Ralph Dupas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ralph Dupas | |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | |
| Nickname(s) | The Cajun Ghost |
| Rated at | Light Middleweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth date | October 14, 1935 |
| Birth place | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 135 |
| Wins | 106 |
| Wins by KO | 19 |
| Losses | 23 |
| Draws | 6 |
| No contests | 0 |
Ralph Dupas (b. October 14, 1935, d. 25 January 2008) was a boxer from New Orleans who won the world light middleweight championship.
Contents |
[edit] Early boxing career
Dupas was the second of eleven children of a New Orleans fisherman, Peter Dupas. He became a professional boxer in 1950 at the age of 14.[1] Trainer Angelo Dundee saw Dupas fight and took him to Miami to train him.
Dupas became a ranked contender in the lightweight division when he defeated Armand Savoi in 1953. By 1955, after beating a variety of top fighters such as Paddy DeMarco and Kenny Lane, Dupas was the top-ranked lightweight in the world. In May 1957 Dupas challenged Joe Brown for the lightweight title, but lost by an eighth-round knockout.
Dupas moved up to the welterweight division. He defeated future middleweight champion Joey Giardello in 1961, but lost a 1962 welterweight title shot to Emile Griffith. In 1963, Sugar Ray Robinson beat him by a controversial decision.[2]
[edit] Championship
Another championship fight for Dupas materialized in the light middleweight division. Champion Denny Moyer came to New Orleans on April 29, 1963, and Dupas won the title with a fifteen-round unanimous decision. He lost the title in September of that year to Italian Sandro Mazzinghi by a thirteen-round knockout. After that match, Emile Griffith once again knocked him out in a non-title bout.
[edit] Post-championship career
Dupas briefly retired in 1964 and worked as a card dealer in Las Vegas. He returned to the ring in 1966 and had little success. He retired for good after five fights that year.
[edit] After boxing
After he retired, Dupas began to exhibit signs of dementia pugilistica. His brother Tony, also a former fighter, moved Ralph from Las Vegas back to New Orleans and put him in a nursing home.[3]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Ehrmann, Peter (January 2000), “Remembering Junior Middle Champ Ralph Dupas”, The Ring 79, no. 1: 45
- ^ Ehrmann, Peter, p. 48
- ^ Ehrmann, Peter, p. 45
| Preceded by Denny Moyer |
World Light Middleweight Champion Apr 29, 1963–Sept 7, 1963 |
Succeeded by Sandro Mazzinghi |
