Redl vs Fernandez

When your Dad was a prize fighter, the question you'll always ask him, no matter how many times he told you is "Who was the toughest guy you fought?" Without hesitation, every time, my Dad answered, "Florentino Fernandez".

Stefan fought him in NYC 6/19/59 and lost by way of TKO in round 7. Of Fernandez my Dad said he could hit so hard, when he hit you in the stomach, Florentino picked you up a few inches off the canvas.

In the late 50's 3 Cuban boxers came to America. One was Florentino. No one saw them fight before, but Stefan's manager Carl Duva set the fight. Florentino out weighed my Dad by a few pounds, being closer to a middle weight than a welterweight, but the money was there and being fearless, my Dad took the fight.

Stefan held his own for a while slugging it out with Fernandez up until round 7. My Dad has been knocked down before, usually in the early rounds since he was a slow starter. Also because his style of boxing caused him to slip frequently. Whether you opponent knocked you there or not, sometimes a slip can count. But this TKO was for real.

My Dad told me he was hit, then heard the ref say, "FOUR" and he thought, "What the hell happened to 1,2 and 3?" He took a knee to catch his breath and got up at the count of 8. But, still groggy, he didn't get his guard up until Fernandez was on top of him again. Seeing this, the ref stopped the fight, calling a TKO.

Even though he lost, my Dad is proud of the fact that he slugged it out with a much larger, almost mystery fighter. After seeing the fight, so am I. My Dad remains to be the toughest guy I've ever known.

Redl vs Fernandez: