Ricardo began competing as an amateur boxer at the age of 15 and accumulated a record of 30-5.  He was a three-time Northern California Golden Glove Champion and also won the Northern California Silver Gloves, Diamond Belt and Junior Olympics once each.
After beating the three top-ranked fighters in the area, his coaches during that time thought he was ready to turn professional.

Since beginning his professional career at 21, Ricardo’s dream has been to become a world champion.  He kicked off his pro career by recording 10 wins and a draw (which he avenged by a fourth-round stoppage against Sheldon Callum in his fifth fight) before sustaining his only loss – a disqualification for a debilitating rabbit punch against Errol Banner in September, 2003. 

Less than two months later, Cortes rebounded by stopping Christian Cruz in Bakersfield to win the California State Super Middleweight title.  In his first title defense in March, 2004, Cortes avenged his loss to Banner by scoring a third-round TKO at the legendary Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

After 14 fights in four years on smaller shows, he reached main event status (albeit unplanned) and headlined a show in his hometown of San Jose in July, 2004.  There he stopped Damon Franklin in two rounds of a non-title contest. 

“Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch was slated to be in the main event,” Cortes’ manager/trainer Ted Lucio explained.  “But because Ricardo was fighting in his hometown and he drew the crowd, they pulled the ole switch-a-roo at the last minute and made us the main event.”

“What a great experience it was to fight in front of my fans,” Ricardo shared.  “They have become an inspiration to me because all of the support I have received.”

Cortes fought and won four more times before taking on Cruz in a rematch – this time for the Vacant IBA America’s Super Middleweight title – in June of last year at Friant,

California.  Ricardo was well ahead on all scorecards when the bout had to be stopped after the seventh round due to an accidental headbutt earning him the title.

For the past few years, the HP Pavilion in San Jose has hosted boxing events where Ricardo has appeared 13 times.  The operators of the “Tank” had gone through a number of different promoters since the boxing series began in 2002.  For the 2006 season, they brought on the promotional team at Goossen Tutor Promotions.  This past year Ricardo fought four times; three of them at the HP Pavilion under the Goossen Tutor banner.  In his most recent bout there, Cortes took out Paulino Avitia in the third round last July.

Assuming that they felt that he could be a great asset to their organization, Ricardo was offered a promotional contract by Goossen Tutor and got the feeling that great things were about to happen.  On January 18, 2007, he took one step closer to fulfilling his boxing dream.  Cortes and Lucio, took a road trip to visit the offices of Goossen-Tutor Promotions and sealed the deal.  

“It was such a surreal feeling to know that I now belonged to a group of talented fighters where we all belonged to an organization where their main objective is to make champions,” Ricardo observed.   “On my end, I will do what ever it takes to make that dream possible.”

FAMILY: 

Ricardo comes from a big family originally from Michoacán, Mexico, but now most are residing in San Jose, CA.  Some of his living relatives include his mother, three sisters, five brothers and countless cousins, nieces and nephews.

He is happily married to “a wonderful and supportive woman” named Vanessa.  The couple has a son named Ricardo Cortes, Jr., who will turn two-years old in April 2007; “They mean the world to me and are my inspiration,” Cortes says.
 
   
EDUCATION:

Educated in the San Jose school system, Ricardo attended Willow Glen Middle School and graduated from Willow Glen High School in 1998.

In high school he played on an undefeated Junior Varsity soccer team which won the JV Soccer Championship, and later starred a on the Varsity team which made it to the State Finals.

WHY BOXING:

Ricardo used to watch the kids from a local boxing club train on the soccer field where he was playing.  They boxed in a ring roped off with long sticks in the corners.  One day he was approached by the coach to see if he was interested in training with them, and he
took him up on his offer.  After awhile Ricardo quit playing soccer in order to focus more on boxing.

LITTLE KNOWN FACTS:
CHILDHOOD HERO(s):   “My older brothers because ever since I can remember they have all been responsible, hardworking men.”      

PEOPLE MOST ADMIRED:   “My mother for raising 10 kids, and my older brothers for helping her after my father passed away.”

EARLIEST BOXING MEMORY:   “My first amateur fight because it only lasted 26 seconds.”

GREATEST SPORTS MOMENT:   “There are 3 greatest sports moments that have happened in my life. The first was playing in the CCS soccer finals back in high school. The other two were winning the California State Super Middleweight and the IBA Americas Super Middleweight Championships. I know that there will be more to follow.”

PRE-FIGHT FEELING:   “More anxious than anything, but nervous too.”

HOBBIES/INTERESTS:   “Spending time with my family and watching Soccer and Boxing.”

FAVORITE MOVIE:   “Pearl Harbor”

FAVORITE MUSIC:   “I like a lot of different music, but I’d say my favorite is Rancheras; a lot of Vicente and Alejandro Fernandez.”

FAVORITE MEAL:    “Taquitos and shrimp cocktail”          

FAVORITE BREAKFAST CEREAL:   “Raisin Bran”

FAVORITE JUNK FOOD:   “Doritos and a coke, especially after training.  Don’t print that, my training staff will kill me… Haha!!!  And I got to have popcorn at the movies.”

FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR(S):   “Blueberry cheesecake from Baskin Robbins and Cookie dough.”

FIRST JOB:   “Selling socks at a flea market stand when I was about 14 years old.”

FAVORITE BOXERS TO WATCH:   “Oscar de la Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Ricardo “Finito” Lopez (back when he used to fight).” 

TOUGHEST OPPONENT:   “Victor Branson back in 2003. The guy can give and take punches.”

FAVORITE FIGHT (Own):   “My fight with Christian Cruz for the California State Super Middleweight Championship November 2003.  Referee Marty Denkin almost stopped the fight in the eighth round when I winced after hitting him on top of head.  Marty assumed that I broke my right hand, but he let me go on and I finished the round with mostly jabs and some occasional rights.  Overall, it was a great fight. I started out strong winning the first three rounds. Rounds four thru six could have gone either way, but rounds seven and eight were mine. Round nine told the story when I stopped him by TKO. It was a great experience for me because it was my longest scheduled fight. I was ready to go the full 10 rounds but all I needed was nine.

“A little know fact about my fight with Christian is that this fight was our fifth meeting.  He and I literally battled four times as amateurs.  We split those epic fights and I knew going into this fight, it was going to be another tough battle.  Afterwards, I thought I would never meet up with him again.  But for some reason, fate steps in.  I once again had to fight him for the vacant IBA Americas Super Middleweight title three years later. 

“This time, I literally out-boxed him in losing only one round on the score cards. They did stop the bout after the sixth when a cut above his eye was bleeding profusely due to what they called an accidental head butt.  Overall, I felt that I had grown so much more as a fighter, he wasn’t able to compete with me any longer.  I doubt that I will ever have to fight him again. The Ricardo Cortes/Christian Cruz rivalry is over but the memories of those fights remain as a big part of my career, amateur and pro.”

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT:   “Honestly I can’t think of one that stands out to me.”

CHILDHOOD DREAMS:   “To be a pro soccer player. I honestly think I was better at soccer than boxing, but I chose to go with boxing after all.”

GOALS:   “To bring a world championship title to my hometown of San Jose, which has been very supportive.”

THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE BOXING FANS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU:   “That I am very humble, mellow and pretty shy person. I might even come off as a bit stuck up, but I’m actually just shy. Once I get to know someone, I come out of my shell. That’s kind of un-characteristic of a Mexican fighter huh?”

PRESENT:
Having fought four times in the Goossen Tutor promoted “Fight Night at the Tank” series in his hometown of San Jose, Ricardo recently signed a promotional agreement with Goossen Tutor Promotions.  Although he has fought primarily as a super middleweight, plans call for him to campaign at middleweight going forward.