Vilomar Fernandez (born August 12, 1952^[1] in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican Republic former professional boxer who twice challenged for the world Lightweight championship. Known as a very capable, defensive-minded fighter, Fernandez is mostly known for his victory over International Boxing Hall of Fame member Alexis Arguello, in a contest that took place on July 26, 1978, and which was scored as a ten-rounds decision win for Fernandez.^[2]

Early boxing career

Fernandez was a top amateur boxer in the United States. In 1970, when Fernandez was 18 years old, he and his brother, José, who was another top amateur competitor and who fought for a world title as a professional himself, reached the finals of the New York Golden Gloves competition at the 126 pounds division's open division tournament. Since the Golden Gloves rules prohibited brothers from fighting each other, the Fernandez brothers were declared co-champions.^[3]

Professional boxing career

On May 24, 1971, the still 18 years old Fernandez made his professional boxing debut, facing the also debuting, Salvador Ramirez. This contest took place at the Felt Forum in New York city, and Fernandez won by a second-round technical knockout.^[4]

Fernandez won his first four bouts before meeting the debuting Dave Smith on Thursday, January 13, 1972, at the Sunnyside Garden in Sunnyside, Queens, New York, as part of a program headlined by his brother José versus Marion Thomas. Somewhat surprisingly, Fernandez lost his condition as an undefeated boxer when knocked out by Smith in round three of a scheduled 4 rounds contest.^[4] The loss at the hands of Smith was followed by three wins against the same opponent, José Resto, who was defeated by six rounds decision on March 1, 1972, at the Sunnyside Garden,^[4] by another six rounds decision at the Felt Forum on April 17 of that year^[4] and by yet another six rounds decision, on April 28, also in 1972 at the Sunnyside Garden, as part of another program headlined by his brother, José.^[4]

Counting the three wins over Resto, Fernandez built a nine-fight winning streak. Three of those wins were by knockout. Included in that streak was a win over Puerto Rican Gregorio Benitez (brother of International Boxing Hall of Fame member Wilfred Benitez), a 7 wins, 1 loss prospect, by a six rounds unanimous decision on Friday, November 17, 1972, at the Madison Square Garden in New York, as part of a show that had Esteban De Jesus beat world Lightweight champion Roberto Duran in a non-title main event.^[4]

That early, nine fight win streak was interrupted when the 7 wins, 2 losses prospect Eduardo Santiago met Fernandez on February 23, 1973, at the Sunnyside Garden. The pair fought to a ten rounds draw (tie) that afternoon,^[4] but, exactly six months later, on July 23, the two had a rematch as the headliner bout of a show at the Felt Forum, with Fernandez the winner by a close but clear unanimous decision victory, two judges giving him the fight by a 7–3 rounds margin and the third one by 6–4.^[5] A series of consecutive setbacks followed the second fight with Eduardo Santiago, as Fernandez then lost three contests in a row: to 22 wins, 3 losses and 3 draws Walter Seeley by 10 rounds unanimous decision on October 23, 1973,^[4] to Puerto Rican contender, 17 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws Edwin Viruet on March 8, 1974, at the Madison Square Garden,^[4] and to fellow Dominican, Ezequiel "Cocoa" Sánchez by decision in 12 rounds on June 15, 1974, in what constituted Fernandez's first contest at his home-country as the bout was held in the Dominican Republic's capital city of Santo Domingo.^[4]

Following those three losses, Fernandez had a record of 14 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, with 4 wins by knockout.

Fernandez rebounded from those three losses by defeating the veteran Puerto Rican contender Frankie Otero, 43 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws coming in, twice in a row: first on Tuesday, January 7, 1975, at the Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, by a ten rounds unanimous decision,^[4] and then on Tuesday, February 11 of the same year at the same place, also by ten rounds decision, albeit this time by a majority one and in the main event of the boxing show that night.^[4]

Fernandez then met Antonio Amaya, a former world title challenger from Panama who had 45 wins, 12 losses and 4 ties^[4] when the pair met at Santo Domingo on Monday, April 28, 1975, with Fernandez imposing himself by a ten rounds unanimous decision. ^[4] The win against Amaya and his two next wins, against previously undefeated Ray Lunny III (22-0-3), whom Fernandez dropped in round nine en route to a twelve rounds unanimous decision at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California on Friday, August 22, 1975^[4] and against Ray Lampkin (32-4-1), whom Fernandez dropped in round one and who was defeated by the Dominican by ten rounds unanimous decision on a program headlined by a Saoul Mamby fight on February 6, 1976, at the Madison Square Garden in New York,^[4] allowed Fernandez to be ranked and qualify for a world championship fight for the first time in his career, despite a setback in his next contest, when he was outpointed on June 15 at the Nassau Coliseum in Nassau, New York by then-undefeated Vicente Mijares (10–0) as part of a program headlined by George Foreman's second win over Joe Frazier.^[4] Fernandez had a knockdown called against him in round four of the Mijares contest.

See also

• List of people from the Dominican Republic

References