Freddie Cadena

The story of Freddie Cadena is a sad example that not everything ends well in the world of boxing. His story starts with a promising career only to be cut short after a loss. This is only followed by an incident that lands him in prison for 13 years.

Cadena was born on October 7, 1976, and is of Puerto Rican descent though his residence is in New Jersey. His first fight as a professional was on September of 1999 when he was 22 years old. Cadena scored a TKO win against Matthew Fernandez on the first round, effectively ending his opponent’s boxing career; Fernandez had no fights after their encounter.

With a good start, Freddie began to win against every boxer he faced. Fighting as a welterweight, he was able to amass 14 more wins, nine of which were also by way of knockout. His alias was “Fast” due to the speed of his punches.

On April 4, 2003 his 16th bout was another eight rounder against Jessie Feliciano. This time around, it was Freddie’s turn to hit the canvass on the sixth round and lose the match. It was his first loss and eventually became his last boxing game. Unfortunately, he started having seizures that prevented him from playing the sport again.

It does not mean, however, that he has lost his punching skill and power. Two years later he figured in a fight with a DJ in a local nightclub. Reports show that Freddie punched Rafael Falcon who was the rumored boyfriend of his ex-wife. Rafael died days later due to severe head injuries.

Cadena pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter following his arrest, and just recently, he was sentenced to 13 years in the state penitentiary. Now 32 years old, Freddie will only be eligible for parole by 2010.