Andrés Alexis Argüello Bohórquez (April 19, 1952 – July 1, 2009) was a Nicaraguan professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 1995, and later became a politician. He was a three-weight world champion, having held the WBA featherweight title from 1974 to 1976; the WBC super featherweight title from 1978 to 1980; and the WBC lightweight title from 1981 to 1982. Additionally, he held the Ring magazine and lineal featherweight titles from 1975 to 1977; the Ring lightweight title from 1981 to 1982; and the lineal lightweight title in 1982. In his later career, he challenged twice for light welterweight world titles, losing both times in famous fights against Aaron Pryor.
Argüello has regularly been cited as one of the greatest boxers of his era, having never lost any of his world titles in the ring, instead relinquishing them each time in pursuit of titles in higher weight classes. After his retirement from boxing, he became active in Nicaraguan politics and in November 2008 was elected mayor of his native Managua, the nation's capital city.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Andrés Alexis Argüello Bohórquez
- Born: April 19, 1952 — Barrio Monseñor Lezcano, Managua, Nicaragua
- Died: July 1, 2009 — Managua, Nicaragua (aged 57)
- Nationality: Nicaraguan
- Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
- Reach: 72 in (183 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: Oct 26, 1968 (Win by KO vs Israel Medina)
- Last bout: Jan 21, 1995 (Loss by UD vs Scott Walker)
- Total rounds boxed: 491 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Bantamweight, Featherweight, Super featherweight, Lightweight, Light welterweight, Welterweight
- KO percentage: 80.5% (62 KO wins in 77 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBA featherweight title November 23, 1974 – 1976 (won from Rubén Olivares; defended against Leonel Hernandez, Rigoberto Riasco, Royal Kobayashi and Salvador Torres, adding The Ring title on May 31, 1975, per the bout table, before the move up in weight); WBC super featherweight title January 28, 1978 – 1980 (won from Alfredo Escalera; defended against Rey Tam, Diego Alcala, Arturo Leon, Escalera in the rematch, Rafael Limón, Bobby Chacon, Ruben Castillo and Rolando Navarrete, per the bout table); WBC and The Ring lightweight titles June 20, 1981 – 1982 (won from Jim Watt; defended against Ray Mancini, Roberto Elizondo, James Busceme and Andrew Ganigan, per the bout table, before the light welterweight challenges of Aaron Pryor) — all dates per the bout table
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 85
- Wins: 77
- Wins by KO: 62
- Losses: 8
- Losses by KO: 4
- Draws: 0
- No contests: 0
- Born: April 19, 1952 — Barrio Monseñor Lezcano, Managua, Nicaragua
- Nationality: Nicaraguan
- Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
- Reach: 72 in (183 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Bantamweight, Featherweight, Super featherweight, Lightweight, Light welterweight, Welterweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 26, 1968 | Israel Medina | Win | KO | 1 (4) | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 2 | Dec 14, 1968 | Oscar Espinosa | Win | SD | 4 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 3 | Feb 15, 1969 | Burrito Martinez | Win | TKO | 3 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 4 | Mar 1, 1969 | Omar Amaya | Loss | KO | 4 | León, Nicaragua |
| 5 | Apr 26, 1969 | Oscar Espinosa | Loss | SD | 6 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 6 | Sep 24, 1970 | Marcelino Beckles | Win | TKO | 8 (8) | Gimnasio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |
| 7 | Sep 24, 1970 | Mario Bojorque | Win | KO | 1 (6) | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 8 | Nov 14, 1970 | Jose Urbina | Win | KO | 1 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 9 | Dec 5, 1970 | Julio Morales | Win | KO | 3 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 10 | Dec 19, 1970 | Armando Figueroa | Win | TKO | 1 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 11 | Feb 13, 1971 | Antonio Quiroz | Win | KO | 6 (8), 2:06 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 12 | Mar 13, 1971 | Julio Hernandez | Win | UD | 10 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 13 | Apr 17, 1971 | Julio Hernandez | Win | UD | 10 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 14 | May 1, 1971 | Mauricio Buitrago | Win | KO | 7 (10) | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 15 | Jun 5, 1971 | Kid Chapula | Win | KO | 1 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 16 | Jun 26, 1971 | Marcial Loyola | Win | TKO | 2 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 17 | Jul 17, 1971 | Emilio Buitrago | Win | TKO | 5 (10) | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 18 | Aug 14, 1971 | Catalino Alvarado | Win | KO | 1 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 19 | Oct 2, 1971 | Emilio Buitrago | Win | UD | 10 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua — ★ Title fight — Won vacant Nicaraguan bantamweight title |
| 20 | Oct 10, 1971 | Reynaldo Mendoza | Win | TKO | 4 | Managua, Nicaragua |
| 21 | Dec 18, 1971 | Vicente Worrel Jr. | Win | KO | 2 (10) | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 22 | Jan 15, 1972 | Jorge Reyes | Loss | TKO | 6 (10) | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 23 | Sep 9, 1972 | Jorge Benitez | Win | KO | 1 | Estadio Thomas Cranshaw, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 24 | Oct 21, 1972 | Memo Barrera | Win | TKO | 2 | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 25 | Nov 19, 1972 | Memo Ortiz | Win | KO | 2 (10) | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 26 | Dec 16, 1972 | Rafael Gonzalez | Win | TKO | 3 | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 27 | Feb 24, 1973 | Fernando Fernandez | Win | TKO | 2 | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 28 | Mar 31, 1973 | Magallo Lozada | Win | UD | 10 | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 29 | May 26, 1973 | Kid Pascualito | Win | TKO | 3 (10) | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 30 | Jun 30, 1973 | Octavio Gomez | Win | KO | 2 (10) | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 31 | Aug 25, 1973 | Nacho Lomeli | Win | KO | 1 (10), 2:33 | Roberto Clemente Stadium, Masaya, Nicaragua |
| 32 | Oct 27, 1973 | Sigfrido Rodriguez | Win | TKO | 9 (10) | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 33 | Nov 24, 1973 | José Legrá | Win | TKO | 1 (10) | Roberto Clemente Stadium, Masaya, Nicaragua |
| 34 | Jan 12, 1974 | Raul Martinez Mora | Win | KO | 1 | Roberto Clemente Stadium, Masaya, Nicaragua |
| 35 | Feb 16, 1974 | Ernesto Marcel | Loss | UD | 15 | Gimnasio Nuevo, Panama City, Panama — ★ Title fight — For WBA featherweight title |
| 36 | Apr 27, 1974 | Enrique Garcia | Win | KO | 3 (10) | Arena Kennedy, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 37 | May 18, 1974 | Art Hafey | Win | KO | 5 (10) | Roberto Clemente Stadium, Masaya, Nicaragua |
| 38 | Aug 24, 1974 | Oscar Aparicio | Win | PTS | 12 | Roberto Clemente Stadium, Masaya, Nicaragua |
| 39 | Sep 21, 1974 | Otoniel Martinez | Win | KO | 1 (10) | Roberto Clemente Stadium, Masaya, Nicaragua |
| 40 | Nov 23, 1974 | Rubén Olivares | Win | KO | 13 (15), 1:20 | The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBA featherweight title |
| 41 | Feb 8, 1975 | Oscar Aparicio | Win | UD | 10 | Nuevo Poliedro, San Salvador, El Salvador |
| 42 | Mar 15, 1975 | Leonel Hernandez | Win | TKO | 8 (15), 2:52 | Poliedro, Caracas, Venezuela — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA featherweight title |
| 43 | May 31, 1975 | Rigoberto Riasco | Win | TKO | 2 (15), 2:00 | Estadio Ron Flor de Cana, Granada, Nicaragua — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA featherweight title; Won vacant The Ring featherweight title |
| 44 | Jul 18, 1975 | Rosalio Muro | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 2:54 | Cow Palace, Daly City, California, U.S. |
| 45 | Oct 12, 1975 | Royal Kobayashi | Win | KO | 5 (15), 2:47 | Kuramae Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 46 | Dec 20, 1975 | Saul Montana | Win | KO | 3 (10) | Polideportivo España, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 47 | Feb 1, 1976 | Jose Torres | Win | SD | 10 | Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico |
| 48 | Apr 10, 1976 | Modesto Concepcion | Win | KO | 2 (10) | Universidad, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 49 | Jun 19, 1976 | Salvador Torres | Win | KO | 3 (15), 1:25 | The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 50 | Feb 19, 1977 | Godfrey Stevens | Win | KO | 2 (10) | Roberto Clemente Stadium, Masaya, Nicaragua |
| 51 | May 14, 1977 | Alberto Herrera | Win | KO | 1 (10) | Roberto Clemente Stadium, Masaya, Nicaragua |
| 52 | Jun 22, 1977 | Ezequiel Sanchez | Win | TKO | 4 (10) | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 53 | Aug 3, 1977 | Jose Fernandez | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 2:06 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 54 | Aug 27, 1977 | Benjamin Ortiz | Win | UD | 10 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| 55 | Sep 29, 1977 | Jerome Artis | Win | TKO | 2 (10) | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 56 | Dec 18, 1977 | Enrique Solis | Win | KO | 5 (10) | Estadio Anastasio Somoza García, Managua, Nicaragua |
| 57 | Jan 28, 1978 | Alfredo Escalera | Win | TKO | 13 (15), 2:36 | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamon, Puerto Rico — ★ Title fight — Won WBC super featherweight title |
| 58 | Mar 25, 1978 | Mario Mendez | Win | TKO | 3 (10), 2:00 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 59 | Apr 29, 1978 | Rey Tam | Win | TKO | 5 (15), 1:54 | The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 60 | Jun 3, 1978 | Diego Alcala | Win | KO | 1 (15), 1:56 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 61 | Jul 26, 1978 | Vilomar Fernandez | Loss | MD | 10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 62 | Nov 10, 1978 | Arturo Leon | Win | UD | 15 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 63 | Feb 4, 1979 | Alfredo Escalera | Win | TKO | 13 (15), 1:24 | Sports Palace, Rimini, Italy — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 64 | Jul 8, 1979 | Rafael Limón | Win | TKO | 11 (15), 1:40 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 65 | Nov 16, 1979 | Bobby Chacon | Win | RTD | 7 (15), 3:00 | The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 66 | Jan 20, 1980 | Ruben Castillo | Win | TKO | 11 (15), 2:03 | Community Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 67 | Mar 31, 1980 | Gerald Hayes | Win | UD | 10 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 68 | Apr 27, 1980 | Rolando Navarrete | Win | RTD | 4 (15), 3:00 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 69 | Aug 9, 1980 | Cornelius Boza-Edwards | Win | TKO | 8 (10) | Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 70 | Nov 14, 1980 | José Luis Ramírez | Win | SD | 10 | Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| 71 | Feb 7, 1981 | Robert Vasquez | Win | TKO | 3 (10), 2:55 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 72 | Jun 20, 1981 | Jim Watt | Win | UD | 15 | Empire Pool, London, England — ★ Title fight — Won WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 73 | Oct 3, 1981 | Ray Mancini | Win | TKO | 14 (15), 1:44 | Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 74 | Nov 21, 1981 | Roberto Elizondo | Win | KO | 7 (15), 3:07 | Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 75 | Feb 13, 1982 | James Busceme | Win | TKO | 6 (15), 2:35 | Civic Center Beaumont, Texas, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 76 | May 22, 1982 | Andrew Ganigan | Win | KO | 5 (15), 3:09 | The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 77 | Jul 31, 1982 | Kevin Rooney | Win | KO | 2 (10), 3:07 | Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 78 | Nov 12, 1982 | Aaron Pryor | Loss | TKO | 14 (15), 1:06 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles |
| 79 | Feb 26, 1983 | Vilomar Fernandez | Win | UD | 10 | Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| 80 | Apr 24, 1983 | Claude Noel | Win | TKO | 3 (10), 0:37 | Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 81 | Sep 9, 1983 | Aaron Pryor | Loss | KO | 10 (15), 1:48 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles |
| 82 | Oct 25, 1985 | Pat Jefferson | Win | TKO | 5 (10), 2:47 | Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. |
| 83 | Feb 9, 1986 | Billy Costello | Win | TKO | 4 (10), 1:42 | Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
| 84 | Aug 27, 1994 | Jorge Palomares | Win | MD | 10 | Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 85 | Jan 21, 1995 | Scott Walker | Loss | UD | 10 | Arizona Charlie's Decatur, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBA featherweight title November 23, 1974 – 1976 (won from Rubén Olivares; defended against Leonel Hernandez, Rigoberto Riasco, Royal Kobayashi and Salvador Torres, adding The Ring title on May 31, 1975, per the bout table, before the move up in weight); WBC super featherweight title January 28, 1978 – 1980 (won from Alfredo Escalera; defended against Rey Tam, Diego Alcala, Arturo Leon, Escalera in the rematch, Rafael Limón, Bobby Chacon, Ruben Castillo and Rolando Navarrete, per the bout table); WBC and The Ring lightweight titles June 20, 1981 – 1982 (won from Jim Watt; defended against Ray Mancini, Roberto Elizondo, James Busceme and Andrew Ganigan, per the bout table, before the light welterweight challenges of Aaron Pryor) — all dates per the bout table
- Oct 2, 1971 vs Emilio Buitrago: Won vacant Nicaraguan bantamweight title
- Feb 16, 1974 vs Ernesto Marcel: For WBA featherweight title
- Nov 23, 1974 vs Rubén Olivares: Won WBA featherweight title
- Mar 15, 1975 vs Leonel Hernandez: Retained WBA featherweight title
- May 31, 1975 vs Rigoberto Riasco: Retained WBA featherweight title; Won vacant The Ring featherweight title
- Oct 12, 1975 vs Royal Kobayashi: Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
- Jun 19, 1976 vs Salvador Torres: Retained WBA and The Ring featherweight titles
- Jan 28, 1978 vs Alfredo Escalera: Won WBC super featherweight title
- Apr 29, 1978 vs Rey Tam: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Jun 3, 1978 vs Diego Alcala: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Nov 10, 1978 vs Arturo Leon: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Feb 4, 1979 vs Alfredo Escalera: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Jul 8, 1979 vs Rafael Limón: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Nov 16, 1979 vs Bobby Chacon: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Jan 20, 1980 vs Ruben Castillo: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Apr 27, 1980 vs Rolando Navarrete: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Jun 20, 1981 vs Jim Watt: Won WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- Oct 3, 1981 vs Ray Mancini: Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- Nov 21, 1981 vs Roberto Elizondo: Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- Feb 13, 1982 vs James Busceme: Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- May 22, 1982 vs Andrew Ganigan: Retained WBC and The Ring lightweight titles
- Nov 12, 1982 vs Aaron Pryor: For WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
- Sep 9, 1983 vs Aaron Pryor: For WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
Photo: Bill Apter or Peter King or David Lee Waite Or Chaz Fenn via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Alexis_Arg%C3%BCello_During_Career.jpg
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-11-04.
