When Muhammad Ali died on June 3, 2016, memorials and tributes flowed from across the globe. 40 years earlier, almost to the day, a boxer who Ali himself said could have been the greatest died facedown in the parking lot of a whorehouse in the Nevada desert.
The midnight blue Continental Mark IV pulled into the driveway of the Mustang Ranch, Nevada’s most infamous brothel, where a celebrity, sports star or a high roller could spend a few thousand dollars for a couple of hours in the air-conditioned rooms.
Pulling into his parking spot close to the front door, the driver turned the engine off, opened the door and stepped out.
Looking around, he noticed the property was quiet. Stretching, he stared at the bush across the road. He wasn’t sure if he saw something, but coyotes weren’t unusual in this part of the desert.
A loud crack split the quiet.
The bullet caught him in the chest, he spun as he dropped to the dirt and gravel drive.
As blood stained his shirt, cut tight to show off his physique, the hopes and dreams of millions of Argentines died in the dirt with him.
His name was Oscar Bonavena, and he was Argentina’s version of Muhammed Ali.
Bonavena’s body was taken to the county medical examiner for a hasty autopsy. There wasn’t much of an investigation, as when someone in perfect health dies with a hole in their heart, the cause of death is pretty clear.
The body was placed into a pine shipping coffin and sent home to Buenos Aires. For two days, the boxer rested in Luna Park, the Madison Square Garden of South America. It’s estimated that over 150,000 filed past the white coffin almost hidden under a small mountain of floral tributes. Others place the number at twice that.
Regardless of the actual number, Bonavena was loved in his home country.
A unique blend of The Beatles’ celebrity and Ali’s trash-talking skills, Oscar was one of the few who could upstage Ali in pre-fight press conferences. He called Ali a black kangaroo and taunted him for draft dodging.
A rugged, wild-swinging puncher, Oscar was nicknamed ‘Ringo’ because of his Beatles haircut and was recognised for putting both Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali through tight contests.
Bonavena loved life, he loved boxing, and he loved married women. Just not his own. It was that last peccadillo that got him killed that morning in the parking lot of America’s first legal whorehouse.
Followers were thrilled by the good-looking and charming six-footer. His life gave him many chances for fun between matches. Bonavena most often characterised himself as a partier.
In his maiden New York fight in 1965, Bonavena stood against a bigger and more accomplished opponent, Zora Folley. Oscar lost all rounds but one, and returned to Argentina where he poleaxed nine foes. He also won a decision against Gregorio Peraltoj, then-heavyweight of Argentina.
The thought of getting world championships never left Oscar, and he turned to Madison Square Garden again. He fought a youthful Joe Frazier, and knocked Frazier down with a fast right. Frazier bounced up, bore in, and was decked once more. A third knockdown would have stopped the slugfest, Frazier kept rolling closer and survived the fight without more damage.
Bonavena and Frazier hammered each other for ten rounds, and Frazier was granted a majority ruling. Why was this fight noteworthy? Only George Foreman would put Smokin’ Joe on his back again.
Bonavena continued his struggle to the heavyweight championship belt. Only Jimmy Ellis, Muhammad Ali’s childhood friend and training partner, stood in the way. Ellis decked Oscar twice, won the decision and advanced.
In 1967, Ali declined to enter the military, and his championship title was seized by the World Boxing Association. Ali was out of boxing for three years.
In December 1970, Ali fought for just the second time since returning to the sport, Bonavena was his opponent.
Oscar never beat Ali but punished him enough to keep the fight close. There was no sign Ali could finish Bonavena until a left hook in the final round dropped Oscar. Ali floored the Argentine two more times to triumph by TKO.
The fight’s ending was quick. Ali stood above Bonavena as Bonavena was rising, never going to a neutral corner as the dictates of boxing require, Ali quickly knocked down Bonavena two more times and ended the fight.
The KO by Ali was the single time in Oscar’s career that he lost by a knockout.
In 1972, at 29, Bonavena showed up for the last time in the Garden and floored two-time titleholder Floyd Patterson in the fourth round. Oscar lost the fight in a unanimous decision.
Bonavena’s once-amazing career concluded with a tsunami of poor decisions. After fighting just one time in 1975, Bonavena met Joe Conforte and his wife Sally Burgess, proprietors of the Mustang Ranch, outside Reno. Joe enlisted Oscar to publicise fights and train on his spread.
Bonavena, 33, began spending ‘quality time’ with Sally, 60 and in bad health. This is where history gets murky, and the truth belongs to whoever is telling the story.
Joe Conforte always claimed that Bonavena helped him out by carrying his spouse to town so he’d have more opportunity for his youthful girlfriends. Joe also claimed to be happy that he wouldn’t have to get into bed with a woman 11 years older.
Meanwhile, Sally was busy spending Mustang Ranch money to prop up Bonavena’s gambling. She worked as his handler — notwithstanding a meagre understanding of boxing. Bonavena didn’t want to compete again. He shaved less, neglected his formerly stylish appearance, gained weight, and carried a marred and bloated face.
Finally fed up, Conforte demanded that Bonavena and Sally leave the ranch, and well-armed caretakers made sure the pair got out.
Ross Brymer, one of the guards, trashed the boxer’s trailer, took his belongings — including his passport — and destroyed them in a bonfire. Conforte faced Bonavena, handed him money and directed him to flee the nation. The boxer boozed and gambled away the money, and at 6 o’clock the next morning, on May 22, drove to the Mustang Ranch.
Brymer aimed his rifle, pulled the trigger and exploded the heart of a person who had never been down for the ten-count.
The triggerman was convicted of manslaughter and spent 15 months in prison.
Sally kept on managing Mustang Ranch until the IRS grabbed the business over late taxes. Joe Conforte escaped to Rio ahead of a grand jury indictment. In 1999, the Brazilian Supreme Court decided not to eject Conforte, and he remains in the South American nation.
Years after Oscar Bonavena’s death, Argentine businessman Carlos Gianetti ran into Muhammad Ali in Los Angeles.
Carlos introduced himself to the Champ and told Ali he was from Buenos Aires.
“Buenos Aires. Bonavena. He was a great fighter. A great fighter,” said Ali, before pausing.
“He could have been the greatest.”
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