Ricardo Cepeda

Ricardo Cepeda, born on March 25, 1966, in The Bronx, New York, carved out a successful reputation in professional boxing during his career. Cepeda's journey from the gritty streets of The Bronx to the international boxing stage showed his never-say-die determination to fight at the world level.

Cepeda's professional boxing debut took place on May 24, 1987, at the Felt Forum in New York. He faced Walter Gallman and won by a TKO in the second round of a scheduled four-round bout. His second bout ended in a drawn points decision against Juan Martinez in Corpus Christi, Texas. Still, he never lost or drew another fight until he reached the world title stage.

That world title challenge was against Marcos Villasana on August 15, 1991, in Marbella, Spain. This fight was for the WBC World Featherweight Title, a major step up for Cepeda. Despite his best efforts, he lost to Villasana by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.

Another world title opportunity came shortly after, on February 3, 1993, against Villasasna conqueror and the reigning WBC World Featherweight Champion Paul Hodkinson at the Earls Court Arena in London. Cepeda could not seize the title, succumbing to a TKO in the fourth round. Despite the setback, this fight underscored Cepeda's ability to compete at the highest level against top-tier opponents.

Cepeda's final professional bout occurred on July 30, 1993, against Freddie Liberatore at the Ramada Hotel in New York. This fight, for the USA New York State Super Featherweight Title, ended in a second-round TKO loss for Cepeda. This bout closed the chapter on Cepeda's professional boxing career, which concluded with a record of 28 bouts, including 23 wins (16 by knockout), 4 losses, and 1 draw.