Frank Mehia Fernandez (1921 - 2004)

Born Mar 1921 in Hawaii Territory, United States

Husband of Eleanor (Maldonado) Fernandez — married 11 Dec 1948 in Honolulu, Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Died 31 Mar 2004 at about age 83 in Honolulu, Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Debbie Bowers [send private message] and Eva Drose [send private message]

Biography

'Honolulu Star-Bulletin April 2, 2004

Local boxing legend dies

Boxing great Frank Mehia Fernandez of Wailuku, Maui, died Wednesday at Hale Nani Nursing home. Fernandez, 82, might have been Hawaii's greatest fighter to never challenge for a title, preferring to stay home to ply his trade after turning professional. He went 15-9-1 with 8 KOs from 1946 to 1954, rising into the top 10 among welterweights despite fighting all but four of his contests in Honolulu.

"He was typical of a lot of Hawaiian kids," said Bobby Lee, who lost to Fernandez by TKO in the third round of an amateur bout. "Frankie could have made it real big, but he didn't want to leave home. ... I thought he could have become a world champion. He just didn't care about such stuff."

Fernandez's amateur career, however, was spent representing Hawaii all over the country. The closest he came to a national title was in the AAU championships in San Francisco in front of more than 7,000 fans in 1939, when he finished second to Hawaii's Jose Mercado in the lightweight division. It was the first national title for a Hawaii boxer.

One of his most memorable fights was at Honolulu Stadium in 1948, when he knocked out Tommy Bell in the 10th round, putting the visitor in the hospital. He also fought Chico Varona, Livio Minelli, Beau Jack and Bernard Docusen.

Fernandez later became a lineman for Hawaiian Electric.

"We always used to hand out the fighters' checks at noon the day after a fight," Lee said. "We would have long lines of hungry fighters wanting their money, but Frankie would never pick it up until a week later. I asked him why and he said: 'I was only going to put it in the bank anyway.' "

Services will be held Monday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Visitation begins at 9 a.m. and Mass at 11 a.m. with burial to follow at Diamond Head Cemetery.

Sources

• "Hawaii, Board of Health, Marriage Record Indexes, 1909-1989," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:C2XX-ZXPZ : 24 March 2020), Frank Mehia Fernandez, 1 Nov 1941; citing Marriage, Honolulu, Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, Hawaii Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, Honolulu.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH1J-TMV : accessed 19 July 2021), Frank Hernandy in household of Alphonso Hernandy, Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 68, sheet 7A, line 22, family 108, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2634; FHL microfilm 2,342,368.
• "Hawaii, Board of Health, Marriage Record Indexes, 1909-1989," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4VRD-89T2 : 30 January 2020), Frank Mehia Fernandez, 11 Dec 1948; citing Marriage, Honolulu, Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, Hawaii Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, Honolulu.
• Honolulu Star-Bulletin
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71786084