Ex-middle champ Rodrigo Valdes passes

Former WBC and WBA middleweight champion Rodrigo Valdes sadly passed away at the age of 70 years on Wednesday from a massive heart attack. Valdes captured the WBC middleweight title be outpointing Bennie Briscoe in Monaco on May 25, 1974 and successfully defended against four times before Carlos Monzon outpointed him over fifteen rounds in Monaco on June 26, 1976. (Valdes brother was killed in a bar fight in Colombia shortly before the fight.)

Monzon also won a rematch on July 30, 1977 in Monaco. Valdes captured the vacant WBC and WBA middleweight crowns by defeating Bennie Briscoe by fifteen round decision in Italy on November 5, 1977. Hugo Corro defeated Valdes in Italy to capture the belts in 1978, then beat him again seven months later. Valdes ended his career with a record of 68-8-2 with 43 KOs.