Iván Calderón (boxer)

Iván Calderón Marrero (born January 27, 1975) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2012.

In 1993, Calderón defeated Miguel Cotto in the light flyweight division, when both boxers were in the early stages of amateur experience.

Following this, both athletes developed a close friendship.

Calderón lost to Brian Viloria once during his amateur boxing career, but defeated him three times before turning professional.

In addition, Calderon competed as an international amateur in several tournaments, including the following:

After turning professional, Calderón was frequently showcased on ESPN's Friday Night Fights show.

In an interview with El Nuevo Día he noted that he engaged Laguna on August 29, 1997, following a quinceañero and the couple married on February 5, 1999.

According to him the couple had some disagreements when they met, based on some attitudes he presented, he also notes that he felt she was arrogant at first.

However, on one day he decided to propose to her and after four months of establishing a relationship the couple moved in together.

Calderón expressed that he is "too much of a house man" and claims that as a result of a rule established by his former wife any kind of non-familiar activity is prohibited on Sundays.

As an amateur Calderón represented Puerto Rico in international competitions, including the 2000 Olympics.

Iván Calderón was born in the municipality of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and currently resides in a sector called "Las Americas" in Bayamón.

Iván had a troubling childhood surrounded by violence and problems, which according to him has helped him develop more patience which has helped him in his personal life.

Calderón attended middle school in José Nevárez Landrón School, located in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.

His first wife was Wilma Laguna, with whom he has two children, Wilvani and Iván junior.

On July 1, 2001, Calderón defeated José Manuel Ramírez by unanimous decision.

During this fight, he suffered an open wound over his right eyebrow, which required surgery.

He is a two-weight world champion, having held the WBO mini flyweight title from 2003 to 2007 (making eleven successful defenses and being recognized as super champion by the organization), and the WBO, Ring magazine, and lineal light flyweight titles from 2007 to 2010 (making six successful defenses).

On May 3, 2003, Calderón became a world champion for the first time, defeating Eduardo Marquez by a technical decision in nine rounds at Las Vegas, as part of the de la Hoya-Campas undercard, to win the World Boxing Organization's world strawweight title.

He had dropped Marquez twice before the end of the fight.

Calderón retained his title by a 12-round decision in his first defense, on September 5, over Lorenzo Trejo of Mexico, at Caguas, Puerto Rico.

In his second defense, held at Bayamón, he defeated former world champion Alex Sanchez by a unanimous twelve-round decision.

On March 20, 2004, he retained the championship with an eleventh-round knockout win over former International Boxing Federation world champion Edgar Cardenas, in Guaynabo.

Before that fight, Calderón obtained his high school credit diploma.

On July 31, 2004, as part of the Morales-Hernandez undercard in Las Vegas, he retained his title once again, with a twelve-round decision win over former world champion Roberto Leyva.

On November 23 of that year, he made his fifth defense, defeating Nicaraguan Carlos Fajardo by a twelve-round unanimous decision.

As part of the Barrera-Morales III undercard.

His fight with Fajardo was shown live on HBO's Pay per view.

On April 30, of 2005, he retained the title with an eighth-round knockout victory over Noel Tunacao, a member of the Tunacao boxing family of the Philippines.

He is employed by the City of Guaynabo's Department of Sports and Recreation and has been involved in several youth-oriented charities in his native Puerto Rico, including lecturing in island schools and co-sponsoring a massive gift-giving effort in the town of Loíza's Three Kings festival in early 2006.

As a result of his charitable efforts with children that live in poor communities he was awarded a special award at the World Boxing Organization's 2007 annual convention.

In January 2009, it was made public that Calderón and Laguna had established a divorce process.

He is married to A. Maldonado Garcia Dennisse; a prepared and educated woman.

Maldonado has his Bachelors of Business Administration from the University Ana G. Mendez.

Currently has a daughter named Diannelys E. Calderon.

Calderón spends the money that he earns boxing on properties and he is associated with a company dedicated to satellite vehicle tracking.

Additionally, his August 2010 bout against Giovani Segura was named fight of the year by Ring magazine.

On November 16, 2011, Federal agents in Puerto Rico seized more than $4 million worth cocaine from a house owned by Calderon.

Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman Laila Rico said 225 kilograms (nearly 500 pounds) of cocaine were found when agents raided the house in the coastal town of Humacao.

Calderon denied knowledge of the narcotics and was never formally charged with an offence.