Bernardo Mercado was a heavyweight

Heavyweight

Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...

 boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

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

World Boxing Council

The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...

.

Born in Montería

Montería

Montería is a municipality and city located in Northern Colombia and is the capital of the Department of Córdoba. The city is located away from the Caribbean, by the Sinú River. The city and region are famous for their distinct cultural heritages, which include a blend of indigenous Zenú Indians,...

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 on January 16, 1952, Mercado was once a sparring partner for Argentine

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 heavyweight Oscar Bonavena

Oscar Bonavena

Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena was a 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 Beatles haircut, and enjoyed professional success in both Argentina and the United States...

, before turning professional on November 15, 1975.

Of his first 20 bouts, the 6'6 ft power puncher won 17 by knockout

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

, nine in the first round. Mercado's first loss as a pro came in 1978, at the hands of future champion "Big" John Tate

John Tate (boxer)

John Tate was an American prizefighter and Olympic boxer, who briefly held the World Boxing Association heavyweight title from 1979 to 1980.-Amateur career:...

.

He went on to fight other future champions Mike Weaver and Trevor Berbick

Trevor Berbick

Trevor Berbick was a Jamaican-Canadian heavyweight boxer who fought as a professional from 1976 until 2000. Berbick briefly held the WBC heavyweight championship in 1986 , before losing it to 20-year old Mike Tyson, via 2nd-round TKO...

, 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 Shavers

Earnie Dee Shaver , better known as Earnie Shavers, is an American former professional boxer and is widely considered along with George Foreman as the hardest punchers of all time...

 and was ranked as the number one contender to Larry Holmes

Larry Holmes

Larry Holmes is a former professional boxer. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which gave birth to his boxing nickname, The Easton Assassin....

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

Leon Spinks

Leon Spinks is a former American boxer. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins, and was the former World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion of the world...

 by 9 round technical knockout. He would go on to fight such name fighters as Randall "Tex" Cobb and Jimmy Thunder

Jimmy Thunder

Jimmy Thunder , is a former Samoan boxer.- Early life :During his early life and amateur career, Thunder was known as Jimmy Peau. His mother Papaliitele Milagi Leaupepe is from the village of Fasitoouta, and his father Lupematasila Maalo Faasavalu Peau is from the village of Falelatai...

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

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