How good was Vicente Rondon?

[scorpio83]

How good was Vicente Rondon, who started his career at middleweight and fought the likes of Luis Manuel Rodriguez and "Bad" Bennie Briscoe? He would later jumped to light heavyweight and won the WBA title. He successfully defended his title 4 times before losing to Bob Foster by KO 2 in their unification fight. Please tell me how good was he in his era?

[klompton]

Rondon was a good fighter. Its little known but when he and Foster split the title for a time he was considered the better fighter. Foster was criticized for fighting easy competition while Rondon was fighting contenders. It was really quite shocking that he got blown out the way he did. That fight was expected to be much more competetive. There is some speculation that Rondon was ruined in sparring before the fight as he elected to spar with big heavyweights who beat the crap out of him before the fight. His manager must have been an idiot to allow this. Afterwards he moved up to heavyweight and his career was basically that of an opponent. Ive often wondered if he didnt also have difficulty making weight for the Foster fight and thats why he moved up because he was not an effective heavyweight but chose to stay there.

[hhaehre]

The Rondon story is a really sad one. A classic rags to riches to rags tale where Rondo in the end dies without a penny to his name in the same slums he rose from.

[Nile4000]

He beat Jose Luis Garcia as well.

[SenorPipino]

Talented guy who just seemed to freeze against Foster.

I was really looking forward to that battle for 175 lb. supremacy, but it was as one sided as Garcia vs Salka.

Rondon never recovered mentally from that quick shellacking, and resigned himself to being strictly a name on an opponent's resume.

[scorpio83]

Talented guy who just seemed to freeze against Foster.

I was really looking forward to that battle for 175 lb. supremacy, but it was as one sided as Garcia vs Salka.

Rondon never recovered mentally from that quick shellacking, and resigned himself to being strictly a name on an opponent's resume.

After being blasted in 2 by the one of the all-time great light heavyweight champions in Bob Foster, Rondon became a stepping stone between light heavyweights and heavyweights.

[SenorPipino]

Yeah, no worldwide cruiserweight division at that time.

But even if there was, it probably wouldn't have mattered. Rondon was wrecked mentally.

And only he knew just how much drugs and alcohol he abused for the remainder of his career, further depleting his skills.

[scorpio83]

I wonder how good Rondon would have been if he had fought at cruiserweight before the Bob Foster fight before the division existed? Would Rondon be comfortable at that division?

[Nile4000]

Personally, would have loved to see him fight Galindez, Mike Quarry, and Yaqui Lopez.