Cuban Favorite Florentino Fernandez Dies

Florentino Fernandez, the popular Cuban middleweight, died Monday morning in Miami of an apparent heartattack. He was 76. Florentino fought from 1956 to 1972. The closest Fernandez came to the middleweight crown was when he lost a split decision to Gene Fullmer in 1961. Two of Florentino's most memorable fights featured knockouts, with him on both ends of the KO. In 1962, Fernandez was knocked out in the first round against Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, and the following year would go on to KO future light-heavyweight champ Jose Torres in the fifth round. Florentino was nicknamed "The Ox," and in 2003 was named one of Ring Magazine's 100 greatest punchers of all time. His record was 50 wins (43 KOs), 16 losses, 1 draw. RIP Florentino http://static.boxrec.com/wiki/thumb/4/4d/Florentino_Fernandez_vs._Phil_Moyer.jpg/350px-Florentino_Fernandez_vs._Phil_Moyer.jpg Florentino Fernandez TKOs Phil Moyer in the fifth round of their first meeting. Madison Square Garden, NYC, 1960.