Mate Parlov

Mate Parlov
Statistics
Real name	Mate Parlov
Rated at	light heavyweight, cruiserweight
Height	1.84m
Nationality	Croatian
Born	November 16, 1948(1948-11-16) Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Died	July 29, 2008(2008-07-29) (aged 59) Pula, Croatia
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	29
Wins	24
Wins by KO	12
Losses	3
Draws	2
No contests	0

Medal record
Men's Boxing
Competitor for  Yugoslavia
Olympic Games
Gold	1972 Munich	Light Heavyweight
World Amateur Championships
Gold	1974 Havana	Light Heavyweight

Mate Parlov (November 16, 1948 – July 29, 2008) was a Croatian boxer, and an Olympic gold medalist for former Yugoslavia. As a professional, he won the European light heavyweight title in 1976 and WBC light heavyweight world title in 1978.

In 1988 and 1994 he was received a golden badge Sport award for best athlete of Yugoslavia. Parlov is universally regarded as the greatest Croatian boxer of all time, as well as one of the greatest Croatian sportspeople of the 20th century.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

Professional career

Mate Parlov was born in Split, but his origins were from the village of Ričice near the town of Imotski, Croatia.

Parlov turned professional in 1974 and won the European light heavyweight champion title in 1976.

In 1976 he faced the future world champion Matthew Saad Muhammad. In their first fight, in Milan, he was defeated by an eight round decision. In a rematch with Muhammad, he and Muhammad struggled to a ten round draw.

He won the WBC light heavyweight title in 1978. He lost the WBC light heavyweight version title by defeat from Marvin Johnson with a 10th-round KO in Italy (December 2, 1978). As a professional he had 29 fights; 24 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws.

Amateur

In his amateur career he participated in 310 matches and lost only 13. During his amateur career, Parlov was an eight-time champion of Yugoslavia in the light heavyweight category (1967-1974), five-time champion of the Balkans (1970-1974), two-time champion of Europe (1971 in Madrid, and 1973 in Belgrade) and the world champion at the inaugural 1974 World Championships in Havana, Cuba. He won the Golden Glove award two times, in 1967 and 1969. He participated in the Munich 1972 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division.

1968 - Olympic Games, Mexico City, Mexico: Quarter Finals (Middleweight)

• W-PTS Lahcen Ahidous (Mauritania)
• W-PTS Jan van Ispelen (Netherlands)
• L-PTS Chris Finnegan (England) (Finnegan would win the gold medal)

1971 - European Championships: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)

1972 - Olympic Games, Munich, Germany: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)

• W-KO 2 Nouredine Aman Hassan (Chad)
• W-KO 2 Imre Toth (Hungary)
• W- Forfeit Miquel Angel Cuello (Argentina)
• W-PTS Janusz Gortat (Poland)
• W-TKO 2 Gilberto Carrillo (Cuba)

1973 - European Championships: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)

1974 - World Championships, Havanna, Cuba: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)

After boxing

His final contact with boxing was in 1984 Olympics, when he was the Yugoslav coach. At those Olympics, Yugoslav boxers achieved their best results ever: one gold, one silver and two bronzes.

After he ended his active boxing career, he moved to Fažana near Pula, away from boxing and the public. He ran his coffee bar in Pula. Periodically he appeared on Croatian national TV as guest-commentator during matches of Željko Mavrović and Stipe Drviš.

Death

In March 2008, Parlov was diagnosed as having lung cancer. Four months later, he died on the way to hospital in Pula, where he had lived with his family after retiring from boxing in 1985.

Awards

• Golden Gloves 1967 and 1969
• Croatian Sportsman of the 20th century ^[8]

References

1. ^ http://www.boks-savez.hr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=217&Itemid=128
2. ^ http://www.gloria.com.hr/vijesti/showpage.php?id=5661
3. ^ http://www.sportske.hr/Default.aspx?sid=15422
4. ^ http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/mate-parlov-se-bori-s-teskom-bolesti-pluca/380708.aspx
5. ^ http://www.nacional.hr/clanak/47689/umro-mate-parlov
6. ^ http://www.vjesnik.hr/Html/2008/07/30/Clanak.asp?r=spo&c=1
7. ^ http://www.radio101.hr/?section=1&page=3&item=32023
8. ^ (Slovene) RTV Slovenia Umrl boksarski šampion Mate Parlov

External links

• Professional boxing record for Mate Parlov from BoxRec
• Olympiad Medal Results for 1972: Boxing 75-81kg (light-heavyweight) Men
• Statistics and details

Preceded by Miguel Angel Cuello	WBC Light Heavyweight Champion 7 January 1978 – 2 December 1978	Succeeded by Marvin Johnson
Awards
Preceded by Sreten Damjanović Marijan Beneš	The Best Athlete of Yugoslavia 1972 1974	Succeeded by Marijan Beneš Nenad Stekić

Persondata
Name	Parlov, Mate
Alternative names
Short description	Boxer
Date of birth	1948-11-16
Place of birth	Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Date of death	2008-07-29
Place of death	Pula, Croatia