Barranquilla.- Colombian former boxer Prudencio Cardona Cáceres, who was world champion in the World Boxing Council (WBC) fly category in 1982, died on Sunday in Barranquilla at the age of 67. Cardona, who obtained the title March 20, 1982 against the Mexican Antonio Avelar whom he won out in the first assault, for several years suffered from diseases such as parkinson and Alzheimer’s.
As world champion he had a short reign because four months later when he made his first title defense he lost it by unanimous decision in fifteen rounds against Mexican Freddy Castillo.
Prudencio Cardona – who was born in the town of San Basilio de Palenque, in Bolivar’s Caribbean department – was the fourth Colombian boxer to reach a world title behind Antonio Cervantes ‘Kid Pambelé’ in the junior welterweight, Rodrigo Valdéz in the middle and his brother Ricardo Cardona in super-bantamweight. Ricardo, who died on October 15, 2015, and Prudencio Cardona are the only Colombian brothers to have achieved world boxing titles in different categories. With a record of 40 wins, 27 of them by knockout; 23 losses, and a draw, Prudencio Cardona played his last fight in Miami in 1992 against American Darryl Pickney, who knocked him out in four rounds. He made his professional debut on 2 November 1973 at Barranquilla when he defeated Luis Ramos in four rounds and 22 days later earned his first knockout victory over Humberto Ortega.De the first seven fights he played won five by knockout.As an amateur he represented Colombia at the 1972 Munich Olympics but was eliminated in the preliminary rounds.
