 , 03/09/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, José Valencia , KO , 2 , 20/08/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Takuji Iwase , KO , 2 , 06/08/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eltefat Talebi , TKO , 1 , 23/07/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe Adams , TKO , 3 , 16/07/1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Muniz, Armando Boxers from Chihuahua (state) Sportspeople from Chihuahua City Welterweight boxers 1935 births Living people American boxers of Mexican descent Mexican emigrants to the United States Boxers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for the United States