Update on this previously posted photo: This is not The Great Malenko as the note with the print led me to believe but after a heads up by Vintage Jacksonville viewer LP Steve who is obviously more knowledgeable about vintage professional wrestling than I am, it looks like it it actually Jose “El Grand” Lothario.
Lothario’s professional wrestling career started in the early 1960’s and continued into the early 1980’s. He fought tag team with Eddie Graham and Jacksonville wrestler Don Curtis and won the NWA Florida Brass Knuckles title in 1968 by defeating Boris Malenko. A full profile of his career can be found here.
Tags: coliseum, historic photograph, Jacksonville Coliseum, Jose Lothario, Malenko, professional wrestling, vintage photography
3 Comments → Leave a Reply
This is actually a photo of Jose Lothario, a popular babyface in Jacksonville during the late ’60s and early ’70s. Chances are not bad that he had just fought Malenko when this shot was taken.
I love all of these posts about wrestling. I saw Eddie Graham, and Haystacks Calhoun, and Pat O’Connor and Lou Thesz, and so many more. I remember Tommy Tucker as the announcer.
I did see this wrestler. His name was spelled Lothario.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Lothario
Thanks for a great site.
Randy, glad to have you as a fan of Vintage Jacksonville. Good catch on the spelling of Lothario. I had it right in the post text but wrong in the title. It has been corrected. Thank you, Bob Self/Vintage Jacksonville