Iván Samuco

Ivan Samuco (born Ivan Conradus, February 25, 1957 and also known as Ivan Zamuco) is a former professional boxer from Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. A practitioner also of volleyball and futsal, he is often considered one of the best athletes to be born in those islands and is inducted into the Curaçao sports museum.^[1]

During his career, Samuco won the WBC's Continental Americas Super-Featherweight title, beating the largely unheralded Aurelio Mena, 1–3 coming into their bout, by a twelve-round majority decision on December 21, 1979, in Willemstad, Curaçao.^[2]

Samuco had the biggest fight of his career when he confronted the 38-1-1, 38 knockout wins former WBC world Super Bantamweight champion, future International Boxing Hall of Fame member Wilfredo Gómez. Few gave Samuco, coming in with a 17-3-1, 10 knockout wins record, a chance of beating Gomez during their April 23, 1983 bout. He had been a Continental Americas Champion at some point in his career. He was, however, announced as a "former WBC champion from Curaçao" on local posters and flyers promoting the fight, implying, but not actually saying, that he had indeed been a world champion himself at some point in his career.

The fight, held at Ponce, Puerto Rico, was won by Gomez by third-round technical-knockout when the referee Ismael Quinones Falu stopped the bout after a knockdown of Ivan Samuco.

Samuco boxed four more times, including a bout after which his opponent Miguel Falero had his boxing license suspended for "fraud after a disgraceful performance"-Samuco won by fourth-round knockout-before retiring from boxing with 19 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw (tie) in 26 professional boxing matches. Later, he became a noted boxing promoter and trainer in his home country.