Bernardo Mercado (January 16, 1952 – June 11, 2021) was a Colombian

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

briefly ranked as the top contender for the title of champion in 1980 by the WBC. Born in

Montería Montería () is a municipality and city located in northern Colombia and is the capital of the Departments of Colombia, Department of Córdoba Department, Córdoba. The city is located away from the Caribbean sea, by the Sinú River. The city an ...

, Colombia, Mercado won a bronze medal in the light-heavyweight category at the

1974 Central American and Caribbean Games The 12th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from February 27 to March 13, 1974, and included 1,928 athletes from 23 nations competing in 18 sports. Sports * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Referenc ...

. Mercado was once a sparring partner for Argentine heavyweight

Oscar Bonavena Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena (September 25, 1942 – May 22, 1976) was an Argentine heavyweight professional boxer with a career record of 58 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw. A rugged, wild-swinging puncher, he was nicknamed "Ringo" because of his Bea ...

, before turning professional on November 15, 1975. Of his first 20 bouts, the power puncher won 17 by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

, nine in the first round. Mercado's first loss as a pro came in 1978, at the hands of future champion "Big" John Tate. He went on to fight other future champions Mike Weaver and

Trevor Berbick Trevor Berbick (1 August 1954 – 28 October 2006) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 2000. He won the WBC heavyweight title in 1986 by defeating Pinklon Thomas, then lost it in his first defense in the same year to Mi ...

, knocking Berbick out in the first round of their meeting on April 3, 1979. In 1980, he earned a seventh round technical knockout over dangerous contender and multiple-time world title challenger

Earnie Shavers Earnie Dee Shaver (August 31, 1944 – September 1, 2022), best known as Earnie Shavers, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, he is known as one of the harde ...

and was ranked as the number one contender to

Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which led to his boxing nickname of the "Eas ...

' WBC belt. He was defeated in an elimination bout with former champion

Leon Spinks Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

by 9 round technical knockout. He would go on to fight such name fighters as

Randall "Tex" Cobb Randall Craig "Tex" Cobb (born May 7, 1950) is an American actor, martial artist, and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division. Widely considered to possess one of the greatest chins of all time, Cobb was a brawler wh ...

and

Jimmy Thunder Ti'a James Senio Peau (3 February 1966 – 13 February 2020), known professionally as Jimmy Thunder, was a Samoan-born New Zealand professional boxer who held the IBO heavyweight title from 1994 to 1995. He held multiple regional heavyweight ti ...

(with whom he fought in his last bout on December 8, 1989).

Professional boxing record

, - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="8", 33 Wins (28 knockouts, 5 decisions), 5 Losses (4 knockouts, 1 decision) , - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=center , Loss , 33–5 , align=left,

, TKO , 1 , 08/12/1989 , align=left,

Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne Showgrounds is located in the inner north-western suburb of Ascot Vale, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, next door to Flemington Racecourse. The largest and most flexible indoor/outdoor venue space in Melbourne the Showgrounds ...

Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung–Taungurung language, Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the St ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 33–4 , align=left,

Wesley Watson Wesley Page Watson Jr. (born September 16, 1962, in Bristol, Tennessee) died January 4, 2021, in Wilmington, Delaware). He was an American heavyweight boxer best known for his successful amateur boxing career. Early years Watson, former Howard ...

, TKO , 1 , 13/08/1988 , align=left,

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in the State of Tennessee. Located in Sullivan County, its population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 32–4 , align=left, Wesley Smith , KO , 4 , 02/08/1988 , align=left, Central Plaza Hotel,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 31–4 , align=left, Conroy Nelson , UD , 8 , 28/05/1988 , align=left, Saskatoon Place Complex,

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as t ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 30–4 , align=left, Jose Luis Gonzalez , KO , 1 , 06/11/1986 , align=left,

Olympic Auditorium The Grand Olympic Auditorium is a former sports venue in southern Downtown Los Angeles, California. The venue was built in 1924 at 1801 South Grand Avenue, now just south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The grand opening of the Olympic Auditorium ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 29–4 , align=left, Fernando Montes , TKO , 8 , 04/09/1986 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 28–4 , align=left, Fernando Montes , TKO , 5 , 07/05/1983 , align=left,

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 27–4 , align=left,

, PTS , 10 , 06/11/1981 , align=left,

Pittsburgh Civic Arena The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) ...

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, align=left, , - , Win , 27–3 , align=left, Gilberto Acuna , TKO , 1 , 13/06/1981 , align=left,

Miami Beach Convention Center The Miami Beach Convention Center (originally the Miami Beach Exhibition Hall) is a convention center located in Miami Beach, Florida. Originally opened in 1958, the venue was renovated from 2015-2018 for $620 million. The re-imagined and enhance ...

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...

, , - , Loss , 26–3 , align=left,

, TKO , 9 , 02/10/1980 , align=left,

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars P ...

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, align=left, , - , Win , 26–2 , align=left, Tom Prater , TKO , 12 , 14/08/1980 , align=left,

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 25–2 , align=left,

, TKO , 7 , 08/03/1980 , align=left, Great Gorge Resort,

McAfee, New Jersey McAfee is an unincorporated community located within Vernon Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States.Locality ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 24–2 , align=left, Henry Clark , PTS , 10 , 03/08/1979 , align=left,

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating cap ...

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 23–2 , align=left, Fili Moala , TKO , 6 , 25/05/1979 , align=left, San Diego Coliseum,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 22–2 , align=left,

, KO , 1 , 03/04/1979 , align=left,

Halifax Metro Centre Scotiabank Centre (formerly known as Halifax Metro Centre) is the largest multi-purpose facility in Atlantic Canada, located in the heart of downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The main entrances to the building are located on Brunswick Str ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 21–2 , align=left, Tony Pulu , TKO , 8 , 14/02/1979 , align=left,

Salt Palace The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the name "Salt Palace" was previously used by two ...

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 20–2 , align=left, Mike Weaver , TKO , 5 , 22/10/1978 , align=left,

Sahara Reno The Montage Reno is a high-rise residential building in Reno, Nevada. It previously operated as a hotel and casino from 1978 to 2005, under various names, including Sahara Reno, Reno Hilton, Flamingo Hilton Reno, Flamingo Reno, and Golden Phoeni ...

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 20–1 , align=left,

John Tate John Tate may refer to: * John Tate (mathematician) (1925–2019), American mathematician * John Torrence Tate Sr. (1889–1950), American physicist * John Tate (Australian politician) (1895–1977) * John Tate (actor) (1915–1979), Australian act ...

, TKO , 2 , 22/06/1978 , align=left,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

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, align=left, , - , Win , 20–0 , align=left, Horace Robinson , PTS , 10 , 24/02/1978 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 19–0 , align=left, Fili Moala , TKO , 8 , 18/11/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 18–0 , align=left, Roger Russell , KO , 1 , 29/09/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 17–0 , align=left, Battling Bob Smith , KO , 2 , 22/07/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 16–0 , align=left, Horace Robinson , PTS , 6 , 11/05/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 15–0 , align=left, Randy Stephens , KO , 2 , 29/04/1977 , align=left,

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 14–0 , align=left, Dan Ronnell , KO , 7 , 10/03/1977 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 13–0 , align=left, Paul Solomon , KO , 1 , 15/02/1977 , align=left,

Sacramento Memorial Auditorium The Sacramento Convention Center Complex is a complex of entertainment venues and a convention center located in downtown Sacramento, California. The complex consists of the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center (formerly Community Center Theate ...

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 12–0 , align=left, Johnny Pouha , KO , 1 , 03/11/1976 , align=left,

Silver Slipper The Silver Slipper was a casino in Paradise, Nevada, that operated from September 1950 to November 29, 1988. The building was designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr. History Opened in 1950, the casino was built on the grounds of the Last Fron ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 11–0 , align=left, Dan Ronnell , KO , 6 , 22/10/1976 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 10–0 , align=left, Earl McLeay , TKO , 1 , 05/10/1976 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , 9–0 , align=left, J.J. Woody , KO , 3 , 28/09/1976 , align=left,

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, align=left, , - , Win , 8–0 , align=left, Battling Bob Smith , KO , 1 , 22/09/1976 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, MacArthur Swindell , UD , 8 , 19/08/1976 , align=left, Washoe County Fairgrounds,

, align=left, , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Manuel Ramos , KO , 5 , 13/05/1976 , align=left,

Albuquerque Civic Auditorium Albuquerque Civic Auditorium was an indoor arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It opened in 1957, and was demolished in 1986. It was notable for its innovative construction, as the dome was created by done the changes pouring concrete over a mound o ...

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, , - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Mark White , KO , 1 , 26/02/1976 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Dave Martinez , KO , 3 , 12/02/1976 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Marlyn Johnson , KO , 1 , 08/01/1976 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Kenny Charles , TKO , 1 , 11/12/1975 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Harry Washington , KO , 1 , 15/11/1975 , align=left,

, align=left,

Exhibition boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mercado, Bernardo People from Montería Heavyweight boxers 2021 deaths 1952 births Colombian male boxers Competitors at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Colombia Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in boxing 20th-century Colombian people