Harry Arroyo

Harry Arroyo (born October 25, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who held the IBFlightweight title from 1984 to 1985.

Nicknamed "Dirty Harry", Arroyo, of Puerto Rican descent, was born on the south side of Youngstown, Ohio, a steel-manufacturing center near the Pennsylvania border. As a child, he reportedly told his 15 siblings about his dream of becoming a nationally known fighter. In the 1980s, he became one of the most recognizable boxers on television and regularly appeared on the covers of boxing magazines. In 1984, Arroyo, with fellow Youngstown native Ray Mancini, was listed among the nation's top 10 contenders by the World Boxing Association. This was after Mancini had lost that organization's world title to Livingstone Bramble.

Arroyo fought for nine years as an amateur boxer, winning several Golden Glove tournaments as well as eight AAU Regional Tournaments. As an amateur he had 110 wins and 15 losses. He worked up a record of 40 wins and 11 losses as a professional, and won the IBF's world lightweight title by beating Charlie "Choo Choo" Brown in the 14th round on April 15, 1984. Arroyo, a late substitute for Cornelius Boza Edwards, staggered Brown with two blows to the head, prompting referee Larry Hazzard to stop the fight. On September 1, 1984, Arroyo successfully defended his title against Charlie "White Lightning" Brown, in a bout held in Struthers, Ohio. The champion successfully defended his title once more against Terrence Alli,^[1] before losing to Jimmy Paul on April 4, 1985.^[2]

Arroyo expresó su decepción por no haber tenido la oportunidad de enfrentarse en el ring a su paisano de Youngstown, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini. La posibilidad de un combate entre ambos surgió a principios de la década de 1980, pero las circunstancias lo impidieron. Arroyo ganó el título de la FIB apenas dos meses antes de la primera derrota de Mancini ante Livingstone Bramble . Mancini se retiró del boxeo durante varios años tras perder su título, y para cuando regresó al ring, la carrera de Arroyo había decaído considerablemente. Sin embargo, ambos estuvieron presentes cuando su paisano de Youngstown, Kelly Pavlik, se alzó con el campeonato mundial de peso mediano del CMB y la OMB en Atlantic City el 29 de septiembre de 2007.

Incluso en la cima de su popularidad y mientras peleaba en eventos estelares transmitidos por televisión nacional, Arroyo continuó trabajando como oficial de policía para la Policía del Parque Mill Creek y era fácilmente reconocible en la comunidad. Arroyo era muy popular en toda la región del Valle de Mahoning y era accesible para sus fanáticos. Continuó trabajando para el distrito de parques mucho después de retirarse del boxeo. ^{[ 2 ]}

Retirada del boxeo, Arroyo está casada y tiene cinco hijos.

Tras su retiro, Arroyo se convirtió en árbitro de boxeo y ha oficiado docenas de combates, principalmente en Ohio.

• Boxeo en Puerto Rico
• Lista de campeones mundiales de boxeo puertorriqueños
• Lista de campeones mundiales de boxeo de peso ligero

• Historial de boxeo de Harry Arroyo según BoxRec (se requiere registro).