Pedro Lovell

Last updated
Pedro Lovell
Born (1945-06-09) June 9, 1945 (age 79)
Other namesKO King
The LA Bomber
One Punch
Spider Rico
Statistics
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights23
Wins18
Wins by KO14
Losses3
Draws2
No contests0

Pedro Lovell (born June 8, 1945) is a retired Argentine heavyweight boxer, a knockout artist with a promising career in the 1970s. He is also known for his role as Spider Rico in the films Rocky (1976) and Rocky Balboa (2006). [1]

Contents

Life and career

Lovell was born in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father, Santiago Alberto Lovell, who was the brother of former boxer Guillermo Lovell, came from an Afro-Argentine family of Barbadian and English descent, and his mother came from an Italian-Argentine family.

He was a citizen of Argentina who decided to make his professional career in the United States. Lovell traveled to California, where, after only a few fights, he became a big drawing card. [2]

While his brother, Alberto, Jr., was fighting in Argentina and knocking out the likes of Jose Manuel Ibar Urtain, Pedro racked up a string of nine straight knockouts. However, Pedro's career was hampered by physical injuries and prostate problems. [2]

In 1973, Lovell was stunningly upset by Texan knockout king Terry Krueger. Lovell had been winning the fight. He bloodied Krueger's nose and seemed headed for an easy stoppage. However, Krueger let go with a wild left hook, and Pedro Lovell's undefeated streak ended. He was unconscious for more than three minutes. [3]

A few months later the pair were rematched, and Lovell broke Krueger's jaw on the way to scoring three knockdowns and a first round victory. Lovell went on to defeat former heavyweight contender Billy Daniels in one round. [3]

Lovell was on the road to a title fight. He played the part of Spider Rico in the 1976 movie Rocky . [1] He appeared in The Ring magazine and on television. He took his impressive record of knockouts into a nationally televised fight with Ken Norton. After a competitive first three rounds, Norton took control of the fight in the fourth, and knocked out Lovell in fifth round. [1] A short time later, Lovell drew a fight against unbeaten Leroy Jones and two fights later lost a unanimous decision to future world champion Mike Weaver and announced his retirement. [1] [3]

Lovell was at times referred to as "KO King", [1] "The LA Bomber", "The Jawbreaker", and "One Punch". [4]

Some 30 years after the first Rocky film, Lovell reprised his role as Spider Rico for the film Rocky Balboa in 2006. [1]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976 Rocky Spider Rico
1979 Rocky II Flashback
2006 Rocky Balboa

Related Research Articles

<i>Rocky</i> 1976 American sports drama film by John G. Avildsen

Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky franchise and also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a poor small-time club fighter and loanshark debt collector from Philadelphia, gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship held by Apollo Creed (Weathers).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossie Ocasio</span> Puerto Rican boxer (born 1955)

Osvaldo "Ossie" Ocasio is a Puerto Rican former boxer who held the World Cruiserweight Championship from 1982 to 1984. He was also a Top Contender and Heavyweight Challenger in 1979. He scored notable wins against Former Cruiserweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi as well as beating Top Heavyweight Contender Jimmy Young and Heavyweight Contender Pierre Coetzer, as well as drawing with Future Heavyweight Champion Michael Dokes. Nicknamed "Jaws", his peculiar nickname was the result of him accidentally biting another boxer during a sparring session.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Foreman</span> American boxer (born 1949)

George Edward Foreman is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997 and was nicknamed "Big George". He is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. As an entrepreneur, he is known for the George Foreman Grill.

<i>Rocky V</i> 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen

Rocky V is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to Rocky IV (1985) and the fifth installment in the Rocky film series. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Sage Stallone in his film debut, Tommy Morrison, and Burgess Meredith. In the film, a financially struggling Rocky Balboa (Stallone) agrees to train protégé Tommy Gunn (Morrison) at the gym once owned by Balboa's trainer, Mickey Goldmill (Meredith).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Marciano</span> American boxer (1923–1969)

Rocco Francis Marchegiano, better known as Rocky Marciano, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952 to 1956, and remains the only heavyweight champion to finish his career undefeated. His six title defenses were against Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland La Starza, Ezzard Charles (twice), Don Cockell and Archie Moore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Norton</span> American boxer (1943–2013)

Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. was an American professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981. He was awarded the WBC world heavyweight championship in 1978, after winning a close split decision over Jimmy Young in a title eliminator bout, after which Leon Spinks refused to fight with him.

Víctor Emilio Galíndez was an Argentine boxer who was the third Latin American to win the world Light Heavyweight championship, after Puerto Rico's José Torres and Venezuela's Vicente Rondon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Wepner</span> American boxer (born 1939)

Charles "Chuck" Wepner is an American former professional boxer. He fell just nineteen seconds short of a full fifteen rounds against world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 championship fight. Wepner also scored notable wins over Randy Neumann and former world heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell. He was also the last man to fight former undisputed world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Spinks</span> American boxer (1953–2021)

Leon Spinks was an American professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a split decision, in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Spinks was later stripped of the WBC title for facing Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by a unanimous decision.

Juan Molina, better known as John John Molina in the world of boxing, is a former boxer whose career transcended boxing in Puerto Rico. A multiple time world champion, this boxer was also known as quite a socialite. Molina is a native of Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earnie Shavers</span> American boxer (1944–2022)

Earnie Dee Shaver, best known as Earnie Shavers, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, he is known as one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight boxing history. He scored 70 knockout wins, including 23 in the first round, for a 76.7% overall knockout rate.

During the 1970s, boxing was characterized by dominating champions and history-making rivalries. The decade had many superstars, who also had fierce rivals. Alexis Argüello, for example, who won the world Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight titles in the '70s, had to overcome Alfredo Escalera twice before the decade was over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Tarver</span> American boxer

Antonio Deon Tarver is an American former professional boxer and boxing commentator. In boxing he competed from 1997 to 2015, and held multiple light heavyweight world championships, including the WBA (Unified), WBC, IBF and Ring magazine titles, as well as the IBO light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles.

James "Clubber" Lang is a fictional character created by Sylvester Stallone for the film Rocky III, which was released in 1982. He was portrayed by American actor and real-life wrestler Mr. T and serves as the main antagonist of the film.

<i>Rocky Balboa</i> (film) 2006 film by Sylvester Stallone

Rocky Balboa is a 2006 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to Rocky V (1990) and the sixth installment in the Rocky film series. It also stars Burt Young and Antonio Tarver in his only acting role. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), now an aging small restaurant owner, is challenged to an exhibition fight by hothead young boxer Mason Dixon (Tarver).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Balboa</span> Character in the Rocky film series

Robert "Rocky" Balboa is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the Rocky film series. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in eight of the nine films in the franchise. He is depicted as a working class or poor Italian-American from the slums of Philadelphia who started out as a club fighter and "enforcer" for a local Philly Mafia loan shark. He is portrayed as overcoming the obstacles that had occurred in his life and in his career as a professional boxer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apollo Creed</span> Fictional character from the Rocky films

Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky franchise, played by Carl Weathers. He appeared in the first four Rocky films. Creed is the main antagonist in Rocky and Rocky II, and one of the protagonists in Rocky III and Rocky IV. Sylvester Stallone, the writer and star of Rocky, said "[Jack] Johnson served as the inspiration for the character of Apollo Creed."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santiago Lovell</span> Argentine boxer

Santiago Alberto Lovell, known as Alberto Lovell, was an Argentine heavyweight boxer, who won the gold medal in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 1932. In his career as a professional boxer he had 88 fights winning 76 losing 8 with 3 draws, He won both the Argentine and South American championships.

Daniel Victor "Boone" Kirkman is a former professional heavyweight boxer. He was a Contender throughout his career and scored notable victories over Heavyweight World Champion Jimmy Ellis, as well as Top Contenders and Heavyweight Title Challengers Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, José Roman and Ron Stander. He would also have fights against all time greats such as Two-Time Heavyweight Champion George Foreman, World Heavyweight Champion Ken Norton, and Top Contender and Undisputed World Heavyweight Title Challenger Ron Lyle, who was known for his brutal knockout power. He compiled a record of 36-6 with 26 knockouts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Spider Rico's Real Life Brawl in 1976: Pedro Lovell vs Ken Norton". Total Rocky. August 13, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Boxer Phenom Pedro Lovell: Spider Rico from the ROCKY Movies!". Silver Screen Artists. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Slater, James (December 31, 2006). "A Look At Pedro Lovell – AKA Spider Rico". Boxing247.com. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  4. IMDb Biography