Introduction
Mate Parlov (16 November 1948 – 29 July 2008) was a Yugoslav boxer of Croatian origin, and Olympic gold medalist who was European and World Champion as amateur and as professional. Parlov is the greatest Croatian boxer of all time, and the Croatian sportsman of the 20th century.
Background
Mate Parlov was born in Split, the older of two brothers in a Croatian family originally from the village of Ričice near the town of Imotski. In 1958, the family moved to Pula.
Amateur
In his amateur career he participated in 310 matches and lost 13. He was 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 world champion at the inaugural 1974 World Championships in Havana, Cuba. He won the Golden Glove award twice, in 1967 and 1969. He participated in the Munich 1972 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the light heavyweight division.
Professional career
Parlov won twelve of his first thirteen fights as a professional boxer before successfully challenging for the European light-heavyweight title. In 1976, he faced the future world champion Matthew Saad Muhammad. In their first fight in Milan, scheduled for eight rounds, he was defeated following the referee's decision. In a rematch, he and Muhammad struggled to a ten-round draw. After successfully defending the European title three times, he met Miguel Angel Cuello in Milan for the WBC world light-heavyweight title in January 1978. The two men had been scheduled to meet in the quarter-finals at the Munich Olympics, but Cuello withdrew due to an injury. Parlov knocked out Cuello in the ninth round to become the first professional world champion from a communist country. Parlov lost the title on his second defense and would later challenge for the World cruiser-weight title without success.
Retirement
In retirement, Parlov ran a coffee bar in Pula. He returned to boxing as coach of the Yugoslavian Olympic team prior to the 1984 Olympics, when Yugoslav boxers achieved their best results ever: one gold, one silver and two bronzes. He later moved to Fažana near Pula, away from boxing and the public. In March 2008, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and died four months later.
Private life
Mate Parlov was married to Laura Parlov with whom he had two children, daughter Mira and son Matko. He was an economist by profession, and had one graduate exam left before gaining the title of Master of Economics.
Honors and awards
- Golden Gloves: 1967, 1969
- Croatian Sportsman of the Year: 1971, 1972, 1973
- Yugoslavian Sportsman of the Year: 1971, 1972, 1974
- Golden Badge award for best athlete of Yugoslavia: 1972, 1974
- Croatian Sportsman of the 20th century
- Lifetime Honorary President of Croatian Boxing Federation
- WBC Honorary Champion: 2006
- Croatian Walk of Fame: 2008
- Mate Parlov Sport Centre
Amateur highlights
- Record: 310–13
- Eight-time champion of Yugoslavia
- Five-time champion of the Balkans
1969 – European Championships: Bucharest, Romania: Silver Medal (Middleweight)
-
- Defeated Ewald Jarmer (West Germany) PTS
- Defeated Janusz Gortat (Poland) PTS
- Defeated Reima Virtanen (Finland) PTS
- Lost to Vladimir Tarassenko (Soviet Union) PTS
- Represented Yugoslavia as a Middleweight at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Defeated Lahcen Ahidous (Mauritania) PTS
- Defeated Jan van Ispelen (Netherlands) PTS
- Lost to Chris Finnegan (England) PTS (Finnegan would win the gold medal)
- 1971 – European Championships: Madrid, Spain: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)
- Defeated Anthony Roberts (Wales) PTS
- Defeated Vladimir Metelev (Soviet Union) TKO 2
- Defeated Janusz Gortat (Poland) PTS
- Defeated Horst Stump (Romania) PTS
- Defeated Ottomar Sachse (East Germany) PTS
- Won the Light Heavyweight Gold medal for Yugoslavia at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.
- Defeated Nouredine Aman Hassan (Chad) KO 2
- Defeated Imre Toth (Hungary) KO 2
- Defeated Miguel Angel Cuello (Argentina) Forfeit
- Defeated Janusz Gortat (Poland) PTS
- Defeated Gilberto Carrillo (Cuba) TKO 2
- 1973 – European Championships: Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)
- Defeated Michael Imrie (Scotland) TKO 1
- Defeated William Knight (England) TKO 3
- Defeated Oleg Karatayev (Soviet Union) TKO 2
- Defeated Janusz Gortat (Poland) PTS
- 1974 – World Championships, Havanna, Cuba: Gold Medal (Light Heavyweight)
- Defeated Constantin Dafinoiu (Romania) PTS
- Defeated Gilberto Carrillo (Cuba) PTS
- Defeated Ottomar Sachse (East Germany) PTS
- Defeated Oleg Karatayev (Poland) TKO 2
Professional boxing record
| 24 Wins (12 knockouts, 12 decisions), 3 Losses (1 knockout, 2 decisions), 2 Draws | |||||||
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 24–3–2 |  Marvin Camel |
UD | 15 | 31 March 1980 |  Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
For inaugural WBC World Cruiserweight title. |
| Draw | 24–2–2 | Marvin Camel |
PTS | 15 | 8 December 1979 |  Split, Yugoslavia |
For inaugural WBC World Cruiserweight title. |
| Win | 24–2–1 |  Tony Mundine |
PTS | 12 | 26 September 1979 |  Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy |
WBC World Cruiserweight title eliminator. |
| Win | 23–2–1 | Joe Maye |
KO | 5 | 28 July 1979 |  Munich, Bavaria, West Germany |
|
| Loss | 22–2–1 | Marvin Johnson |
TKO | 10 | 2 December 1978 | Marsala, Sicily, Italy |
Lost WBC World Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 22–1–1 |  John Conteh |
SD | 15 | 17 June 1978 | Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
Retained WBC World Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 21–1–1 | Tony Greene |
TKO | 6 | 28 April 1978 | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia |
|
| Win | 20–1–1 |  Miguel Angel Cuello |
KO | 9 | 7 January 1978 | Milan, Lombardy, Italy |
Won WBC World Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 19–1–1 | Leo Kakolewicz |
TKO | 6 | 21 August 1977 | Rijeka, Yugoslavia |
|
| Win | 18–1–1 |  Harald Skog |
UD | 15 | 9 July 1977 |  Basel, Switzerland |
Retained EBU Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 17–1–1 |  Francois Fiol |
PTS | 15 | 5 April 1977 | Morges, Switzerland |
Retained EBU Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 16–1–1 |  Christian Poncelet |
PTS | 10 | 5 March 1977 | Velenje, Yugoslavia |
|
| Draw | 15–1–1 | Matthew Saad Muhammad |
PTS | 10 | 3 December 1976 | Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy |
|
| Win | 15–1 | Aldo Traversaro |
PTS | 15 | 15 October 1976 | Milan, Lombardy, Italy |
Retained EBU Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 14–1 | Al Bolden |
KO | 9 | 11 September 1976 | Zagreb, Yugoslavia |
|
| Win | 13–1 | Domenico Adinolfi |
TKO | 11 | 10 July 1976 | Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
Won EBU Light Heavyweight title. |
| Loss | 12–1 | Matthew Saad Muhammad |
PTS | 8 | 21 May 1976 | Milan, Lombardy, Italy |
|
| Win | 12–0 |  Maile Haumona |
PTS | 10 | 20 March 1976 | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
|
| Win | 11–0 |  Sentiki Qata |
PTS | 10 | 6 March 1976 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
|
| Win | 10–0 | Macka Foley |
TKO | 2 | 6 February 1976 | Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy |
|
| Win | 9–0 | Onelio Grando |
PTS | 8 | 26 December 1975 | Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
|
| Win | 8–0 | Billy Freeman |
PTS | 10 | 22 November 1975 | Skopje, Yugoslavia |
|
| Win | 7–0 | Karl Zurheide |
KO | 1 | 30 October 1975 | Milan, Lombardy, Italy |
|
| Win | 6–0 | Johnny Griffin |
TKO | 5 | 6 October 1975 | Zagreb, Yugoslavia |
|
| Win | 5–0 | Jose Evaristo Gomez |
PTS | 8 | 13 September 1975 | Pula, Yugoslavia |
|
| Win | 4–0 | Jose Galvez Vasquez |
PTS | 8 | 22 August 1975 | Split, Yugoslavia |
|
| Win | 3–0 | Horst Lang |
KO | 1 | 12 July 1975 | Arenzano, Liguria, Italy |
|
| Win | 2–0 | Robert Amory |
TKO | 5 | 20 June 1975 | Milan, Lombardy, Italy |
|
| Win | 1-o | Dante Lazzari |
KO | 1 | 31 May 1975 | Opatija, Yugoslavia |
|