Former Argentinian WBA champ Miguel Ángel Castellini Passes Away

The death of the former Argentinian world champion, Miguel Ángel Castellini, has been known in the early morning of this Wednesday, October 28, at the age of 73 at the Hospital Fernandez in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after being held for about 12 days. Castellini would have had about seven cerebrovascular episodes in the last four years and contracted Covid-19 during this period.

A month ago Castellini had been hospitalized and returned home but days later he began to have respiratory problems due to coronavirus and again he was taken to the hospital.

He won the world super welterweight title of the World Boxing Association by defeating Spanish, José Durán on points in 15 rounds, on October 8, 1976, at the iconic Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid, Spain.

In one of the strangest and most unprecedented fights in boxing history, he lost the title on March 5, 1977, in his first defense against the local military boxer Eddie Gazo, in Managua, Nicaragua at the height of the Somoza dictatorship. Gazo, was a member of the National Guard, the stadium was full of soldiers and there are anecdotes of firearms shooting during the fight, Castellini lost the crown in a strange performance. In September 1980 at the mythical Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina managed to beat Gazo in the rematch with a knockout to say goodbye to professional boxing.

After 15 years, Castellini won 73 fights (51KOs), lost 8 and tied 12, he was a front fighter and with a good punch.

Tuo the well-known Recreational Boxing Academy "Miguel Ángel Castellini" with three locations and they were very popular.

Castellini was the reflection of the poor boy, the dreamer and rebellious young man, the man who surpassed himself, was a disc jockey, a lover of his family. Finally the bell of Luna Park rings and the last round to travel to meet his family and his best friend, former world champion Víctor Galíndez.