History
Sporting is one of Portugal's top boxing schools and is currently producing some of the nation's top athletes.
Boxing at Alvalade took a huge leap forward thanks to the drive of Ricardo Ferraz, who believed that the Club's motto and fighting spirit fits with what still continues to be an amateur discipline at Sporting.
What better way to reflect on the history of Alvalade boxing than through an article written about Ferraz for the Sporting Journal.
"This is one of those cases where people mix up the history of a sport with the person who has most influenced it. Although boxing started at Sporting in 1923, when Albano Martins won the regional championship, it was too early for the sport at the Club. A while after, the sport disappeared from the Club for around 40 years.
We had to wait until 1962 for Alvalade boxing to be reborn. António Casquilho set the tone and created the best boxing gym in the country. Sporting made the most of it and had the pleasure of hosting some of those athletes who would go on to dominate the sport in Portugal. Ricardo Ferraz, known as Mister Boxing, made the move from the pitch to the boxing gym, dedicating himself to a sport he learned to love while in the Navy. However, where he would really make his name was outside of the ring and not inside of it, going on to become Sporting's most notable coach.
With Ricardo Ferraz at the helm, the sport was officially unveiled to the public in a ceremony in 1962. It was an instant success, with the first match scheduled for the 3rd of July against Real Madrid. Aníbal Silva, Eduardo Neves, Fernando Tavares and Manuel Antunes fought for the Sporting colours that day, claiming a 2-1 win.
Names such as Perfecto Campos, Mário Ribeirinho and Américo Sousa shined in the sport, but it was Ricardo Ferraz who led the way in creating one of the country's most productive schools that trained boxing talent including Paquito, Vítor Carvalho, Manuel Antunes and Fernando Tavares.
Ferraz played his part in 15 National Championship wins, projecting Sporting into the history books of Portuguese boxing.