Obituary | Former boxer Frankie Otero, a Florida Hall of Famer, dies at 72
Frankie Otero, one of the most popular local fighters of the late 1960s and early 1970s and an eventual world title contender, died Friday from bone cancer. Otero was 72.
“My dad underwent prostate cancer surgery five years ago and he responded well to the follow-up treatment,” son Frank III said Saturday. “We recently found out the cancer had spread to his bones but he never complained about pain until about 10 days ago. He fell asleep Tuesday and didn’t wake up.”
Born in Cuba, Otero spent his childhood in Hialeah, where he also lived the rest of his life and took up boxing. After a successful amateur career, Otero turned professional in 1968. Otero’s aggressive ring style won him the admiration of South Florida fight fans, becoming a frequent headliner in shows at the Miami Beach Auditorium and Miami Beach Convention Center.
“When I was young, I began to understand what dad meant to the people of Hialeah and South Florida,” Otero said. “We would be in the supermarket and strangers approached us and told him and how much he meant to them.”
And while he captivated crowds, Otero also ascended in the super-featherweight rankings. In 1971, Otero won the North American Boxing Federation title with a unanimous decision over Bill Weldon.
Unlike today’s boxing landscape, the early 1970s didn’t feature the excess of sanctioning bodies and world champions. Despite being a regional champion, Otero couldn’t land a world title bout.
In 1972, Otero fought an entertaining 10 rounds against former world lightweight champion Ken Buchanan at the Convention Center before Buchanan won a unanimous decision.
Otero retired after a knockout win over Juan Silva in 1977. With his son working his corner, Otero won two comeback bouts in the mid 1980s before retiring again. Otero’s career record was 49-9-2 with 31 knockouts. In 2010, Otero was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
Following his fighting career, Otero became a real estate appraiser but also remained in the sport as matchmaker for local promoter Walter Alvarez. When Alvarez opened his gym in Doral, Otero dusted off his gloves and boots and worked out regularly at the facility until his mid 60s.
“Whenever I ran into financial or personal problems, I sought the advice of professional experts, then the last person I’d reach out to was Frankie,” said Alvarez, whose friendship with Otero spanned more than 50 years. “In simple yet sound explanations, Frankie always provided me with the right advice. He was beyond a colleague. Frankie was family.”
In addition to his son, Otero is survived by wife, Nancy, and grandsons Frank IV and Christopher. Christopher Otero began a professional boxing career last year and is unbeaten in three fights.
Funeral services will be Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes. For information, call 305-821-1421.
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 5:50 PM.