Nino Valdez

Who was Nino Valdez?

Niño Valdés was the Cuban heavyweight boxing champion in the 1940s and 1950s. He was a top contender for the heavyweight title during this time, although he never received a shot due to his mixed results in the ring. Ring Magazine ranked Valdez as high as the #2 contender in its annual rankings for 1958 and he was highly ranked in several other years.

After a string of four losses to notable fighters such as Harold Johnson, Archie Moore, and Bob Baker in 1952 and 1953, he went undefeated in an impressive run of 11 consecutive victories which saw him defeat Ezzard Charles and Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson. However, the streak came to an end when he lost a rematch to Moore by a fifteen-round unanimous decision on May 2, 1955. He lost another fight to Bob Satterfield three months later. After beating former title contender Don Cockell, he lost a ten round unanimous decision to Bob Baker on December 7, 1955, costing him a potential title bout against Rocky Marciano.

He continued boxing, losing to heavyweight contenders Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, and Sonny Liston. After defeating contender Brian London in December 1959, Valdez retired due to eye problems.