Florentino Fernández, the famous Cuban boxer, fought from 1956 to 1972 as a middleweight for Cuba. His nickname was “The Ox” due to his vigorous fighting style. He had an overall record of 50 wins (43 by KO), 16 losses and two draws.
Wiki/Biography
Born in Santiago de Cuba, Fernando (March 6, 1936 – January 28, 2013) came from a Cuban family. Florentino “3 Toneles” Fernandez was one of Cuba’s most impressive punchers and held the record for most consecutive knockouts (16 in a row). He was nicknamed “El Barbaro del Knock Out” by the Cuban community. He was a left hook artist who scored an impressive winning streak on his way to challenging Gene Fullmer for the championship. Fernandez, 25, lost a split decision in a lawsuit against Fullmer.
He was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 10″ / 178cm
Weight: 160 lbs / 72.57 kg
Eye colour: Black
Hair color: Black
Family and ethnicity
Relationships/Affairs, Wife, Children
Florentino Fernandez Jr. is the name of his son.
Career
Professional career
Known for his big left hook, he won a string of fights that earned him the title challenge against Gene Fullmer. On August 5, 1961, Fernandez lost a split decision to Fullmer for the middleweight championship in Ogden, Utah. The Cuban boxer demanded a rematch, but Ring Magazine writer Al Buck pointed to Fernandez’s two fights with Rocky Kalingo as proof that Fullmer would be foolish to face Fernandez in communist Cuba;
“Fighting Fernandez in Cuba would hardly be a pleasant experience except for another Cuban, a Russian or a Red Chinese. A Fernandez-Yankee battle in Havana would be fought in a military atmosphere and amid turmoil. It was recalled that a Rocky Kalingo knocked out Fernandez in one round in Caracas and then left the Cuban to fight in Havana. Kalingo was threatened to the point that he was frightened to near paralysis. He was stopped.”
The rematch was never offered to Hernandez, however, he was given 20% of the $100,000.00 gate and $10,000.00 of the pay TV money.
His defeat against Carter
The most interesting thing about Florentino Fernández is that he only lasted a few seconds when he lost to Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in 1962. The following year, on May 26, 1963, Fernández knocked out undefeated, future world light-heavyweight champion Jose Torres in five rounds.
First withdrawal and return
Fernandez announced his retirement in 1967 after losing a knockout match to club fighter Willie Tiger. In an interview with CNN, Fernandez said his many knockout losses were the result of personal issues caused by the political situation in Cuba.
His job was dishwasher and waiter when he decided to come back as a light heavyweight. Fernando shocked boxing fans by knocking out Florida middleweight champion Jimmy Williams and highly rated Jerry Evans in extremely close bouts.
In 1972, Fernandez had every hope of winning the title against light heavyweight king Bob Foster, but was stopped in the 10th round of a slugfest with upstart Vernon McIntosh.
As a boxing trainer at Elizabeth Virrick Gym located in Coconut Grove, Florida, Fernandez briefly encouraged amateur boxers in the early 1980s. He owned his own condo and worked in the restaurant business, living modestly in Miami where he was revered by its Cuban neighbors.
Awards/honors
Fernandez was listed as one of the 100 Greatest Punchers of All Time by Ring Magazine in 2003.
Death
Fernandez died of a heart attack in Miami, Florida on January 28, 2013.
His son Florentino Fernandez Jr. commented: “He (Florentino Fernandez) had just finished having a cup of coffee at his sister’s house. and complained of chest pains, he fainted soon after, paramedics arrived very quickly but were unable to resuscitate him.
Fernandez had Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages, according to Fernandez’s younger brother; however, he had never suffered from heart problems.
Facts / Anecdotes
- As an amateur boxing trainer at Elizabeth Virrick Gym in Coconut Grove, Florida, Fernandez briefly served as a mentor in the early 1980s.
- While Cuba’s communist government banned professional boxing, Fernandez lived in exile in Miami Beach, Florida, where he earned a television following and fight cards promoted by Chris Dundee. The majority of Fernandez’s fights have involved him knocking out opponents or inflicting himself.
- With a left hook that could turn cinder blocks to dust, Fernández was considered the greatest knockout puncher of the 1960s. Fernández was a regular from coast to coast during the final days of the Golden Age. of television.
- Fernández was a converted southpaw who punched so hard he broke his bones in fights. He left Gene Fullmer, of all things, with a fractured elbow due to his monstrous power.
A photo of Gene Fullmer and Florentino Fernández in action
- It was during some of the most brutal street fights of the 1960s that Jesus Rivero, Dick Tiger and Jose Gonzalez all met him.
- Fernández didn’t let go in five relentless rounds when he defeated future light heavyweight champion Jose Torres in San Juan in 1963.
- Fernández, although he never won a world title, was considered one of America’s greatest fighters when fighting ended. Florentino Fernández, ultimately, was, like so many other exiles, a symbol of audacity.
- Fernández suffered bouts of his grueling schedule in the mid-1960s and he began losing fights regularly. In 2013, Fernández was working as a dishwasher in Miami, having retired from boxing less than five years before challenging Fullmer for the middleweight title. In 1969 he returned to the ring after his dream persuaded him to do so.
- He fought in “La Isla del Encanto” six times during his career, which made him a popular figure in Puerto Rico.
