Carlos Barreto

Carlos Augusto Barreto Hernández or simply known as Carlos Barreto was a Venezuelan professional boxer who was born on July 25, 1976 in Petare, Venezuela. He represented his country in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia in the Men’s Bantamweight division at the age of 19.

Barreto started fighting professionally on September 21, 1996 at the age of 20. His first recorded win match was held in his own hometown in Petare, against Juan Moreno. He competed and won four other bouts in that same year, all held in Venezuela.

In 1997, he participated and won 5 titles, all were also held in Venezuela. He continued to fight in 1998. He first fought against Jose Luis Valbuena, a fellow Venezuelan boxer by March 1998. The fight was held in Caracas, however, the match ended in a draw.

By October 1998, Barreto fought and won the interim WBA World Super Bantamweight title, defeating Hector Acero Sanchez of the Dominican Republic. The fight was also held in Caracas, Venezuela.

In the following year, in May 8, 1999, Barreto fought against the defending WBA World Super Bantamweight champion, Nestor Garza of Mexico. But sadly, he was defeated by a technical knockout in the 8th round. This fight was also his first recorded match outside Venezuela. It was held at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.

Five months after his defeat against Garza, Barreto faced again Jose Luis Valbuena in Parques Naciones Unidas in Caracas, Venezuela. He was defeated in the 10th round by a TKO. Tragically, he collapsed after the fight and died a few days after due to brain injuries he got from the fight. He died on October 12, 1999 in Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela.