Ask most younger fans the kind of picture they get in their head when they think of Galindez, and they'll describe a stocky bull of a man with a wild frock of dark curly hair and a moustache and a fighting style that fits the physical description. It's true that he looks like a man from the bush, and if you never saw him fight you would presume he was a mad brawler. He could be when he wanted to be. But at his best, Galindez was a smart, reasonably heavy-handed counter puncher who could beat you all day with wide punches thrown with his back to the ropes. Yes,he was from Argentina. But he was not the second coming of LuisFirpo.No one would have thought in the beginning that Galindez would develop into one of history's finest light heavyweight kings. He won only half of his first 22 fights. And he was a bleeder. But he had that knack for countering off of theropes, he was deceptively quick with his hands, and he could fightall day long. He could go to the body. His chin was granite.
As a titleholder, Galindez was a globetrotter; he fought in Argentina, South Africa, Norway, and became especially popular in Italy, where he made three consecutive title defences. After stopping Len Hutchins in 13 to win the WBA crown in 1974, he ran off 10 title defences in a very solid division – one nearly as good as the one Michael Spinks would rule several years later. He beat Richie Kates twice – the first time by dramatic KO in the waning seconds of a brutal slugfest – Yaqui Lopez, also twice, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad – at the time Eddie Gregory – and Jorge Ahumada.
Galindez had more than his share of close calls and scoring controversies. Any titlist who scores just two KO's among 10 title defences is bound to. He seemed to find more than most, however. Indeed, the scoring of his first victory over Lopez is what, in the opinion of most at the time, led to the rematch. There were similar cries after the Mustafa Muhammad fight,the second Richie Kates fight. The judges liked him.
Even so, Galindez was a hard guy tohandle and really, no one was able to handle him conclusively untilMarvin Johnson broke his jaw and stopped him in '79. Mike Rossman dethroned him briefly in '78, and a lot of people thought that would be Galindez's end. He was 31 and had been in a lot of tough fights.But he'd fought stupidly that night and in the return he took Rossman to school and stopped him in the 10th to regain the title.After the loss to Johnson he fought once more – a decision loss to the very capable Jesse Burnett – and retired. He died in an autoracingt accident in October '80.