Alberto Mercado
Encyclopedia
Alberto Mercado was a Jr. Featherweight
boxer
who was on the verge of fighting for a world title at least twice in his career.
Mercado was one of only three American
citizens who challenged the boycott of the 1980 Olympics
celebrated in Moscow, Russia, competing in boxing for Puerto Rico
after having won the gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games
. The other two were also representants from Puerto Rico and boxers: Luis Pizarro
and José Angel Molina
.
In the professional ranks Mercado had a winning record, but also had some bad luck. He lost to John Montes in a United States
title try on points, and on a fight to decide the IBF
's #1 challenger, he lost by a knockout in 7 rounds to eventual world champion Antonio Rivera
, after leading the fight on all scorecards at the end of round 6.
Mercado worked as a fireman in Dade County, Florida for many years. He is a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, who used to train at the famous Bairoa Gym
, but he resided in Cayey during his years as a top boxing contender.
He had a professional record of 31 wins, 14 losses and 1 draw (tie), with 27 wins by knockout
.
Mercado is currently working at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey.
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional 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...
who was on the verge of fighting for a world title at least twice in his career.
Mercado was one of only three American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizens who challenged the boycott of the 1980 Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
celebrated in Moscow, Russia, competing in boxing for Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
after having won the gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games
Boxing at the 1979 Pan American Games
The Men's Boxing Tournament at the 1979 Pan American Games was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15.- Medal winners :-Medal table:-External links:*...
. The other two were also representants from Puerto Rico and boxers: Luis Pizarro
Luis Pizarro
Luis Pizarro is a retired boxer from Puerto Rico, who competed in the men's bantamweight and featherweight division during the late 1970s and early 1980s....
and José Angel Molina
José Angel Molina
José Angel Molina is a retired boxer from Puerto Rico, who competed in the men's light-middleweight division during the late 1970s and early 1980s....
.
In the professional ranks Mercado had a winning record, but also had some bad luck. He lost to John Montes in a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
title try on points, and on a fight to decide the IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
's #1 challenger, he lost by a knockout in 7 rounds to eventual world champion Antonio Rivera
Antonio Rivera
José Antonio Rivera was a well known Puerto Rican boxer. He was much better known as El Gallo Rivera or Tonito Rivera, and was a prominent boxer during the decade of the 1980s.-Professional career:...
, after leading the fight on all scorecards at the end of round 6.
Mercado worked as a fireman in Dade County, Florida for many years. He is a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, who used to train at the famous Bairoa Gym
Bairoa Gym
Bairoa Gym is a boxing gym located in the Bairoa barrio area of Caguas, Puerto Rico.El gimnasio Bairoa, as it is known in Spanish, is a famous boxing gym in Puerto Rico because of the list of world champions and top contenders who have trained there. World champions who have used this facility...
, but he resided in Cayey during his years as a top boxing contender.
He had a professional record of 31 wins, 14 losses and 1 draw (tie), with 27 wins 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...
.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
Mercado is currently working at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey.