Rodrigo Valdéz


Rodrigo Valdéz was a Colombian boxer who was the undisputed world middleweight champion, whose rivalry with Carlos Monzón has long been considered among the most legendary boxing rivalries. Valdez was trained by International Boxing Hall of Fame coach Gil Clancy. Many people consider him, Antonio Cervantes and Miguel "Happy" Lora to be the three greatest boxers ever to come from that country. He is 29th on Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Professional career

Born in Bolívar, Colombia, Rodrigo Valdez began his professional boxing career with a win over Orlando Pineda in a four-round decision on October 25, 1963, at Cartagena. He won his next eight bouts, but on October 2, 1965, he lost his undefeated record, beaten by knockout in six by Rudy Escobar.
After that defeat, he went on another undefeated streak of fifteen fights, of which he won thirteen and tied two. However, on his first fight abroad, February 16, 1969, in Ecuador, he lost a ten-round decision to Daniel Guanin. After one more fight in Cartagena, he moved to the United States. Trying to gain more recognition, he campaigned, from 1969 to 1970, in the states of New York, Nevada and California, winning seven fights and losing two. Then, he returned to South America for four more fights in his homeland, winning all.

Hepatitis

In his next match, held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, with Bobby Cassidy on August 9, 1971, Valdez won by knockout in round six, because the fight doctor deemed Cassidy not fit to continue from a cut around his eye which had been ruled as produced by a Valdez punch. At the time, nobody knew that Cassidy had hepatitis A. As a consequence of this, Valdez also became affected by the disease. Given a quarantine, he refused to quit boxing periodically and continued training during his time of illness. Separated from most of the world, he was fit enough to win two more fights within three months of his initial diagnosis of hepatitis.
Valdez had nineteen wins in a row when he met Philadelphia legend Bennie Briscoe for the NABF middleweight title, in Nouméa, New Caledonia, on September 1, 1973, beating Briscoe in a 12-round decision to capture the regional championship and becoming a world-ranked middleweight contender. After this win, Valdez claimed for a world title shot at Monzon.

World title

He won two more fights, and the WBC made him its number one contender at Monzon's title. But Monzon did not feel like fighting the Colombian at that moment, so the WBC stripped Monzon of the world title and made Valdez and Briscoe rematch, this time with the WBC world middleweight title on the line. On May 25, 1974, at Monte Carlo, Valdez became a world champion for the first time, by knocking Briscoe out in seven rounds. Valdez subsequently retained his title against Rudy Valdez, Gratien Tonna and Max Cohen, until Monzon finally agreed to meet him.
One week before the long-awaited match-up, on June 19, 1976, Valdez's brother was murdered during a barroom fight in Colombia. Already in Monte Carlo for the fight, Valdez wanted to pull out of it to join his family in mourning. But he was contractually bound to fight Monzon, so he had to stay in Europe, and on June 26, Valdez, who to many observers seemed rather uninterested, lost in the unification bout to Monzon in a 15-round unanimous decision. Valdez won two more fights after returning to Colombia.
The WBA and WBC, recognizing that Valdez probably wasn't in the best of moods to fight during his first confrontation with Monzon, ordered a second fight between the rivals, and so they fought again, on July 30, 1977, once again at Monte Carlo. This time around, Valdez knocked down Monzon in the second round, becoming the only man to send the Argentine to the floor in Monzon's long career. Valdez was leading after seven rounds, but Monzon mounted a late rally that allowed him to keep the title by a close decision.

Monzon's retirement

Monzon announced his retirement from boxing afterwards, and so Valdez and Briscoe were matched once again, on November 5, 1977, for the vacant undisputed world middleweight championship, in Campione d'Italia, which belonged back then not to Italy, but actually to Switzerland. Valdez recovered the world middleweight championship, with a 15-round decision over Briscoe. This time around, however, he would lose his title on his first defense, on April 22, 1978, by points in 15 rounds to another Argentine, Hugo Corro, in San Remo, Italy.
On November 11 of that same year, they had a rematch, at Buenos Aires' Luna Park Stadium, and Corro repeated his 15-round victory to retain the world title.

Retirement

Valdez fought only twice more, winning both fights by knockout. After beating Gilberto Amonte on November 28, 1980, in the first round, he retired from boxing for good.
Valdez had a record of 63 wins, eight losses and two draws as a professional boxer, with 42 wins by knockout.

Death

According to Colombian sources, Valdez died of a massive heart attack on March 14, 2017. Cartagena mayor Manuel Duque confirmed the two time former world champion's death, calling him "one of the greatest Colombian sportsmen of all time".

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
73Win63–8–2 Gilberto AlmonteTKO1, 1:41Nov 28, 1980 Coliseo El Campin, Bogotá, Colombia
72Win62–8–2 Charles HaywardTKO7, 1:25May 14, 1980 Coliseo El Campin, Bogotá, Colombia
71Loss61–8–2 Hugo CorroUD15Nov 11, 1978 Luna Park, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaFor WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
70Win61–7–2 Mayfield PenningtonTKO7, 1:22Sep 30, 1978 Coliseo El Campin, Bogotá, Colombia
69Loss60–7–2 Hugo CorroUD15Apr 22, 1978 Teatro Ariston, Sanremo, Liguria, ItalyLost WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
68Win60–6–2 Bennie BriscoeUD15Nov 5, 1977 Campione d'Italia, Lombardy, ItalyWon vacant WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
67Loss59–6–2 Carlos MonzónUD15Jul 30, 1977 Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, MonacoFor WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
66Win59–5–2 Oreste LebronTKO5 Mar 19, 1977 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
65Win58–5–2 Ramon BerasKO7 Oct 24, 1976 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
64Loss57–5–2 Carlos MonzónUD15Jun 26, 1976 Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, MonacoLost WBC middleweight title
63Win57–4–2 Nessim Max CohenTKO4, 2:45Mar 28, 1976 Pavillon de Paris, Paris, Île-de-France, FranceRetained WBC middleweight title
62Win56–4–2 Rudy RoblesUD15Aug 16, 1975 Cartagena de Indias Bull Ring, Cartagena, Bolívar, ColombiaRetained WBC middleweight title
61Win55–4–2 Ramón MendezTKO8 May 31, 1975 Coliseo El Pueblo, Cali, Valle del Cauca, ColombiaRetained WBC middleweight title
60Win54–4–2 Gratien TonnaKO11 Nov 30, 1974 Palais des Expositions, Paris, Île-de-France, FranceRetained WBC middleweight title
59Win53–4–2 Vinnie CurtoUD10Oct 25, 1974 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Non-title bout
58Win52–4–2 Cubby JacksonKO2 Sep 7, 1974 Coliseo El Campin, Bogotá, ColombiaNon-title bout
57Win51–4–2 Bennie BriscoeTKO7, 2:55May 25, 1974 Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, MonacoWon vacant WBC middleweight title
56Win50–4–2 Ernie BurnsKO2 Mar 16, 1974 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
55Win49–4–2 Joey DurelleKO2 Dec 14, 1973 Coliseo El Campin, Bogotá, Colombia
54Win48–4–2 Bennie BriscoePTS12Sep 1, 1973 Nouméa, South Province, New CaledoniaWon NABF middleweight title
53Win47–4–2 Antonio AguilarPTS10Jul 19, 1973 Coliseo El Campin, Bogotá, Colombia
52Win46–4–2 Leon WashingtonKO9 Jun 5, 1973 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
51Win45–4–2 Kim BookerTKO5, 2:12Apr 16, 1973 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
50Win44–4–2 José RodríguezTKO5 Mar 5, 1973 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
49Win43–4–2 Carlos MarksPTS10Dec 18, 1972 Parc des Expositions, Paris, Île-de-France, France
48Win42–4–2 Lloyd DuncanUD10Sep 29, 1972 Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
47Win41–4–2 Roy EdmondsKO2, 1:11Aug 28, 1972 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
46Win40–4–2 Juan Evangelista CórdobaKO6 Aug 10, 1972 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
45Win39–4–2 Milton MendezKO2 Apr 2, 1972 Valledupar, Cesar, Colombia
44Win38–4–2 Doc HollidayTKO4, 2:38Nov 25, 1971 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.Fought while quarantined with Hepatitis
43Win37–4–2 Perry AbneyTKO1, 2:59Oct 19, 1971 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.Fought while quarantined with Hepatitis
42Win36–4–2 Bobby CassidyTKO7, 0:44Aug 9, 1971 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Cassidy did not know he had Hepatitis,
Valdez later developed the disease
41Win35–4–2 Edmundo LeiteTKO4 Jun 28, 1971 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
40Win34–4–2 Marcos TordoyaTKO4 May 14, 1971 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
39Win33–4–2 Arturo LangKO5, 2:59Mar 26, 1971 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
38Win32–4–2 Juan JimenezKO2 Jan 24, 1971 Estadio 11 de Noviembre, Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
37Win31–4–2 Juan Evangelista CórdobaTKO9 Jul 24, 1970 Atanasio Girardot Coliseum, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
36Loss30–4–2 Ralph PalladinSD10May 11, 1970 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
35Win30–3–2 Cassius GreenePTS10May 1, 1970 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
34Loss29–3–2 Pete ToroMD10Mar 2, 1970 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
33Win29–2–2 Dave OropezaKO1, 1:29Feb 14, 1970 The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
32Win28–2–2 Denny StilettoTKO1 Dec 10, 1969 Silver Slipper, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
31Win27–2–2 Raul RodríguezTKO9 Oct 17, 1969 The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
30Win26–2–2 David MelendezTKO5, 2:08Sep 17, 1969 Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
29Win25–2–2 Mike DeFeoTKO1, 1:27Sep 3, 1969 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
28Win24–2–2 Peter CobblahUD10Aug 6, 1969 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
27Win23–2–2 Linfer ContrerasKO2 Jun 4, 1969 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
26Loss22–2–2 Daniel GuaninPTS10Feb 16, 1969 Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
25Win22–1–2 Humberto TrottmanPTS10Aug 6, 1968 Bogotá, Colombia
24Win21–1–2 Cartagenita KidKO7 Apr 15, 1968 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
23Draw20–1–2 German GastelbondoPTS10Jan 21, 1968 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
22Win20–1–1 Richard MoralesKO2 Dec 3, 1967 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
21Win19–1–1 Humberto TrottmanPTS10Oct 1, 1967 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
20Win18–1–1 Alfonso FrancoKO12 Aug 29, 1967 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
19Win17–1–1 Baby MendezKO3 Aug 12, 1967 El Carmen, Colombia
18Win16–1–1 Kid RevolledoPTS10Jun 10, 1967 Sincelejo, Sucre, Colombia
17Draw15–1–1 Mario RossitoPTS10Apr 2, 1967 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
16Win15–1 Eugenio EspinozaPTS10Mar 5, 1967 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
15Win14–1 Julio NovellaKO2 Jan 23, 1967 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
14Win13–1 Alfonso FrancoKO7 Nov 4, 1966 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
13Win12–1 Elias LianPTS10Jul 29, 1966 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
12Win11–1 Lucero AcaryKO2 Jun 29, 1966 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
11Win10–1 Roberto UlloaPTS10Jun 24, 1966 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
10Win9–1 Rafael LunaUD10Mar 3, 1966 Estadio 11 de Noviembre, Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
9Loss8–1 Juan EscobarTKO6, 3:00Oct 2, 1965 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
8Win8–0 Elias HidalgoKO6 Jul 9, 1964 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
7Win7–0 Manuel Jack HernandezPTS10Sep 12, 1964 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
6Win6–0 Fernando AlvarezTKO8 May 15, 1964 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
5Win5–0 Alejandro ParraPTS8Feb 28, 1964 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
4Win4–0 Humberto HurtadoPTS6Feb 6, 1964 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
3Win3–0 Alejandro ParraKO5 Jan 15, 1964 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
2Win2–0 Eliecer de AvilaKO4 Nov 6, 1963 Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
1Win1–0 Orlando PinedaPTS4Oct 25, 1963 Estadio 11 de Noviembre, Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia