World Boxing News has been informed that former world heavyweight title challenger Fres Oquendo is free to resume his career.
The ‘Big O’ faced a legal battle to get a shot at the WBA title after almost a decade of fighting the World Boxing Association. The Puerto Rican, now 51, has begun training at Miami’s famed 5th Street Gym ahead of his hopeful comeback.
Team Oquendo says, “He’s been sparring, and even though he hasn’t competed since 2014, he appears to be in great shape after completing a half-marathon this year faster than his 24-year-old daughter and sparring against World Champions competitively.”
The veteran himself told WBN, “I’ve been the underdog since Day one in boxing. In my eleventh fight, I was supposed to lose against Chris Byrd, But I whooped him, and they stole it. He later admitted I won.
“I can go on and on. But I am still here. The rest are long gone. God has a plan for me, and I’m trying to follow it. I want to see where he wants to lead me. If it’s to beat Foreman’s and B-Hop’s [Bernard Hopkins’ oldest champion] records, let it be. If not, I’m happy keeping children off the streets and caring for my family. It’s all in God’s hands.”
In a release sent to WBN, Oquendo’s team outlined the contender’s career experiences.
During his lengthy run as a top contender, Oquendo fought heavyweight champions Evander Holyfield, James Toney, Oliver McCall, Chris Byrd, Bruce Seldon, and John Ruiz. But it was his last fight that kept him sidelined. He challenged Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA’s regular heavyweight title in Chechnya, Russia, in July 2014.
Grozny, Chechnya was the most dangerous place on earth at the time, and the referee and judges were not enthused about being there. Although the judges scored it for Russia’s Chagaev, everyone knew Oquendo deserved the decision. He was held with his team at gunpoint, their passports were seized and told they would have to hand over whatever cash they had in a briefcase. They barely escaped with their freedom and lives after pressure from the Russian delegation while the plane was on the runway without his team. And, of course, without his purse money.
To get paid, Oquendo filed a million-dollar lawsuit in the Southern District of NY and finally won in 2015. He was paid and also won a rematch clause for the title. In 2018, a purse bid was ordered for Manuel Charr to fight Oquendo. Oquendo’s team won the purse bid, but somehow, the WBA ruled against Oquendo and forced him to take the fight to Charr’s native Germany. Once again, his latest opponent, Manuel Charr, tested positive for PEDs, and the escrow money Oquendo was to be paid has sat there idle for nearly a decade.
A federal judge finally ruled on behalf of Oquendo, and now he is free to fight if he chooses to do so. With that case now settled, Oquendo intends to sue the WBA for damages they caused to his career, and they dropped him from the ratings through no fault of his own.
The case he just won will probably weigh in Oquendo’s favor, and the damages incurred in his career for a decade can be in the millions. It will be interesting to see how the WBA reacts and treats Oquendo since they have been forced to reinstate Manuel Charr as the WBA regular titleholder. The 225-pounder is not sure he can compete with today’s giant heavyweights, but he knows he can even beat Kubrat Pulev and Mahmood Charr.
Oquendo has worked at his non-profit FOBA [Fres Oquendo Boxing Academy] for the past ten years. Since his last competition, his mission has been to train and keep the youth off the streets through boxing in urban Chicago neighborhoods plagued with violence.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
