This dissertation analyzes how, through the violent sport of boxing, Mexicans imagined their nation's position within the world in the mid to late twentieth century. Examining changes within the social context of the sport from the end of World War II to the Debt Crisis of 1982, I argue that boxing was essential to constructing Mexican national identity and fashioning a specifically Mexican modernity. The period between 1946 and 1982 was one of relative optimism in Mexican history. Mexican elites hoped that the Mexican nation would attain 'First World' status. At the same time, Mexican boxers won several world championships and, with the support of Mexican and Mexican-American fans, played a key role in Los Angeles' rise as the center for pugilistic activity in the United States. These successes allowed boxers to become important components of a Mexican national culture that was simultaneously cosmopolitan, nationalist, and masculine. Focusing on the gendered performances of boxers inside and outside of the ring, this research reveals how Mexicans used boxing to debate what it meant to be Mexican and masculine during this period.
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