PROFESSIONAL BOXER
Ferd Hernandez who was Las Vegas’ top-ranked boxer in the middle 1960s, died Wednesday, July 17, 1996, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Hernandez, 57, died at the home of his brother, Art Hernandez, who was also a middleweight contender in the 1960s. Hernandez had been at his brother’s house for three weeks and was being cared for by Art Hernandez’s wife, Mary, a nurse, and sisters Lydia Sullivan and Valerie O’Brien.
In 1958, Ferd Hernandez lost his left thumb on a conveyer belt in a granary in Gurley, Nebraska and was hospitalized in Dalton. His injury required 70 stitches to close wounds to his left arm, side and back. His glove got caught in the cables and yanked his thumb right off. He defied what the doctors said that he would never box again, but he had determination and strong resolve. Ferd’s brother, Art, also an outstanding boxer, said the missing thumb never really affected his brother’s boxing ability. “It was never a problem,” Art Hernandez said, “He could jab a lot, but it didn’t bother him.”
He was an amateur teammate of Cassius Clay, who became the heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. A year later Ferd won an 'Omaha Golden Gloves title and reached the final of the national tournament. And in 1960 he won Omaha’s first Tournament of Champions title in 23 years by defeating Mark Burds of Denver for the welterweight crown before 11,159 at Chicago Stadium and an ABC Television audience. Hernandez, a native of Minatare, Nebraska, turned pro and rose to No. 2 in the World Boxing Association’s middleweight division in 1968. The 33 year resident of Las Vegas, compiled a 33-9-4 record in a pro career from 1961-66.
Ferd was forced to retire in 1966 after suffering a detached retina and having three operations on his eye. Later Hernandez became a boxing referee and was named one of the nation’s top 10 in that vocation by Boxing Illustrated Magazine in 1981. Hernandez worked as a bartender for the past 25 years in Las Vegas.
Ferd was born February 20, 1939, in Minatare, Nebraska, to Rebecca and Perfecto Hernandez. He was married to Marian Miller and had four wonderful children.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marian Hernandez and parents, Rebecca and Perfecto Hernandez.
He is survived by 4 children: Patrick, Michelle, Ferd JR, and Julie; three siblings: Lydia Sullivan, Dale Hernandez and Valerie O’Brien of Cheyenne, Wyoming; two grandchildren and three great grandchildren, as well as numerous cousins. Many friends will miss him always.
Mr. Hernandez requested no funeral plans. Private Services were held for the immediate family in Omaha, Nebraska.
Ferd Hernandez who was Las Vegas’ top-ranked boxer in the middle 1960s, died Wednesday, July 17, 1996, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Hernandez, 57, died at the home of his brother, Art Hernandez, who was also a middleweight contender in the 1960s. Hernandez had been at his brother’s house for three weeks and was being cared for by Art Hernandez’s wife, Mary, a nurse, and sisters Lydia Sullivan and Valerie O’Brien.
In 1958, Ferd Hernandez lost his left thumb on a conveyer belt in a granary in Gurley, Nebraska and was hospitalized in Dalton. His injury required 70 stitches to close wounds to his left arm, side and back. His glove got caught in the cables and yanked his thumb right off. He defied what the doctors said that he would never box again, but he had determination and strong resolve. Ferd’s brother, Art, also an outstanding boxer, said the missing thumb never really affected his brother’s boxing ability. “It was never a problem,” Art Hernandez said, “He could jab a lot, but it didn’t bother him.”
He was an amateur teammate of Cassius Clay, who became the heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. A year later Ferd won an 'Omaha Golden Gloves title and reached the final of the national tournament. And in 1960 he won Omaha’s first Tournament of Champions title in 23 years by defeating Mark Burds of Denver for the welterweight crown before 11,159 at Chicago Stadium and an ABC Television audience. Hernandez, a native of Minatare, Nebraska, turned pro and rose to No. 2 in the World Boxing Association’s middleweight division in 1968. The 33 year resident of Las Vegas, compiled a 33-9-4 record in a pro career from 1961-66.
Ferd was forced to retire in 1966 after suffering a detached retina and having three operations on his eye. Later Hernandez became a boxing referee and was named one of the nation’s top 10 in that vocation by Boxing Illustrated Magazine in 1981. Hernandez worked as a bartender for the past 25 years in Las Vegas.
Ferd was born February 20, 1939, in Minatare, Nebraska, to Rebecca and Perfecto Hernandez. He was married to Marian Miller and had four wonderful children.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marian Hernandez and parents, Rebecca and Perfecto Hernandez.
He is survived by 4 children: Patrick, Michelle, Ferd JR, and Julie; three siblings: Lydia Sullivan, Dale Hernandez and Valerie O’Brien of Cheyenne, Wyoming; two grandchildren and three great grandchildren, as well as numerous cousins. Many friends will miss him always.
Mr. Hernandez requested no funeral plans. Private Services were held for the immediate family in Omaha, Nebraska.
PROFESSIONAL BOXER
Ferd Hernandez who was Las Vegas’ top-ranked boxer in the middle 1960s, died Wednesday, July 17, 1996, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Hernandez, 57, died at the home of his brother, Art Hernandez, who was also a middleweight contender in the 1960s. Hernandez had been at his brother’s house for three weeks and was being cared for by Art Hernandez’s wife, Mary, a nurse, and sisters Lydia Sullivan and Valerie O’Brien.
In 1958, Ferd Hernandez lost his left thumb on a conveyer belt in a granary in Gurley, Nebraska and was hospitalized in Dalton. His injury required 70 stitches to close wounds to his left arm, side and back. His glove got caught in the cables and yanked his thumb right off. He defied what the doctors said that he would never box again, but he had determination and strong resolve. Ferd’s brother, Art, also an outstanding boxer, said the missing thumb never really affected his brother’s boxing ability. “It was never a problem,” Art Hernandez said, “He could jab a lot, but it didn’t bother him.”
He was an amateur teammate of Cassius Clay, who became the heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. A year later Ferd won an 'Omaha Golden Gloves title and reached the final of the national tournament. And in 1960 he won Omaha’s first Tournament of Champions title in 23 years by defeating Mark Burds of Denver for the welterweight crown before 11,159 at Chicago Stadium and an ABC Television audience. Hernandez, a native of Minatare, Nebraska, turned pro and rose to No. 2 in the World Boxing Association’s middleweight division in 1968. The 33 year resident of Las Vegas, compiled a 33-9-4 record in a pro career from 1961-66.
Ferd was forced to retire in 1966 after suffering a detached retina and having three operations on his eye. Later Hernandez became a boxing referee and was named one of the nation’s top 10 in that vocation by Boxing Illustrated Magazine in 1981. Hernandez worked as a bartender for the past 25 years in Las Vegas.
Ferd was born February 20, 1939, in Minatare, Nebraska, to Rebecca and Perfecto Hernandez. He was married to Marian Miller and had four wonderful children.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marian Hernandez and parents, Rebecca and Perfecto Hernandez.
He is survived by 4 children: Patrick, Michelle, Ferd JR, and Julie; three siblings: Lydia Sullivan, Dale Hernandez and Valerie O’Brien of Cheyenne, Wyoming; two grandchildren and three great grandchildren, as well as numerous cousins. Many friends will miss him always.
Mr. Hernandez requested no funeral plans. Private Services were held for the immediate family in Omaha, Nebraska.
Ferd Hernandez who was Las Vegas’ top-ranked boxer in the middle 1960s, died Wednesday, July 17, 1996, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Hernandez, 57, died at the home of his brother, Art Hernandez, who was also a middleweight contender in the 1960s. Hernandez had been at his brother’s house for three weeks and was being cared for by Art Hernandez’s wife, Mary, a nurse, and sisters Lydia Sullivan and Valerie O’Brien.
In 1958, Ferd Hernandez lost his left thumb on a conveyer belt in a granary in Gurley, Nebraska and was hospitalized in Dalton. His injury required 70 stitches to close wounds to his left arm, side and back. His glove got caught in the cables and yanked his thumb right off. He defied what the doctors said that he would never box again, but he had determination and strong resolve. Ferd’s brother, Art, also an outstanding boxer, said the missing thumb never really affected his brother’s boxing ability. “It was never a problem,” Art Hernandez said, “He could jab a lot, but it didn’t bother him.”
He was an amateur teammate of Cassius Clay, who became the heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. A year later Ferd won an 'Omaha Golden Gloves title and reached the final of the national tournament. And in 1960 he won Omaha’s first Tournament of Champions title in 23 years by defeating Mark Burds of Denver for the welterweight crown before 11,159 at Chicago Stadium and an ABC Television audience. Hernandez, a native of Minatare, Nebraska, turned pro and rose to No. 2 in the World Boxing Association’s middleweight division in 1968. The 33 year resident of Las Vegas, compiled a 33-9-4 record in a pro career from 1961-66.
Ferd was forced to retire in 1966 after suffering a detached retina and having three operations on his eye. Later Hernandez became a boxing referee and was named one of the nation’s top 10 in that vocation by Boxing Illustrated Magazine in 1981. Hernandez worked as a bartender for the past 25 years in Las Vegas.
Ferd was born February 20, 1939, in Minatare, Nebraska, to Rebecca and Perfecto Hernandez. He was married to Marian Miller and had four wonderful children.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marian Hernandez and parents, Rebecca and Perfecto Hernandez.
He is survived by 4 children: Patrick, Michelle, Ferd JR, and Julie; three siblings: Lydia Sullivan, Dale Hernandez and Valerie O’Brien of Cheyenne, Wyoming; two grandchildren and three great grandchildren, as well as numerous cousins. Many friends will miss him always.
Mr. Hernandez requested no funeral plans. Private Services were held for the immediate family in Omaha, Nebraska.
Gravesite Details
Not buried in a Cemetery. Remains were kept by the family.
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