Fulgencio Zúñiga facts for kids

Fulgencio Zúñiga, born on July 23, 1977, is a skilled professional boxer from Colombia. He is well-known for being a former IBO super middleweight champion. Fulgencio is a strong and determined fighter who has faced many tough opponents throughout his career.

Fulgencio Zúñiga: A Boxing Champion

Fulgencio Zúñiga is a famous boxer from Colombia. He has competed in several weight classes, including light heavyweight, super middleweight, middleweight, and light middleweight. His boxing style is Orthodox, which means he fights with his left hand and foot forward.

Starting His Boxing Journey

Fulgencio Zúñiga began his boxing career as an amateur. He quickly showed great talent in the ring. In 1997, he made his first big appearance at the 48th National Boxing Tournament in Bucaramanga, Colombia. He won a gold medal in the super middleweight division. This was a fantastic start to his journey.

Early Successes and Medals

After his national win, Fulgencio continued to shine in 1997. He participated in several important international tournaments:

• He won a gold medal at the 13th Bolivarian Games in Arequipa, Peru.
• He earned a silver medal at the Central American Boxing Championship in Tijuana, Mexico.
• He also competed in the 4th Pan-American Boxing Championship in Medellín, Colombia.

Fulgencio kept up his winning streak in 1998 and 1999. He won the 49th National Boxing Tournament in Santa Marta, becoming a two-time national champion. He also represented Colombia in other major championships:

• He won a gold medal at the 6th South American Games (also known as Odesur Games) in Cuenca, Ecuador.
• He took home a bronze medal at the Roberto Balado Cup in Havana, Cuba.
• He also competed in the 6th South American Championship in Quito, Ecuador, and the Córdoba Cardín Tournament in Havana, Cuba.

Turning Professional

Fulgencio Zúñiga became a professional boxer on February 11, 2001. His first professional fight was against Manuel Cabarcas in Barranquilla. Fulgencio won by a TKO (Technical Knockout) in the very first round! This was an amazing start to his professional career.

His Impressive Winning Streak

From March 2001 to November 2002, Fulgencio was on fire. He faced fourteen different opponents, and he knocked out every single one of them in the early rounds. This showed how powerful his punches were and how quickly he could finish a fight.

Facing Tougher Opponents

As he gained more experience, Fulgencio started fighting more challenging boxers. On June 28, 2003, he faced Daniel Santos from Puerto Rico. Santos managed to win the fight by outpointing Fulgencio. This was a valuable learning experience for him.

Fulgencio then went on to fight other well-known boxers. These included José Luis Zertuche, a former middleweight champion, and Antwun Echols, who had challenged for the middleweight championship three times. He also fought New Yorker George Walton and the highly respected Kelly Pavlik.

After defeating Fulgencio, Kelly Pavlik, a very tough boxer, said something important about him. He said, "This is the toughest fight I have ever fought. I don’t know if anyone in the middleweight division could fight this guy [Zúñiga] at this pace." This quote shows how much respect other boxers had for Fulgencio's fighting style and endurance.

Professional Boxing Record Highlights

Fulgencio Zúñiga has had a long and exciting professional career. He has fought 46 times, winning 28 of those fights. Out of his 28 wins, 25 were by knockout, which means he has a lot of power! He has also had 17 losses and 1 draw. He has fought for important titles, including the IBO and WBO super middleweight titles, and the IBF light heavyweight title.