Andrés Balsa

Andrés Balsa Antón (11 March 1883 – 16 December 1973) was a Spanish boxer, professional wrestler, and football manager, taking charge over Celta de Vigo, Deportivo de La Coruña, and Valencia CF in the 1920s and 1930s.

He had a brief acting career, playing the role of Ursus in the Italian film Quo Vadis?, but he is best remembered for his fight against Jack Dempsey in 1921.

Early life Andrés Balsa was born on 11 March 1883 in Mugardos, A Coruña, as the son of a humble farmer and grandson of a single mother, and his childhood was spent like that of all the children in his town, working very hard and going through hardships.

Unlike the others, however, he eventually outgrew all of them, being six feet tall with its corresponding tonnage, a giant between sizes of 1,65.

Fighting career First steps It was in the decks of those merchant ships that Balsa learned to fight, carrying out night skirmishes as entertainment in the usual impasses of such long voyages. Balsa began training under an English champion, a certain Jack Nelson, who introduced him to the official circuit around 1909, taking him on tour through Panama and Cuba, where he defeated tough opponents in wrestling matches, such as the champion in Havana, the Japanese Taro Miyake. However, it was a bittersweet glory, since his fighting style was often compared to "dancing on stage", and was considered unorthodox for purists, who stated that "he lacks any technique", and even the Spanish press, which echoed his victories in the United States and Cuba, described his successes with similar words. he fought in Montevideo on 18 October 1919, against Angel Rodriguez, losing on points. However, this role has been wrongly attributed to Bruto Castellani, who repeated the role in the 1924 version. He can also be seen in the skin of a gladiator in other famous films like Ben-Hur. On one occasion, he picked up and carried an injured player off the field by himself. His fidelity to the Republic helped him keep his position in a club founded by Blasquistas, in a time that has been poorly documented, blurred, and skipped by history with the recurring catchphrase "and then the war broke out"; officially he coached at Valencia for two seasons, although he actually coached for four, from 1936 until 1940. Balsa remained in the technical and coaching staff of the Valencian team until 1946, the year in which the trail of Balsa disappeared again.

Balsa went on to manage Castellón (1946–47) and CD Eldense (1947–48). In 1950, Valencia played a friendly match against Burjassot CF for the benefit of their former coach. In his last years, Balsa exhibited himself in some charity events.

Death At the end of the 1950s, Balsa emigrated to Brazil with his wife, along with his son Andrés, owner of an important estate. At the end of the 1960s, in December 1968, his son died at the age of 43, a victim of a rapid illness, and the family was ruined, so Valencia CF gave him money to return and settle in Valencia. He grew old in Latin America and died discreetly in Madrid on 16 December 1973, at the age of 90.

Honours Celta de Vigo Galician Regional Championship Champions (1): 1925–26

Valencia CF Valencian Regional Championship Champions (1): 1936–37