Boxing stories: When the numbers lied and Maquilon had his last big night

Fabio Garrido vs. Brinatty Maquilon

Arena Projeto Viver, Sao Paulo, Brazil – 18 December 2010

Brinatty Maquilon, 1968 – 2011

Brinatty Maquilon was forty-two years old, and had an, on paper, unimpressive 15-27-3 (7) record when he travelled from his native Colombia to Sao Paolo in Brazil to fight local favourite Fabio Garrido (22-1, 17 KOs) for the Universal Boxing Organization™ (UBO) Latino Light Heavyweight title in December of 2010.

Also known as “The Corona Cobra”, Maquilon was a respected and valued journeyman, and he was expected to give Garrido a good run for his money, but winning the UBO title appeared unlikely when looking at the contrasting records.

Maquilon spent most of his early career in the United States, and was 8-4 when he upset former IBF World Champion Buster Drayton in Philadelphia in October of 1989, stopping the American in eight rounds, so causing an upset was nothing new to him.

After beating Drayton, he went on to fight more big names, such as Gerald McClellan, John David Jackson and Jorge Castro, but came up short against all of them.

McClellan would go on to win WBO and WBC world Middleweight titles, Jackson was the reigning WBO world Super Welterweight champion when he decisioned Maquilon in a non-title fight, and Castro captured the WBA World Middleweight crown the following year.

When he got the assignment against Garrido in late 2010, Maquilon had long ago returned to Colombia and had most of his fights there since fighting Castro twice in 1993. His best days were probably behind him, but he had one more big night in him.

Maquilon was simply too experienced and capable for Garrido, and impressively stopped the Brazilian in nine rounds to finally become a champion after more than paying his dues since turning professional twenty-two years earlier.

Sadly, less than a year later Maquilon was killed in a work-accident when he touched a high voltage cable hanging from the roof of a house he was painting. A fantastic servant to the sport, he was only forty-three when he left this world, but he left it as a champion!

To add to the tragedy, Maquilon was waiting for his US Visa to go through so he could reunite with his only surviving son, Steven, whom he had just managed to locate in the United States after separation of over ten years caused by immigration issues.

His kindness and humble heart won him appreciation of a great number of people in Quito, Ecuador where he resided for over fifteen years. He will always be remembered, and his legacy as a fighter will live forever in those who knew him closely.

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