Cardona turned pro on September 15, 1973, with a decision over Osvaldo Rojas in Valencia, Venezuela.
On May 7, 1978, he won the WBA World super bantamweight title with a TKO over Hong Soo-hwan in Seoul, South Korea becoming Colombia’s third boxing champion, following Antonio Cervantes and Rodrigo Valdez.
Cardona fought for four more years, going 5-5, including a loss to Jorge Lujan, before retiring in 1984 with a record of 26-10-1 (13 KOs).
His brother, Prudencio Cardona, was also a well-known world champion boxer, making the Cardona brothers one of the small numbers of sibling couples to have reached world championship status in the sport.
Ricardo Cardona died at Bonnadona Hospital in Barranquilla, Colombia, after a long bout with cancer.