Nino Valdez

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	December 5, 1924 Havana, Cuba
Died	June 3, 2001 (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	Brian London	TKO	7 (10)	1959-12-01	Empire Pool, Wembley, London
Loss	Sonny Liston	KO	3 (10)	1959-08-05	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win	Danny Hodge	TKO	8 (10)	1959-04-28	Forum, Wichita, Kansas
Loss	Charlie Powell	TKO	8 (10)	1959-03-04	Miami Beach, Florida
Win	Joe Erskine	KO	1 (10)	1957-02-19	Earls Court Arena, Kensington, London
Win	Dick Richardson	TKO	8 (10)	1956-12-04	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Loss	Zora Folley	UD	10	1956-09-25	Softball Park, Phoenix, Arizona
Loss	Eddie Machen	KO	8 (10)	1956-07-11	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Loss	Eddie Machen	UD	10	1956-04-16	Cow Palace, Daly City, California
Loss	Bob Baker	UD	10	1955-12-07	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Win	Don Cockell	RTD	3 (10)	1955-09-13	White City Stadium, White City, London
Loss	Bob Satterfield	UD	10	1955-08-17	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Loss	Archie Moore	PTS	15	1955-05-02	Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada	For World Heavyweight Title (Nevada Version)
Win	Tommy Jackson	TKO	2 (10)	1954-07-14	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	Karel Sys	TKO	4 (10)	1954-05-22	Palais des Sports, Brussels
Win	Heinz Neuhaus	KO	4 (10)	1953-11-15	Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Win	Ezzard Charles	UD	10	1953-08-11	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Loss	Bob Baker	UD	10	1953-05-21	Radio Center Arena, Huntington, West Virginia
Loss	Archie Moore	UD	10	1953-03-11	Saint Louis Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri
Loss	Harold Johnson	UD	10	1952-11-24	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.

External links

• Professional boxing record for Nino Valdez from BoxRec