Alex de Jesús
Encyclopedia
Alex de Jesús is a Puerto Rican
professional boxer
. As an amateur de Jesús representated the island of Puerto Rico
in international events, including the 2003 Pan American Games
, 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games
and the 2004 Summer Olympics
. Early in his career he won seven regional titles, these were: the World Boxing Organization Latino lightweight title, World Boxing Council Caribbean Boxing Federation lightweight title, World Boxing Association Fedecaribe Lightweight title, WBO Latino light welterweight title, WBA Fedecaribe Welterweight title, WBC Latino light welterweight title and the WBA Fedebol light welterweight title.
, De Jesús became the first Puerto Rican to win an Olympic boxing fight
since Daniel Santos
earned a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta, Georgia
games. De Jesús defeated Brazil
ian Myke Carvalho
by decision during the first round of the competition to achieve that accomplishment. In the second round, however, he lost by one point (23-24), to Sam Rukundo
from Uganda
n.
De Jesús' nickname used to be "El Pollo Whitaker", meaning "Chicken Whitaker". "El Pollo" was given to him by his parents because he was a very small child. "Whitaker" was given to him by his trainers at the boxing gym, because they thought Alexander's style of fighting was reminiscent of the one presented by Pernell Whitaker
. He announced just before the Olympics, however, that he was dropping off the "Whitaker" part from his nickname because he wanted to form his own identity as a boxer
on January 29, 2005. This fight was against Ruben Mesorrama who was also debuting and it ended on the second round when de Jesús won by knockout. De Jesús' next fight was against Alejandro Alicea on March 4, 2005. This event was held in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico and the contest ended in the third round when de Jesús won by technical knockout. On November 11, 2006 de Jesús competed against Jefferson Auraad Rodriguez, de Jesús was awaded a Referee technical decision
in the third round. In this fight de Jesús won three regional titles these were: the WBO Latino Lightweight title, WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation lightweight title and the WBA Fedecaribe lightweight title. Alex returned to action on July 20, 2007 against Arturo Morua, in a fight he won dy unanimous decision. In this fight de Jesús won his fourth and fifth regional titles: the WBO Latino welterweight title and the WBA Fedecaribe welterweight title. De Jesús was then active in a fight that would be used as an eliminatory to determine the first contender for the World Boxing Organization
's light welterweight division title against Bulmaro Solis in a contest that he won by knockout in the fourth round. Alex was unable to make the accorded weight prior to this fight which led to Solis' receiving an amount of money that was equivalent to the amount of pounds over the limit. Following this event de Jesús was scheduled to fight Steve Quiñones in a card that took place on December 7, 2007. Prior to the event de Jesús noted that the training for the fight was the most intense in his career, he stated that he wanted to win regional titles in three different weight divisions in order to challenge Ricardo Torres for the WBO light welterweight championship. The Fight card
was presented by All Star Boxing and it was organized in Miami, Florida
. De Jesús defeated Quiñones by unanimous decision and won the vacant WBC Latino light welterweight title. The three judges awarded Alex scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 115-113. On April 5, 2008 de Jesus successfully defended the WBO regional title against Wilfredo Negron. De Jesús displayed more fluid boxing throughout the fight, in the process scoring a knockdown in the third. The contest was stopped in the final round when Negron was unable to recover after one of de Jesus's combinations connected behind his ear. In this fight he won the vacant WBA Fedebol light welterweight title. De Jesús returned to action on August 8, 2008, defeating Adrián Navarrete by technical knockout. As part of a card titled "The First Step" which featured Juan Manuel López
's first world championship defense, De Jesús defeated José Antonio Izquierdo by technical knockout. Izquierdo was more active in the offensive during the early rounds, but De Jesús established control of the fight's tempo from the third onwards. After receiving three knockdowns, Izquierdo's corner threw in the towel following the last of these. On March 20, 2009, De Jesús lost his first fight as a prfessional, losing by unanimous decision to César René Cuenca
in a result that was described as "controversial".
WBA Fedecaribe Light Welterweight title ~
WBO Latino lightweight title ~
WBC CABOFE (Caribbean Boxing Federation) lightweight title ~
WBA Fedecaribe Lightweight Title ~
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. As an amateur de Jesús representated the island of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in international events, including the 2003 Pan American Games
2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
, 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games
2002 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 19th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in San Salvador, El Salvador from November 19 to November 30, 2002 and included 37 nations and a total number of 7,000 competitors. The main stadium for these championships was the Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González. Cuba did not participate...
and the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. Early in his career he won seven regional titles, these were: the World Boxing Organization Latino lightweight title, World Boxing Council Caribbean Boxing Federation lightweight title, World Boxing Association Fedecaribe Lightweight title, WBO Latino light welterweight title, WBA Fedecaribe Welterweight title, WBC Latino light welterweight title and the WBA Fedebol light welterweight title.
Biography
During the 2004 Athens Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, De Jesús became the first Puerto Rican to win an Olympic boxing fight
Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Lightweight
The Lightweight class in the boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics competition was the fifth-lightest class. Lightweights were limited to those boxers weighing more than 60 kilograms.-Medalists:-Schedule:-Results:-References:*...
since Daniel Santos
Daniel Santos (boxer)
Daniel Santos is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur Santos represented Puerto Rico in international events, including the 1990 and 1992 Junior World Championships, Pan American Boxing Tournament, Goodwill Games, 1995 Pan American Games and the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he won a...
earned a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
games. De Jesús defeated Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian Myke Carvalho
Myke Carvalho
Myke Michel Ribeiro de Carvalho is a Brazilian amateur boxer, best known to participate in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics and win a PanAm bronze in 2007.-Career:...
by decision during the first round of the competition to achieve that accomplishment. In the second round, however, he lost by one point (23-24), to Sam Rukundo
Sam Rukundo
Sam Rukundo is a boxer from Uganda, who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics for his native African country...
from Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n.
De Jesús' nickname used to be "El Pollo Whitaker", meaning "Chicken Whitaker". "El Pollo" was given to him by his parents because he was a very small child. "Whitaker" was given to him by his trainers at the boxing gym, because they thought Alexander's style of fighting was reminiscent of the one presented by Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
. He announced just before the Olympics, however, that he was dropping off the "Whitaker" part from his nickname because he wanted to form his own identity as a boxer
Professional career
Alex de Jesús debuted as a professional in a boxing card that took place in Bayamón, Puerto RicoBayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
on January 29, 2005. This fight was against Ruben Mesorrama who was also debuting and it ended on the second round when de Jesús won by knockout. De Jesús' next fight was against Alejandro Alicea on March 4, 2005. This event was held in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico and the contest ended in the third round when de Jesús won by technical knockout. On November 11, 2006 de Jesús competed against Jefferson Auraad Rodriguez, de Jesús was awaded a Referee technical decision
Referee technical decision
A referee technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight ends because a fighter refuses to continue ....
in the third round. In this fight de Jesús won three regional titles these were: the WBO Latino Lightweight title, WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation lightweight title and the WBA Fedecaribe lightweight title. Alex returned to action on July 20, 2007 against Arturo Morua, in a fight he won dy unanimous decision. In this fight de Jesús won his fourth and fifth regional titles: the WBO Latino welterweight title and the WBA Fedecaribe welterweight title. De Jesús was then active in a fight that would be used as an eliminatory to determine the first contender for the World Boxing Organization
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
's light welterweight division title against Bulmaro Solis in a contest that he won by knockout in the fourth round. Alex was unable to make the accorded weight prior to this fight which led to Solis' receiving an amount of money that was equivalent to the amount of pounds over the limit. Following this event de Jesús was scheduled to fight Steve Quiñones in a card that took place on December 7, 2007. Prior to the event de Jesús noted that the training for the fight was the most intense in his career, he stated that he wanted to win regional titles in three different weight divisions in order to challenge Ricardo Torres for the WBO light welterweight championship. The Fight card
Fight card
Fight card, more commonly known simply as the Card, is a term used to refer to all of the boxing, or another hand-to-hand contact sport such as MMA or kickboxing, matches that occur in the evening of a boxing event. The fight card typically consists of the main event and the undercard....
was presented by All Star Boxing and it was organized in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. De Jesús defeated Quiñones by unanimous decision and won the vacant WBC Latino light welterweight title. The three judges awarded Alex scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 115-113. On April 5, 2008 de Jesus successfully defended the WBO regional title against Wilfredo Negron. De Jesús displayed more fluid boxing throughout the fight, in the process scoring a knockdown in the third. The contest was stopped in the final round when Negron was unable to recover after one of de Jesus's combinations connected behind his ear. In this fight he won the vacant WBA Fedebol light welterweight title. De Jesús returned to action on August 8, 2008, defeating Adrián Navarrete by technical knockout. As part of a card titled "The First Step" which featured Juan Manuel López
Juan Manuel López (boxer)
Juan Manuel "Juanma" López Rivera is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur, Lopez represented Puerto Rico at numerous international tournaments including the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Summer Olympics. López's professional career...
's first world championship defense, De Jesús defeated José Antonio Izquierdo by technical knockout. Izquierdo was more active in the offensive during the early rounds, but De Jesús established control of the fight's tempo from the third onwards. After receiving three knockdowns, Izquierdo's corner threw in the towel following the last of these. On March 20, 2009, De Jesús lost his first fight as a prfessional, losing by unanimous decision to César René Cuenca
César Cuenca
César René Cuenca is a Light Welterweight boxer from Argentina and is the WBC Latino welterweight Champion.-Pro Career:...
in a result that was described as "controversial".
Outside the Ring
De Jesus is currently serving a four-year prison sentence on domestic violence charges. His charges included violating a protective order against his wife and kids, and is serving his time in a Bayamon, Puerto Rico jail.Titles won
WBO Latino light welterweight title ~WBA Fedecaribe Light Welterweight title ~
WBO Latino lightweight title ~
WBC CABOFE (Caribbean Boxing Federation) lightweight title ~
WBA Fedecaribe Lightweight Title ~