Retired boxer Antonio Cermeno has reportedly been shot dead after he and members of his family were kidnapped in his native Venezuela.

Cermeno, who claimed the super bantamweight and featherweight titles in 1995 and 1998 respectively, is said to have been taken by kidnappers earlier this week near Caracas.

According to the Daily Star, the sportsman's body was found on a road in the central state of Miranda, with reports claiming that his family managed to escape when the kidnappers stopped for petrol.

The 44-year-old retired from boxing back in 2006.