A brutal fight. A nasty cut only a few minutes into the bout. An unusually long pause to evaluate the situation. An unlikely return to action, with the possibility of a crushing defeat hanging over the champion if he abandoned the fight. A referee’s shirt soaked in blood. And somewhere in the background, an entire corner hiding a painful secret from the champ.

Victor Galindez’s dramatic defense of his portion of the light heavyweight title against Richie Kates in Johannesburg on May 22, 1976, had all the elements of an entire movie worth of drama, agony and ecstasy. It remains the most extraordinary and dramatic performance by an Argentine fighter, ever. And even today, it elicits admiration and awe on the extraordinary courage of a fighter who simply refused to go down – perhaps inspired by a fellow fighter who had, just hours a few hours earlier, heard the final bell of his life.

For a complete account of this extraordinary fight, read Diego Morilla’s feature here:

Blood, sweat, tears and death – Victor Galindez vs. Richie Kates 45 years later

Diego M. Morilla writes for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.

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