Niño Valdés

Niño Valdés
Statistics
Real name Geraldo Ramos Ponciano Valdés
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Reach 78 in (198 cm)
Nationality Cuban
Born (1924-12-05)December 5, 1924
Havana, Cuba
Died June 3, 2001(2001-06-03) (aged 76)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 70
Wins 48
Wins by KO 36
Losses 18
Draws 3
No contests 0

Niño Valdés (born Geraldo Ramos Ponciano Valdez) (December 5, 1924 – June 3, 2001) was the Cuban heavyweight boxing champion in the 1940s and 1950s. Statistical boxing website BoxRec rates Valdés as the 6th best Cuban boxer ever across all weight divisions.[1]

Professional career

Heavyweight contender

Valdés was a top contender for the heavyweight title during the mid 1950s, although he never received a shot due to his mixed results in the ring. Ring Magazine ranked Valdez as high as the #2 contender in its annual rankings for 1958 and he was highly ranked in several other years.[2]

After a string of four losses to notable fighters such as Harold Johnson, Archie Moore, and Bob Baker in 1952 and 1953, he went undefeated in an impressive run of 11 consecutive victories which saw him defeat Ezzard Charles and Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson. However, the streak came to an end when he lost a rematch to Moore by a fifteen-round unanimous decision on May 2, 1955. He lost another fight to Bob Satterfield three months later. After beating former title contender Don Cockell, he lost a ten-round unanimous decision to Bob Baker on December 7, 1955, costing him a potential title bout against Rocky Marciano.

Later career and retirement

He continued boxing, losing to heavyweight contenders Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, and Sonny Liston. After defeating contender Brian London in December 1959, Valdez retired due to eye problems.

After retirement, he worked as a security guard and a bouncer.

Notable bouts

Result Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes[3]
Win United Kingdom Brian London TKO 7 (10) 1959-12-01 United Kingdom Empire Pool, Wembley, London
Loss United States Sonny Liston KO 3 (10) 1959-08-05 United States Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win United States Danny Hodge TKO 8 (10) 1959-04-28 United States Forum, Wichita, Kansas
Loss United States Charlie Powell TKO 8 (10) 1959-03-04 United States Miami Beach, Florida
Win Wales Joe Erskine KO 1 (10) 1957-02-19 United Kingdom Earls Court Arena, Kensington, London
Win United Kingdom Dick Richardson TKO 8 (10) 1956-12-04 United Kingdom Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Loss United States Zora Folley UD 10 1956-09-25 United States Softball Park, Phoenix, Arizona
Loss United States Eddie Machen KO 8 (10) 1956-07-11 United States Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Loss United States Eddie Machen UD 10 1956-04-16 United States Cow Palace, Daly City, California
Loss United States Bob Baker UD 10 1955-12-07 United States Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Win United Kingdom Don Cockell RTD 3 (10) 1955-09-13 United Kingdom White City Stadium, White City, London
Loss United States Bob Satterfield UD 10 1955-08-17 United States Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Loss United States Archie Moore PTS 15 1955-05-02 United States Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada For World Heavyweight Title (Nevada Version)
Win United States Tommy Jackson TKO 2 (10) 1954-07-14 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win Belgium Karel Sys TKO 4 (10) 1954-05-22 Belgium Palais des Sports, Brussels
Win Germany Heinz Neuhaus KO 4 (10) 1953-11-15 Germany Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win United States Ezzard Charles UD 10 1953-08-11 United States Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Loss United States Bob Baker UD 10 1953-05-21 United States Radio Center Arena, Huntington, West Virginia
Loss United States Archie Moore UD 10 1953-03-11 United States Saint Louis Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri
Loss United States Harold Johnson UD 10 1952-11-24 United States Eastern Parkway Arena, Brooklyn, New York

References

  1. All-Time Pound-for-Pound Rankings (Cuba). BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
  2. "Ring Magazine rankings".retrieved Feb. 27,2014
  3. Nino Valdes' Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
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