He first came on the scene in 1956 when he represented Brazil in the summer Olympics. He did not win but he fought valiantly. He turned pro in 1957 and went undefeated for years. In 1960 he won the South American title, and then challenged the Chilean man Barrientos who had defeated him in the Olympics. Jofrinho knocked him out in the 8th round. He then challenged the top Mexican boxer Jose Medel:
Eder knocked him out in round 10. He then won the WBA title knocking out Elloy Sanchez in round 6. In 1961 he won The Ring world title with another knock out win. The next year he faced the Northern Irishman Johnny Caldwell for the undisputed lineal bantamweight world title:
Jofre knocked him out in round 10. At this point Jofre's record was 42 wins, zero losses, and three draws early in his career. Despite being a bantamweight he was a fearsome KO machine who seemed unstoppable. He did not meet a man worth his match until 1965 when he faced the Japanese legend "Fighting Harada." Jofre faced him in Japan in front of his home crowd and they had a fierce battle. After 15 rounds Jofre lost a controversial split decision:
Jofre once again faced Harada in Japan the next year and after another 15 round war he once again lost the decision. Disheartened he retired.
But this was not to be the end of Jofrinho's story. Three years later he set his eyes on a new goal. He came out of retirement to move up to featherweight and test his might again the best of them. Despite facing larger opponents he was still a KO machine and won 14 fights in a row. He then faced the world featherweight champion Jose Legra of Cuba:
After a 15 round battle he was declared the victor. Despite being a middle aged man fighting a full weight class above his own(this was before boxing had "super" and "junior" weights) he was still an unstoppable machine. In 1976 at 40 years old he faced the great Mexican boxer Juan Lopez, who would go on to teach boxing to Julio Cesar Chavez:
He once again won, and retired later that year. He finished his career with a record of 72-2-4. This man was a true legend and must be honoured!
