Azumah Nelson
Encyclopedia
Azumah Nelson a native of Ghana
, is a former professional boxer. He is a three-time world champion in two weight classes.
Nelson is the former Lineal
and two-time WBC
Super Featherweight
Champion. He also competed in the Featherweight
division where he won the WBC
title.
where he won a gold medal in the Featherweight class, and compiling an Amateur Record of 50-2.
He beat Billy Kwame in Accra
by a decision in eight to mark his professional debut. In his third fight, he fought on 3 March 1980, he knocked out Henry Sadler in the ninth round to win Ghana's regional 126 pound title. On 13 December of that year, he knocked out Joe Skipper in round 10 to add the African continent's belt to his Ghanaian regional championship.
1981 was a productive year for the upcoming fighter. He beat Bozzou Aziza in his first fight abroad; held in Togo
, and then he beat Miguel Ruiz in his first United States fight, held in California
. He added the Commonwealth of Nations
' Featherweight title with a five round knockout
of Brian Roberts.
Despite all his early achievements and being undefeated in 13 fights, Nelson was virtually unknown outside Ghana. Because of this, he was a decisive underdog when he challenged WBC
featherweight
champion Salvador Sánchez
on 21 July 1982 at the Madison Square Garden
in New York
. Despite losing that fight by a knockout in round 15, Nelson's stock as a boxer rose after that fight, and he established himself as a deserving leading contender in the eyes of many fans. Further, Nelson was put at a significant disadvantage when his custom mouthpiece was stolen and he had to make do with a makeshift one purchased from a store and cut to his mouth with a knife, leaving him in pain for the whole fight. The Sánchez-Nelson fight would be Salvador Sánchez's last fight, as he died almost two months later after suffering a car accident in Mexico City
.
In his next fight, Nelson knocked out fringe contender Irving Mitchell in eight rounds.
Nelson won all four of his fights in 1983, and he began 1984 by beating Hector Cortez by decision on 9 March in Las Vegas
. Then, on December 8 of that year, he became boxing royalty by knocking out Wilfredo Gómez
in round 11 to win the WBC world Featherweight championship. Behind on the three judges' scorecards, Nelson rallied in that last round to become champion in Puerto Rico
.
Nelson held on to that title for three years. He could not fight for 9 months after the Gómez bout, but when he returned, he retained the title in Miami
with a fifth round knockout of Juvenal Ordenes in September 1985, and then in October of that year, he retained it again with a first round knockout of Pat Cowdell in Birmingham
, England. The Cowdell knockout in particular became a highlight film material: Cowdell was left frozen on the canvas by Nelson's knockout punch.
In 1986, he retained the title two times, beating future world champion Marcos Villasana
and former Barry McGuigan
challenger Danilo Cabrera (once again, in Puerto Rico).
In 1987, Nelson retained the title against Mauro Guitierrez, by a knockout in round six, and in a rematch with Villasana, once again, by decision. After the second fight with Villasana, Nelson abandoned the WBC's World Featherweight title.
Nelson began 1988 by fighting former Julio César Chávez
rival Mario Martinez
for the vacant WBC's world Jr. Lightweight title. He beat Martinez by decision in 12 rounds on 29 February at Los Angeles
to become world Jr. Lightweight champion, and then he defended the title with a knockout in round nine against former world champ Lupe Suarez and with a knockout in three over Sydney Del Rovere.
He proceeded in 1989 by beating Martinez in a rematch, by knockout in round 12, and then fighting Jim McDonnell, with exactly the same result. The fight with McDonnell, fought in London, was considered one of the fights of the year by many boxing magazines, and McDonnell was widely praised by critics for his stand against Nelson. McDonnell suffered four knockdowns before the fight was stopped by referee Joe Cortez
.
On 19 May 1990, Nelson tried to join the exclusive group of three division world champion boxers by challenging world Lightweight champion Pernell Whitaker
, but he was handed his second career loss, when Whitaker won a 12 round unanimous decision to retain the title. For his next fight, he went to Australia to meet the former world Featherweight champion, Puerto Rico's Juan Laporte
. He beat Laporte by a decision in 12 to retain the world Jr. Lightweight title.
In 1991, he had only two fights. In Spain, he beat Daniel Mustapha by a knockout in round four of a non-title bout, and then, in Las Vegas, he retained the title with a controversial draw in twelve against multiple time world champion Jeff Fenech
in 12 rounds. Many ringside observers and boxing writers felt Fenech had deserved to win that night, and an immediate rematch was signed and set for 1 March 1992.
Back in Australia, Nelson defeated Fenech by a knockout in round eight of their sequel, and then he retained the title with a 12 round decision over former world champion Calvin Grove
on 7 November.
On 20 February 1993, the world travelling champion defeated future world champion Gabriel Ruelas
by decision in 12 in front of 120,000 fans (most of whom had come to watch Julio César Chávez
defend his world title against Greg Haugen
in the evening's main event) in Mexico. The 120,000 fan turnout was the largest ever for a boxing event. Then, on 10 September, he began his four fights series with future world champion Jesse James Leija
by retaining the title with a draw as part of the Julio César Chávez
-Pernell Whitaker
fight's undercard in San Antonio
. Originally announced as a winner, Nelson found out minutes later when Leija was being interviewed that the correct outcome was a draw, giving Leija a rematch. The fight's announcer had accidentally mixed the scorecards and announced Nelson the winner. Even though the decision was changed to draw, Nelson still kept his title.
On 7 May 1994, he and Leija met for the second time: That time around, the announcer was right when he announced Leija was winner and new world Jr. Lightweight champ. That was Nelson's only bout in 1994.
Leija quickly lost the title to Ruelas, who defended against Nelson on 1 December 1995, and Nelson recovered the title in his rematch with Ruelas by knocking him out in round five.
His first defense took place almost a year later, when he and Leija had their third bout. Nelson retained the title with a six round knockout. As had become his common practice, that was the only time Nelson fought in 1996.
In 1997, Nelson lost the Lineal and WBC titles to Genaro Hernandez when beaten on points in twelve rounds. He was almost disqualified when he accidentally hit Hernandez in the throat after the bell to finish round seven and Hernandez lay on the floor for several minutes. However, Hernandez chose to continue, allowing Nelson to lose by the more honorable way of the judge's decision.
In 1998, he lost to Leija in their fourth and final bout for the widely unrecognized IBA Jr. Lightweight title, but Nelson figured out his best days in boxing were over, and he retired. Nelson had a record of 39 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws, with 28 knockout wins.
. Nelson, 49, and Fenech, 44, fought in Australia on June 24, 2008, with Jeff Fenech
winning a majority decision.
. He is widely recognized by boxing fans and critics as the greatest fighter ever to come out of this coastal African nation. He was selected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame
on January 8, 2004. He was inducted June 13, 2004. He is also a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame
.
Nelson also has endured personal loss - his wife of many years died during the 1990s of cancer
.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, is a former professional boxer. He is a three-time world champion in two weight classes.
Nelson is the former Lineal
Lineal championship
In professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...
and two-time WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
Super Featherweight
Super Featherweight
Super featherweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 130 pounds or 59 kilograms....
Champion. He also competed in the Featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
division where he won the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
title.
Amateur career
Nelson had a stellar amateur career, competing at the 1978 Commonwealth Games1978 Commonwealth Games
The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec...
where he won a gold medal in the Featherweight class, and compiling an Amateur Record of 50-2.
Professional career
Nelson's professional boxing debut, in 1979, did not generate much attention, except in Ghana, where he was known because of his family ties. Internationally, Nelson lacked the recognition for such an event to be given its due importance. With the years, however, all of that changed because he garnered world wide fame as a boxer.He beat Billy Kwame in Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
by a decision in eight to mark his professional debut. In his third fight, he fought on 3 March 1980, he knocked out Henry Sadler in the ninth round to win Ghana's regional 126 pound title. On 13 December of that year, he knocked out Joe Skipper in round 10 to add the African continent's belt to his Ghanaian regional championship.
1981 was a productive year for the upcoming fighter. He beat Bozzou Aziza in his first fight abroad; held in Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, and then he beat Miguel Ruiz in his first United States fight, held in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He added the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
' Featherweight title with a five round knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
of Brian Roberts.
Despite all his early achievements and being undefeated in 13 fights, Nelson was virtually unknown outside Ghana. Because of this, he was a decisive underdog when he challenged WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
champion Salvador Sánchez
Salvador Sánchez
Salvador Sánchez Narváez was a Mexican boxer born in the town of Santiago Tianguistenco, Estado de México. Many of his contemporaries as well as boxing writers believe that, had it not been for his premature death, Sanchez could have gone on to become the greatest Featherweight boxer of all time...
on 21 July 1982 at the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Despite losing that fight by a knockout in round 15, Nelson's stock as a boxer rose after that fight, and he established himself as a deserving leading contender in the eyes of many fans. Further, Nelson was put at a significant disadvantage when his custom mouthpiece was stolen and he had to make do with a makeshift one purchased from a store and cut to his mouth with a knife, leaving him in pain for the whole fight. The Sánchez-Nelson fight would be Salvador Sánchez's last fight, as he died almost two months later after suffering a car accident in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
In his next fight, Nelson knocked out fringe contender Irving Mitchell in eight rounds.
Nelson won all four of his fights in 1983, and he began 1984 by beating Hector Cortez by decision on 9 March in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. Then, on December 8 of that year, he became boxing royalty by knocking out Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...
in round 11 to win the WBC world Featherweight championship. Behind on the three judges' scorecards, Nelson rallied in that last round to become champion in 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...
.
Nelson held on to that title for three years. He could not fight for 9 months after the Gómez bout, but when he returned, he retained the title in Miami
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...
with a fifth round knockout of Juvenal Ordenes in September 1985, and then in October of that year, he retained it again with a first round knockout of Pat Cowdell in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England. The Cowdell knockout in particular became a highlight film material: Cowdell was left frozen on the canvas by Nelson's knockout punch.
In 1986, he retained the title two times, beating future world champion Marcos Villasana
Marcos Villasana
Marcos Villasana is a retired Mexican boxer and former WBC featherweight champion.Villasana first challenged Azumah Nelson for the WBC featherweight title, losing a narrow split decision on February 25, 1986...
and former Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...
challenger Danilo Cabrera (once again, in Puerto Rico).
In 1987, Nelson retained the title against Mauro Guitierrez, by a knockout in round six, and in a rematch with Villasana, once again, by decision. After the second fight with Villasana, Nelson abandoned the WBC's World Featherweight title.
Nelson began 1988 by fighting former Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...
rival Mario Martinez
Mario Martinez (boxer)
Mario Martínez is a former Mexican boxer best known for losing to fellow Mexican Julio César Chávez for a vacant world title. in 1984, it is said that such bout catapulted Chavez's career.-Career:Martinez turned pro in 1980...
for the vacant WBC's world Jr. Lightweight title. He beat Martinez by decision in 12 rounds on 29 February at Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to become world Jr. Lightweight champion, and then he defended the title with a knockout in round nine against former world champ Lupe Suarez and with a knockout in three over Sydney Del Rovere.
He proceeded in 1989 by beating Martinez in a rematch, by knockout in round 12, and then fighting Jim McDonnell, with exactly the same result. The fight with McDonnell, fought in London, was considered one of the fights of the year by many boxing magazines, and McDonnell was widely praised by critics for his stand against Nelson. McDonnell suffered four knockdowns before the fight was stopped by referee Joe Cortez
Joe Cortez
Joe Cortez is a Puerto Rican boxing referee who has worked many important world title bouts.-Biography:Cortez moved to Puerto Rico during his childhood. Living there, he became fluent in Spanish. Cortez had a good amateur boxing career, winning various Golden Gloves tournaments from 1960 to 1962...
.
On 19 May 1990, Nelson tried to join the exclusive group of three division world champion boxers by challenging world Lightweight champion Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
, but he was handed his second career loss, when Whitaker won a 12 round unanimous decision to retain the title. For his next fight, he went to Australia to meet the former world Featherweight champion, Puerto Rico's Juan Laporte
Juan Laporte
Juan Laporte is a former boxer who was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico.-Amateur career:Juan Laporte won the 1976 112 lb New York Golden Gloves Sub-Novice Championship. He defeated Long Island's Ricky Brown in the finals. Laporte was defeated by Joseph Nieto of the Police Athletic Leagues Lynch...
. He beat Laporte by a decision in 12 to retain the world Jr. Lightweight title.
In 1991, he had only two fights. In Spain, he beat Daniel Mustapha by a knockout in round four of a non-title bout, and then, in Las Vegas, he retained the title with a controversial draw in twelve against multiple time world champion Jeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech is a retired Australian boxer and a three-time world champion who is now a boxing trainer.-Boxing career:...
in 12 rounds. Many ringside observers and boxing writers felt Fenech had deserved to win that night, and an immediate rematch was signed and set for 1 March 1992.
Back in Australia, Nelson defeated Fenech by a knockout in round eight of their sequel, and then he retained the title with a 12 round decision over former world champion Calvin Grove
Calvin Grove
Calvin Grove was a boxer in the Featherweight division. Grove turned pro in 1982 and in 1988 captured the IBF featherweight title with a TKO over Antonio Rivera. He defended the belt once before losing it to Jorge Páez later that same year...
on 7 November.
On 20 February 1993, the world travelling champion defeated future world champion Gabriel Ruelas
Gabriel Ruelas
Gabriel Ruelas, , was a professional boxer.Career=Ruelas turned pro in 1988 and in 1993 challenged WBC Super Featherweight Title holder Azumah Nelson, losing a close majority decision. In 1994 he was able to capture the title by outpointing Jesse James Leija...
by decision in 12 in front of 120,000 fans (most of whom had come to watch Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...
defend his world title against Greg Haugen
Greg Haugen
Greg Lee Haugen is a retired American boxer. Haugen was champion at both the Lightweight and Light-welterweight classes.Haugen turned pro in 1982 and won his first 17 fights before challenging for a world title...
in the evening's main event) in Mexico. The 120,000 fan turnout was the largest ever for a boxing event. Then, on 10 September, he began his four fights series with future world champion Jesse James Leija
Jesse James Leija
James Leija , is a retired professional boxer from Texas.-Amateur career:Leija had an amateur career that spanned three years, going 23-5 during this time. He won the San Antonio Golden Gloves in 1988...
by retaining the title with a draw as part of the Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...
-Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
fight's undercard in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Originally announced as a winner, Nelson found out minutes later when Leija was being interviewed that the correct outcome was a draw, giving Leija a rematch. The fight's announcer had accidentally mixed the scorecards and announced Nelson the winner. Even though the decision was changed to draw, Nelson still kept his title.
On 7 May 1994, he and Leija met for the second time: That time around, the announcer was right when he announced Leija was winner and new world Jr. Lightweight champ. That was Nelson's only bout in 1994.
Leija quickly lost the title to Ruelas, who defended against Nelson on 1 December 1995, and Nelson recovered the title in his rematch with Ruelas by knocking him out in round five.
His first defense took place almost a year later, when he and Leija had their third bout. Nelson retained the title with a six round knockout. As had become his common practice, that was the only time Nelson fought in 1996.
In 1997, Nelson lost the Lineal and WBC titles to Genaro Hernandez when beaten on points in twelve rounds. He was almost disqualified when he accidentally hit Hernandez in the throat after the bell to finish round seven and Hernandez lay on the floor for several minutes. However, Hernandez chose to continue, allowing Nelson to lose by the more honorable way of the judge's decision.
In 1998, he lost to Leija in their fourth and final bout for the widely unrecognized IBA Jr. Lightweight title, but Nelson figured out his best days in boxing were over, and he retired. Nelson had a record of 39 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws, with 28 knockout wins.
First Comeback Attempt in 2008
Sixteen years after their last meeting, Nelson fought a rematch with lifelong rival Jeff FenechJeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech is a retired Australian boxer and a three-time world champion who is now a boxing trainer.-Boxing career:...
. Nelson, 49, and Fenech, 44, fought in Australia on June 24, 2008, with Jeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech is a retired Australian boxer and a three-time world champion who is now a boxing trainer.-Boxing career:...
winning a majority decision.
Status in Ghana Today
Nelson gained national hero status in GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. He is widely recognized by boxing fans and critics as the greatest fighter ever to come out of this coastal African nation. He was selected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
on January 8, 2004. He was inducted June 13, 2004. He is also a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame
World Boxing Hall of Fame
The World Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Riverside, California, United States, in Southern California. The WBHF is one of two recognized international boxing halls of fame with the other being the International Boxing Hall of Fame , with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized...
.
Nelson also has endured personal loss - his wife of many years died during the 1990s of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.