Nicolino Locche
Born: Sept. 2, 1939
Died: Sept. 7, 2005
Bouts:136
Won: 117
Lost: 4
Draw: 14
KOs: 14
Induction: 2003
Born September 2, 1939 in Tunuyan, Mendoza, Argentina. Renowned for his uncanny defensive tactics, Locche's extraordinary reflexes and ability to feint earned him the nickname "El Intocable" (The Untouchable).
Following a tremendous amateur career, in which he lost only 5 of 122 bouts, Locche turned pro in 1958. In 1961 he defeated Jaime Gine over 12 rounds to capture the Argentine lightweight title and two years later he added the South American lightweight title to his collection. Over the next several years he boxed Hall of Famers Joe Brown (W 10), Ismael Laguna (D 10) and Carlos Ortiz (D 10) before meeting Paul Fujii in Tokyo for the WBA junior welterweight title. Locche won the crown via 10th round TKO and successfully defended it five times, including wins over Carlos Hernandez, Adolph Pruitt and Hall of Famer Antonio Cervantes.
Alfonzo "Peppermint" Frazier scored a 15-round win on March 10, 1972 to end Locche's title reign. Locche challenged Cervantes for the title in 1973 but was turned away via 9th round TKO. Shortly after the Cervantes bout Locche announced his retirement from the ring.
However, he came back for seven bouts beginning in 1975 and ultimately retired for good in 1976 with a 117-4-14 (14 KOs) record and the reputation as one of the finest defensive fighters in history. A hero in his native land, Locche is revered as one of Argentina's boxing legends.
Locche died on September 7, 2005 at the age of 66.