Ecuadorian Professional Boxers: A Historical Look
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
To answer a question posed to me this week, Ecuador has a history in boxing. Most of its more recent history in the boxing world has been in amateur boxing and in particular, at The Olympics.
On the surface, it appears Ecuador has never had much of a professional boxing nature. This appears strange, as Mexico, Central America and Latin America have produced some of the finest boxers in the world, from Canelo Alvarez to Alexis Arguello to Carlos Monzon.
Specifically, though, it appears known historical data has identified only four professional boxers from Ecuador. Casually, I remarked to my shoe repairman, who is from Ecuador and did not think there were any professional boxers from Ecuador, perhaps Ecuadorian boxers preferred to go to Mexico to train, fight and develop their careers. This mistaken remark by me, wholly out of place, forced me to sit down and review statistical and historical data of boxers from Ecuador to firmly answer the question. My extensive research actually added the name of the late boxer Jaime Quinonez, where I sometimes contribute, and where it was conspicuously missing.
Wikipedia online encyclopedia documents 12 Ecuadorian Olympic boxers.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Olympic_boxers_of_Ecuador
Wikipedia online encyclopedia identifies 14 Ecuadorian amateur and professional boxers.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Olympic_boxers_of_Ecuador
In crosschecking the cross reference, four names appear of Ecuadorian professional boxers past and present. To answer the pinpoint question, here are the names and backgrounds of the four Ecuadorian professional boxers. To the best of my research, there are no other Ecuadorian professional boxers. I am sure, at the time of this article, there perhaps may have been a few other professional boxers who were born in Ecuador BUT who based their careers in other countriesparticularly, perhaps in the United States, Mexico, or elsewhere in Central and South America. However, I have not identified any other Ecuadorian professional boxers than the below four individuals.
Ecuadorian Professional Boxer Number One: Segundo Mercado
Divisions: Middleweight and Super Middleweight
Years Active: 1989-2003
Career Record: 19 wins, 10 losses, two draws, 11 knockouts
Born in 1967 in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, and a 1988 Olympian at the Seoul Games of the XXIV Olympiad, Segundo Mercado fought Bernard Hopkins twice for the vacant International Boxing Federation Middleweight title, drawing in 12 rounds the first time round with judge Francisco Hernandez giving Mercado the bout 116-114 in the only known world title fight held in Ecuador, at Ruminahui Coliseum in Quito, Ecuador, in December 1994. Hopkins stopped Mercado in April 1995 in the rematch in the fourth round at U.S. Air arena in Landover, Maryland. Mercado also fought Frankie Liles for the World Boxing Association Super Middleweight title.
Mercado resides in Richmond Hills, New York. Sadly, Mercado won only one of his last 11 professional bouts, getting stopped in the first round by then 10-0 cruiserweight prospect Rico Hoye in Michigan in January 2003 in his final ring appearance. Mercado appeared in seven regional International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association and North American Boxing Federation regional bouts, winning the first five (leading to the Hopkins world title bouts) and losing the last two.
Mercado’s biggest win was an upset fourth round stoppage of middleweight contender Alex Ramos at Madison Square Garden in February 1991. His worst appearance was a September 1991 disqualification loss to Los Angeles Middleweight Roberto Carson in Quito, when a deliberate head-butt by Mercado broke Carson’s nose.
is worst loss was aHis worst loss was a first round disqualification loss to middleweight
Ecuadorian Professional Boxer Number Two: Humberto Toledo
Divisions: Lightweight, Light Welterweight and Welterweight
Years Active: 1998-2013 (still active)
Professional Record: 41 wins, 11 losses, two draws, 25 knockouts
Born in 1979 in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Humberto ‘Bam Baby’ Toledo fought Stevie Johnston for the International Boxing Association Lightweight title and lost a 12 round decision in 2007. Toledo, who won the South American Lightweight title in 2012, has also appeared in World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and United Boxing Organization regional bouts with a record of 3-1 in regional titular bouts.
Toledo has the unique distinction of being the only boxer in the world disqualified for biting, and pushing the referee, in separate major bouts of distinction. On February 20, 2009, Toledo was disqualified in round 10 by referee Telis Assimenios and suspended by the Florida State Athletic Commission for six months for biting 20-0 Breidis Prescott on ESPN Friday Night Fights, a bout in which Toledo was warned three times for holding and hitting and received a point deduction in round eight.
In Toledo’s most recent outing, on November 23, 2013, Toledo was disqualified by referee Frank Santore Jr. in Tampa, Florida, for pushing off the referee in the eighth round in his bout with Randall Bailey, the second time in his career he was disqualified and suspended in the State of Florida.
Ecuadorian professional boxer number three: Thompson Garcia
Division: Cruiserweight
Years Active: 1999-2000
Career Record: Three wins, two losses, one knockout.
Born in 1970 in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Thompson Garcia was a 1996 Olympian in Atlanta, Georgia, in the Olympic Games of XXVI Olympiad, losing to GeorgiKandelaki. Garcia won the light heavyweight silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games, losing in the final to future world champion Antonio Tarver. He lost his professional debut in November 1999 by four round decision to Mike Malotke of Michigan, won three fights, then lost his last pro bout by second round knockout to Chris Thomas in Illinois in September 2000, ending his career. Garcia got off the canvas in the first and second rounds, then got knocked out for the full count of ten at 1:45 of the second, ending his career for good.
Ecuadorian Professional Boxer Number Four: Jaime Quinonez (1973-2012)
Division: Heavyweight
Years Active: 1993-2009
Career Record: Five wins, five losses, three knockouts.
Born in 1973 in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Jaime ‘La Bestia’ Quiniones was a career heavyweight. His debut was length rarity, a ten round decision win over 18-15-1 Tomas Polo Cruz in Quito. Quinionez fought in four World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation regional bouts, winning two bouts and losing two bouts. Quiniones made six comebacks after periods of inactivity, in 1997 (after four years of inactivity). In 1998 (after a one year of inactivity), In April 1999, in November 2003 (after four and a half years of inactivity), in December 2007 (after four years of inactivity) and in October 2009 (after two years of inactivity). His life ended when he was murdered in a restaurant he frequented in Quito on July 14, 2012, a boxing rarity. The only other boxer I am aware of murdered in a restaurant-related incident was Brazilian cruiserweight Rogerio Lobo in July 2006 in Sao Paulo. Robbery was the motive in that case. With Quinionez, robbery was not.
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