Eleoncio Mercedes
Born(1957-09-12)12 September 1957
La Romana, Dominican Republic
Died22 December 1985(1985-12-22) (aged 28)
Dominican Republic
NationalityDominican
Statistics
Weight(s)Flyweight
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights28
Wins14
Wins by KO3
Losses12
Draws2
Medal record
Men's Boxing
Representing  Dominican Republic
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place1975 MexicoLight Flyweight

Eleoncio Mercedes (September 12, 1957 – December 22, 1985) was a Dominican boxer, who was world champion in the Flyweight division.

Amateur career

As an amateur he competed for his native country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was stopped in the first round of his opening round bout to Aleksandr Tkachenko of the Soviet Union. Mercedes was the flag bearer for the Dominican Republic in the 1976 opening ceremony.[1]

Pro career

Born in La Romana, Mercedes campaigned most of his career in the western United States and in Mexico. He debuted as a professional boxer on July 2 of 1978 with a win over Darryl Jones in Stockton. He suffered his first defeat when he lost by a decision in Las Vegas to future world champion Joey Olivo, in Mercedes' third bout as a paid fighter.

Mercedes' first of 11 fights in a row in Mexico came in 1979, when he lost by a knockout in seven rounds to Juan Díaz. During that span of 11 fights in Mexico, he went 6-3-2, fighting in such places as Mexico City, Monterrey and Reynosa. He lost to Candido Tellez but also beat former world champion Guty Espadas, by a knockout in nine during that span.

His first fight in the Dominican Republic was a 1982 rematch with Diaz, held in Santo Domingo. He won the fight by a decision in twelve rounds, to avenge his defeat at the hands of Diaz. Up until that moment, Mercedes' record was of 10 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws, reason why it was a little surprising to his fans when the WBC announced it would give Mercedes a chance at becoming a world champion, against two time world champion Freddie Castillo, who was in his second reign. The two boxers met on November 6 of 1982, at Los Angeles. Mercedes caused another surprise among many boxing fans by defeating Castillo by a decision in 15 rounds and becoming WBC and Lineal Flyweight champion.

In his first defense, Mercedes put the titles on the line against the British boxer Charlie Magri. In round seven, the fight had to be stopped because of a cut suffered by Mercedes, which had been determined to be from a punch by Magri. Mercedes then lost his world Flyweight championships by a technical knockout in that round.[2]

After that, Mercedes kept on boxing, but had mixed fortunes. He managed to beat future world title challenger Alonzo Gonzalez by a decision, but lost to future world champion, Mexican German Torres by a knockout in the ninth round. Mercedes also lost a twelve-round decision to future world champion Raul Jibaro Perez, as well as being knocked out in the sixth round by former world Bantamweight champion Alberto Davila.

Death

A few days before Christmas in 1985, Mercedes was shot and killed by a policeman in his native La Romana, aged 28, after allegedly pulling a gun on the policeman. Mercedes had been drinking in a bar when he was shot to death. Confusion exists as to how this incident took place as some sources state the altercation happened after a car accident.[3]

Professional boxing record

28 fights 14 wins 12 losses
By knockout 3 5
By decision 10 6
By disqualification 1 1
Draws 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
28 Loss 14–12–2 Alberto Dávila RTD 6 (10) Nov 7, 1985 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
27 Loss 14–11–2 Raúl Pérez UD 10 Sep 23, 1985 Plaza de Toros El Toreo, Tijuana, Mexico
26 Loss 14–10–2 Joel Meza PTS 10 Oct 26, 1984 Mazatlan, Mexico
25 Loss 14–9–2 Jong Kwan Chung KO 5 (10), 2:24 Jul 22, 1984 Changchung Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea
24 Loss 14–8–2 Germán Torres TKO 9 (10), 2:24 Mar 15, 1984 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
23 Win 14–7–2 Alonzo Gonzalez PTS 10 Dec 8, 1983 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
22 Win 13–7–2 Javier Brown DQ 4 (?) Jul 2, 1983 La Romana, Dominican Republic
21 Loss 12–7–2 Charlie Magri TKO 7 (12), 1:14 Mar 15, 1983 Wembley Arena, Wembley, England, U.K. Lost WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
20 Win 12–6–2 Freddy Castillo SD 15 Nov 6, 1982 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Won WBC and The Ring flyweight titles
19 Win 11–6–2 Juan Diaz UD 12 Jul 17, 1982 La Romana, Dominican Republic
18 Win 10–6–2 Antonio Escobar TKO 10 (?) Feb 13, 1982 Mexico City, Mexico
17 Win 9–6–2 Juan Guzman TKO 1 (?) Sep 8, 1981 La Romana, Dominican Republic
16 Loss 8–6–2 Candido Tellez DQ 2 (?) Jun 20, 1981 Mexico City, Mexico
15 Win 8–5–2 Jorge Herrera PTS 10 May 9, 1981 Mexico City, Mexico
14 Win 7–5–2 Jose Herrera PTS 10 Apr 3, 1981 Mexico City, Mexico
13 Win 6–5–2 Guty Espadas TKO 9 (10) Feb 21, 1981 Merida, Mexico
12 Draw 5–5–2 Jorge de Jesus PTS 10 Jan 3, 1981 Mexico City, Mexico
11 Draw 5–5–1 Jose Luis Cruz PTS 10 Nov 1, 1980 Mexico City, Mexico
10 Win 5–5 Rafael Morales PTS 10 Sep 6, 1980 Mexico City, Mexico
9 Win 4–5 Baldomero Santos PTS 10 Jan 25, 1980 Monterrey, Mexico
8 Loss 3–5 Jose Gallegos PTS 10 Dec 21, 1979 Reynosa, Mexico
7 Loss 3–4 Juan Diaz TKO 7 (?) Sep 29, 1979 Mexico City, Mexico
6 Loss 3–3 Adelaido Galindo UD 10 Mar 10, 1979 Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
5 Win 3–2 Chocolate Reyes SD 10 Nov 29, 1978 Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
4 Loss 2–2 Aaron Morua SD 10 Aug 30, 1978 Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
3 Loss 2–1 Joey Olivo UD 10 Aug 10, 1978 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Juan Garcia PTS 5 Jul 13, 1978 Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Darryl Jones PTS 6 Jul 2, 1978 Memorial Civic Auditorium, Stockton, California, U.S.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Flagbearers for Dominican Republic". olympedia.org. OlyMADMen. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "When our Charlie was on top of the boxing world". East London Advertiser. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  3. ↑ "Names in the News". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
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