Prudencio Cardona (December 22, 1951 – August 4, 2019) was a Colombian professional boxer who was world flyweight champion. He represented his native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. He was the older brother of former super bantamweight world champion, Ricardo Cardona.

Prudencio Cardona
Born
Prudencio Cardona

(1951-12-22)December 22, 1951
Died(2019-08-04)August 4, 2019 (aged 67)
NationalityColombian
Statistics
Weight(s)Flyweight
Height5 ft 6 in (170 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights63
Wins39
Wins by KO27
Losses23
Draws1

Professional boxing career

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Prudencio Cardona made his professional boxing debut on November 2, 1973, defeating Luis Ramos by a four-round decision in Barranquilla, Colombia. Twenty two days later, Cardona earned his first knockout win, knocking out Humberto Ortega in four rounds at Barranquilla. Cardona's first seven fights were in Barranquilla; he won five of these bouts by knockout.

On September 29, 1974, Cardona fought away from Barranquilla for the first time, losing his tag as an undefeated fighter when he dropped an eight-round decision to Henry Diaz in Cartagena. Seven weeks later, Prudencio Cardona had his first professional contest in Bogotá, knocking out Ben Villareal in two rounds on November 23. Cardona then won one fight and lost another before having his first bout abroad, on August 9, 1975, when he fought Luis Reyes Arnal in Caracas, Venezuela, defeating Reyes Arnal by a fifth-round knockout. Cardona won seven more fights before returning to Venezuela, where he boxed Betulio González on March 12, 1977, being knocked out in the third round.

Five victories followed his defeat at the hands of Gonzalez. These included a third-round knockout win over Villareal in a rematch, a ten-round decision over future world champion Alfonso Lopez on March 10, 1978, and another win against a future world champion, Luis Ibarra, by decision in ten rounds on June 30, at Barranquilla.

Ibarra and Cardona had an immediate rematch, on February 17, 1979, in Colón, Panama, with Ibarra avenging his loss to Cardona by a ten-round decision. On June 15 of that year, Cardona made his Asian debut, losing to future world champion Seung-Hoon Lee by a ten-round decision in South Korea.

Cardona, however, won nine of his next ten fights by knockout, including victories over Hector Patri, Steve Whitstone and Olympic bronze medalist Orlando Maldonado of Puerto Rico.

World Flyweight championship

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These nine wins made Cardona a ranked Flyweight on the WBC, and, on March 20, 1982, he challenged Antonio Avelar for the WBC and Lineal Flyweight titles, in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Cardona became world champion by knocking Avelar out in the first round.[1] He lost the titles on his first defense, however, being defeated by two division world champion and another Mexican Freddie Castillo by a fifteen-round unanimous decision on July 24, also in Mexico. Castillo went on to lose the championships to Eleoncio Mercedes.

Cardona won four of his next five bouts, the exception being a ten-round draw (tie), against Soon-Jung Kang on April 2, 1983, in South Korea. On September 15, 1984, Cardona had a chance to become world Flyweight champion for the second time, when he faced WBA world champion Santos Laciar in Argentina. Laciar defeated Cardona by a tenth-round knockout. This was the last world title fight of Cardona's career.

Cardona's career then began to take backwards turns, winning three and losing two of his next five bouts. He did win the national, Colombian Flyweight title by knocking out Toribio Velasco in three rounds on December 14, 1985. But after retaining the title against Josélo Perez on April 5, 1986, by a ten-round decision, Cardona lost his next eight bouts in a row. Included were losses to future world Bantamweight champion Orlando Canizales, who knocked Cardona out on January 30, 1987, in San Antonio, Texas, United States, a ten-round decision loss to Ray Minus on March 5 at the Bahamas, and a ten-round points loss to Juan Polo Perez on May 25 in Cartagena.

On November 27 of that year, Cardona obtained his last victory as a professional, knocking out Teofilo Centeno in the first round at Miami, Florida.

Cardona lost his next five fights before retiring. Among those that beat him were various well-known fighters, such as Dominican Tommy Valoy, then a future world title challenger, by a knockout in six in San Juan, Puerto Rico, future world champion Jose Ruiz, who beat Cardona by a ninth-round knockout on July 11, 1988, also at San Juan, and Darryl Pinckney, who knocked Cardona out in four rounds on June 27, 1992.

The fight with Pinckney turned out to be the last fight boxed by Cardona as a professional. He had also previously lost to Agapito Gómez by a second round disqualification, in Madrid, Spain.

Cardona had a professional boxing record of 40 wins, 23 losses and one draw, with 27 wins by knockout.

Personal

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His brother, Ricardo Cardona, was also a well-known world champion boxer, making the Cardona brothers one of the small numbers of sibling couples to have reached world championship status in the sport. He is the father of AEW wrestler Red Velvet.[2] He died on August 4, 2019, at the age of 67.[3]

Professional boxing record

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64 fights 39 wins 24 losses
By knockout 27 8
By decision 12 15
By disqualification 0 1
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
63 Loss 39–23–1 Darryl Pinckney TKO 4 (8), 2:43 Jun 27, 1992 Mahi Temple Shrine Auditorium, Miami, Florida, US
62 Loss 39–22–1 Jose Valdez TKO 7 (?) Dec 16, 1988 Guasave, Mexico
61 Loss 39–21–1 José Ruíz Matos KO 9 (?) Jul 11, 1988 San Juan, Puerto Rico
60 Loss 39–20–1 Tommy Valoy TKO 6 (?) Feb 27, 1988 Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico
59 Loss 39–19–1 Agapito Gomez DQ 2 (?) Dec 18, 1987 Madrid, Spain
58 Win 39–18–1 Teofilo Centeno TKO 1 (10) Nov 27, 1987 Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, US
57 Loss 38–18–1 Richard Clarke UD 10 Sep 25, 1987 Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica
56 Loss 38–17–1 Luis Monzote SD 10 Sep 12, 1987 James L. Knight Center, Miami Beach, Florida, US
55 Loss 38–16–1 Juan Polo Pérez PTS 10 May 25, 1987 Cartagena, Colombia
54 Loss 38–15–1 Ray Minus PTS 10 Mar 6, 1987 Nassau, Bahamas
53 Loss 38–14–1 Orlando Canizales TKO 6 (10), 1:58 Jan 30, 1987 Fiesta Plaza Mall, San Antonio, Texas, US
52 Loss 38–13–1 Raúl Pérez PTS 10 Aug 30, 1986 Tijuana, Mexico
51 Loss 38–12–1 Jesse Williams SD 10 Aug 1, 1986 Tamiami Fairgrounds Auditorium, Miami, Florida, US
50 Loss 38–11–1 Rafael Cabrera TKO 8 (?) Jun 22, 1986 Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
49 Win 38–10–1 Joselo Perez PTS 10 Apr 5, 1986 Barranquilla, Colombia Retained Colombian flyweight title
48 Loss 37–10–1 Juan Polo Pérez PTS 10 Jan 13, 1986 Cartagena, Colombia
47 Win 37–9–1 Toribio Riasco KO 3 (12) Dec 14, 1985 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia Won vacant Colombian flyweight title
46 Win 36–9–1 Sergio Omar Villouta TKO 8 (10) Jun 29, 1985 Barranquilla, Colombia
45 Loss 35–9–1 Agustin Garcia UD 10 Mar 29, 1985 Cartagena, Colombia
44 Win 35–8–1 Alfredo Gomez KO 2 (?) Dec 14, 1984 Cartagena, Colombia
43 Loss 34–8–1 Santos Laciar KO 10 (15), 1:59 Sep 15, 1984 Pabellon Verde, Cordoba, Argentina For WBA flyweight title
42 Win 34–7–1 Rafael Rivas KO 2 (?) May 11, 1984 Barranquilla, Colombia
41 Win 33–7–1 Ernesto Sanchez UD 10 Aug 13, 1983 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
40 Win 32–7–1 Agustin Igirio TKO 3 (?) Jun 2, 1983 Estadio Eduardo Santos, Santa Marta, Colombia
39 Draw 31–7–1 Soon Jung Kang PTS 10 Apr 2, 1983 Munhwa Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea
38 Win 31–7 Bernardino Moreno TKO 10 (10), 1:05 Mar 4, 1983 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama
37 Loss 30–7 Freddy Castillo UD 15 Jul 24, 1982 Carte Clara Baseball Park, Merida, Mexico Lost WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
36 Win 30–6 Antonio Avelar KO 1 (15), 2:04 Mar 20, 1982 Estadio Tamaulipas Futbol, Tampico, Mexico Won WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
35 Win 29–6 Pascual Polanco TKO 5 (?) Oct 30, 1981 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
34 Win 28–6 Melquiades Caballero TKO 3 (?) Oct 10, 1981 San Andres, Colombia
33 Win 27–6 Pastor Echavarria KO 1 (?) Jul 17, 1981 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
32 Win 26–6 Orlando Maldonado KO 5 (10) Dec 13, 1980 Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, US
31 Win 25–6 Steve Whetstone TKO 1 (6) Nov 14, 1980 Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, US
30 Win 24–6 Julio Guerrero PTS 10 Jul 11, 1980 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
29 Loss 23–6 Luis Tapias UD 12 Apr 18, 1980 Monteria, Colombia For Colombia and South America flyweight titles
28 Win 23–5 Edelmiro Cassiani PTS 10 Mar 14, 1980 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
27 Win 22–5 Humberto Mayorga UD 10 Aug 18, 1979 Plaza de Toros, Maracaibo, Venezuela
26 Loss 21–5 Seung-hoon Lee PTS 10 May 15, 1979 Munhwa Gymnasium, Seoul, Panama
25 Loss 21–4 Luis Ibarra UD 10 Feb 17, 1979 Arena de Colon, Colon City, Panama
24 Win 21–3 Luis Ibarra PTS 10 Jun 30, 1978 Barranquilla, Colombia
23 Win 20–3 Alfonso López PTS 10 Mar 10, 1978 Cartagena, Colombia
22 Win 19–3 Pablito Jimenez PTS 10 Dec 3, 1977 Barranquilla, Colombia
21 Win 18–3 Ben Villareal KO 3 (?) Oct 28, 1977 Barranquilla, Colombia
20 Win 17–3 Maximo Rodriguez KO 2 (?) Sep 1, 1977 Barranquilla, Colombia
19 Loss 16–3 Betulio González KO 3 (10) Mar 12, 1977 Maracaibo, Venezuela
18 Win 16–2 Henry Diaz PTS 10 Nov 7, 1976 Plaza de Toros de Cartagena de Indias, Cartagena, Colombia
17 Win 15–2 Eduardo Barragan TKO 5 (?) Mar 26, 1976 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
16 Win 14–2 Cesar Revollo PTS 10 Feb 8, 1976 Cartagena, Colombia
15 Win 13–2 Enrique Torres PTS 10 Oct 31, 1975 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
14 Win 12–2 Rogelio Minott KO 5 (?) Oct 4, 1975 Barranquilla, Colombia
13 Win 11–2 Ricardo Estupinan KO 1 (?) Sep 5, 1975 Barranquilla, Colombia
12 Win 10–2 Luis Reyes Arnal KO 5 (?) Aug 9, 1975 Caracas, Venezuela
11 Loss 9–2 Calixto Perez PTS 10 May 30, 1975 Cartagena, Colombia
10 Win 9–1 Nelson Vergara KO 3 (?) Apr 30, 1975 Barranquilla, Colombia
9 Win 8–1 Ben Villareal KO 2 (?) Nov 23, 1974 Bogota, Colombia
8 Loss 7–1 Henry Diaz UD 8 Sep 29, 1974 Estadio 11 de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
7 Win 7–0 Abdon Peralta KO 1 (10) Aug 17, 1974 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
6 Win 6–0 Roberto Lopez RTD 6 (?) Jul 5, 1974 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
5 Win 5–0 Pedro Bendeck KO 2 (?) Jun 13, 1974 Barranquilla, Colombia
4 Win 4–0 Eliseo Padilla KO 1 (?) May 10, 1974 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
3 Win 3–0 Nestor Herrera PTS 6 Jan 18, 1974 Barranquilla, Colombia
2 Win 2–0 Humberto Ortega KO 4 (6) Nov 24, 1973 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
1 Win 1–0 Luis Ramos TKO 4 (6) Nov 2, 1973 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Prudencio Cardona - Lineal Flyweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  2. ^ Varsallone, Jim (June 18, 2021). "AEW Dynamite on tour in Miami is a Red Velvet Homecoming. Jim Ross talks AEW touring, too". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Tiempo, Casa Editorial El (August 4, 2019). "Murió el excampeón mundial de boxeo Prudencio Cardona". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved August 4, 2019.
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Achievements
Preceded by Lineal Flyweight Champion
20 Mar 1982 – 24 Jul 1982
Succeeded by
Preceded by The Ring Flyweight Champion
20 Mar 1982 – 24 Jul 1982
Succeeded by
Preceded by WBC Flyweight Champion
20 Mar 1982 – 24 Jul 1982
Succeeded by