Anyone that is or has been involved in the sport of boxing in Costa Rica knows the name Ezequiel Obando, and today they mourn the death of this man, who passed away today in his house in Alajuela, after losing his long battle to colon cancer, he was 64.

Obando, as he was known by everyone, was born in Corralillo de Nicoya, Guanacaste, raised in the humble home of a family that made a living by working the land.

He became an amateur boxer and later a professional in Nicaragua where he lived several years, however, he didn’t have a lot of success, and destiny would later prove that he was always meant to be involved in boxing, however, not as a boxer himself.

Obando moved to the United States looking for better opportunities, he remained closed to the sport, his passion, and during many years he worked as a matchmaker for the The Forum, in Inglewood, California; he also worked for famous boxing promotion company Top Rank.

After years of living in the U.S. and being involved in the career of several well-known boxers such as Orlando Salido and due to problems he faced in that country, Obando decided to make his way back to his homeland.

In Costa Rica Obando looked for opportunities to build boxing shows, he trained several fighters and continued with his matchmaking.

Obando along with Efrain Vega promoted several shows in the San José Palacio Hotel, this lasted a few years, but after separating from Vega he started working as a trainer and matchmaker for FiteNite Boxing Gym and IBOP Boxing promotion company in Alajuela, where he got involved in the career of several Costa Rican fighters such as Carl Davis, Hanna Gabriels and Bryan Vásquez.

It was with Obando’s assistance that Gabriels’ became Costa Rica’s first world champion, and Vasquez the first interim world champion in the country.

He also worked closely with Francisco and Freddy Fonseca, David Lobo, and Carolina Arias.

I had the opportunity to share and work with Obando for several years, in between agreements and disagreements I can say that I learned from the man and we had a mutual respect for each other, he was truly passionate about boxing. Today, I sent my deepest condolences to his wife Rosa Holguin, his daughters, sons and sisters.

Obando will be buried this Monday, October 16 in the same town that saw him grow up in Nicoya, Guanacaste.

R.I.P. Obando!