As all fans of Lee Wylie no doubt know, he is an aficionado of the finer points of boxing technique, the often-overlooked subtleties, and the arcane methods of advanced ringcraft. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that he is a fan of Nicolino Locche, the boxer they called “El Intocable,” a chain-smoking Argentinian defensive genius who dazzled fans with his extraordinary reflexes, tactical cunning and ability to control the ring. . A couple of days ago marked the anniversary of Locche’s birth, so what better time to once again pay homage to the skills of this most talented pugilist?
After an astonishing amateur career in which Locche lost just five times in 122 bouts, he turned pro in 1958. He won Argentine and South American championships at lightweight before moving up to 140 pounds and annexing the world title. He boasts victories over elite fighters like Joe Brown, Eddie Perkins, Carlos Hernandez and Antonio Cervantes, and tied with Ismael Laguna and the great Carlos Ortiz, in an incredible career spanning eighteen years and 117 wins.
But here, in another one of his excellent videos, Wylie focuses specifically on Locche’s impressive championship-winning performance against Takeshi Fuji in December 1968. At the time, the Argentine was the underdog, but to everyone’s surprise, the match didn’t even play. it wasn’t even close. Showing remarkable skill and daring, “El Intocable” controlled the ring, dominated the champion and seized the world super lightweight title when the overwhelmed Fuji surrendered on his bench after round nine.
With the insight and artistry for which he is known, Wylie accurately shows how Locche achieved this victory and illuminates the specific tactics deployed in “one of the greatest displays of pure boxing ever captured on film.” These are the skills that make “The Untouchable” a boxing “genius”, a brilliant defensive master whose proficiency in the ring is perhaps second only to that of Willie Pep. Check it out:
The post Nicolino Locche: Portrait of a Genius first appeared in The Fight City.
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