Azumah Nelson: Remembering “The Professor”

By “The Aficionado” Alan J. Kindred

International Hall of Fame boxer Azumah Nelson, 39-6-2, 28 KO’s, was one of the very best fighters of the 1980s and 1990s. He is arguably the best boxer ever from his country of Ghana, and perhaps even the best ever from the entire African continent. He has been known as the “Mighty Warrior” for his fighting spirit in the ring, and “The Professor” for his technical prowess, he was a true boxer puncher. After compiling an impressive amateur record of 50-2, Nelson turned professional as a Junior Featherweight at 122 pounds in December of 1979. He began his career at a torrid pace winning the Ghanaian Featherweight championship in just his third pro bout, the African championship in his sixth, and the British Empire championship in his tenth bout. He gained a world ranking and just two and half years after turning pro, at 13-0, 10 KO’s, he was given a world championship fight against legendary champion and hall of famer Salvador Sanchez.

Perhaps Nelson was a bit to “green” to challenge someone as seasoned as Sanchez, but he and his team felt they couldn’t pass up such a lucrative opportunity. To make matters even more difficult, they had to take the fight on just two weeks notice, giving Nelson a very limited training camp. One step further into Nelson’s dilemma was the fact that his mouth piece was also faulty, causing a bad cut inside his mouth in the sixth round. So with so many intangibles stacked against Nelson, being “green,” not having a full training camp, and a faulty mouth piece, it is no wonder he came up short in his first world title try, losing valiantly in the 15th and final round. It would be the last victory of Sanchez’ career, as he would parish in a horrific automobile accident less than two weeks after the bout. Nelson being a classy individual, would attend his funeral. The loss of the fight itself was however, a case where you win even when you lose for Nelson. Nelson gave Sanchez all he wanted in an action packed fight, to most boxing pundit’s surprise. Nelson was even ahead on the score cards when Sanchez dropped and stopped him in the final round of a war of attrition. It was a spectacular fight, and Nelson had done more than enough to announce himself on the world stage, he would get another opportunity. He would also make the most of it, losing only once more in the next twelve years, becoming a world champion at Featherweight and Junior Lightweight.

Nelson would learn from the loss, sharpen his craft, and come back a little over two years later to battle yet another legendary hall of fame champion in Wilfredo Gomez. As fights go, this one seems to be lesser known, and in my opinion is an underrated classic. Nelson was 19-1, 14 KO’s coming in, and Gomez was 41-1-1, 40 KO’s, with each of their lone losses coming to the previously mentioned all-time great Salvador Sanchez. The fight was a barbaric test of wills, fought in the homeland of Gomez, Puerto Rico. The crowd was witnessed to one of the most dramatic finishes and testaments to heart and will many had ever witnessed. Both men gave as good as they gave for most of the fight, but as the rounds wore on, Gomez began to slowly wilt, as Nelson came on stronger. As the late rounds approached Nelson began dishing out a beating, visibly hurting Gomez several times. Gomez however, showed a champion’s heart and will battling back each time and landing his own share of damage. By the eleventh round it just became too much to withstand, as Nelson floored Gomez hard, and it seemed the fight would be called off. Perhaps it being in his homeland, and given his incredible reputation as a warrior, the referee allowed Gomez to continue. Nelson would then finish an exhausted Gomez off with one of the most brutal KO’s on record. Seeming to fall from exhaustion as much as the combination Gomez crumpled to the canvas with the back of his head bouncing off the mat hard, the fight was over, and the home crowd was awestruck. Nelson had realized his dream of becoming a world champion, and he did against a legendary Hall of Famer in vicious style.

Nelson would defend his Featherweight world championship six times, highlighted by two defenses against future world champion Marcos Villasana, before moving up to Junior Lightweight and winning a world championship at that weight as well. In February of 1988 Nelson challenged Mario Martinez for the vacant WBC world championship winning a close split decision. Nelson would later rematch Martinez in a defense of his title and win by knockout to set things clear from controversy. Martinez was a long time world class contender who had four world title shots, and sadly came up short each time, to Julio Caesar Chavez, Nelson twice, and Dingaan Thobela.

After making four defenses of his Junior Lightweight world title Nelson would move up again to face Hall of Fame champion Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, for Whitaker’s WBC and IBF Lightweight world titles. At 31 years of age, perhaps Nelson had lost just a step, no longer quite as vibrant and energetic as he was in his mid-twenties, but to the boxing world this was a big fight. Pernell Whitaker was 26 years old, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and in his absolute prime coming in with a record of 21-1, 12 KO’s. His one loss was also a controversial one against Jose Luis Ramirez in which most of the world felt he was robbed by the judges. In reality, Whitaker was undefeated. Nelson was also sporting a stellar record coming in at 32-1, 24 KO’s, he was a two division world champion with ten defenses, and unbeaten in nearly eight years. The fight itself was not the most exciting of Nelson’s career, but for those of you readers that admire the skills of the sweet science, “The Professor” versus “Sweet Pea” is for you. As skilled as Nelson was, Whitaker was just better that night. Whitaker used his size, reach, defensive mastery, and speed to beat Nelson to the punch and avoid retaliation for the most part. Whitaker won clear, but Nelson did enough to make the rounds competitive at times. It was a high level display of the sweet science by “Sweet Pea” and “The Professor.” Still a proud fighter, Nelson returned to Junior Lightweight, where he was still the world champion, to continue his reign.

After the Whitaker fight, and before the Whitaker fight, signify two different versions of Nelson, as post Whitaker he was slowing down a bit and was struggling against fighters he would have likely dominated five years earlier. He would make six more defenses of his Junior Lightweight title after Whitaker but would draw in two of those bouts. He would defeat former world champion Juan Laporte before a showdown with Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech. Fenech was attempting to win a world title in a fourth weight class, which at the time had only been accomplished by Leonard, Hearns, and Duran I believe. Henry Armstrong would have also accomplished this feat if not for a dubious decision against Ceferino Garcia. So to make a long story short, Fenech was trying to join a very short list of legendary fighters. Fenech fought his heart out in the fight, battering Nelson at times, and seemed to have secured a comfortable decision win, as Nelson just appeared a bit flat that night. To the shock of everyone that night, the judges ruled the fight a draw, robbing Fenech of his deserved glory. Due to the controversial nature of the decision a rematch was set, and Fenech was a heavy favorite. To the surprise of onlookers Nelson seemed to have turned the back the clock, battering Fenech pillar to post, stopping him in the eighth round and giving him his first loss.

After defenses against former world champion Calvin Grove and future world champion Gabriel Ruelas, Nelson would meet his late career nemesis in Jesse James Leija. They would battle a total of four times over the course of about five years, giving the fans some truly epic battles. Their first encounter would be a draw, and their second would end Nelson’s nine and half year reign over two divisions as champion, when Leija won a unanimous decision over Nelson. Leija would then lose the championship to Ruelas, setting up a rematch between Nelson and Ruelas. Nelson would become a champion for a third time, second time as a Junior Lightweight, by stopping Ruelas in the fifth round of a demolition. Next Nelson would defend against Leija again, and stopped him in the sixth round. Nelson had successively stopped two opponents that had given him trouble. He seemed to be back on top of his game at the age of 37.

The Leija victory would be the last of his career however. He would get into war with former world champion Genaro Hernandez, coming out on the losing end of a close split decision. In 1998, at nearly 40 years of age, Nelson battled Leija for the fourth time losing a clear unanimous decision. It appeared to be the last fight of Nelson’s career (He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004) until he emerged in 2008, at age 49, to complete a trilogy against rival Jeff Fenech. Nelson would lose a close majority decision, before retiring for good. Perhaps Fenech felt a little bit of redemption in finally getting the win over his old rival, but Fenech never did secure a world title in a fourth weight class.

All in all, Nelson’s numbers are quite impressive. He is a three time world champion, who had a nine and a half year run as a world champion over two weight classes from December of 1984 to May of 1994. He had another run as champion from 1995 to 1997. His record in world title bouts is 18-4-2, 12 KO’s, and he defended his world title 17 times over three separate reigns, one reign at Featherweight and two reigns at Junior Lightweight. He has fought ten world champions, including four Hall of Famers. His battles against the Hall of Famers, Sanchez, Gomez, Whitaker, and Fenech, are his most memorable fights in my opinion. If you readers have not had the pleasure of witnessing these fights for yourself, please head to YouTube and give yourself a boxing treat. I hope you have enjoyed this look back on the great champion Azumah Nelson.

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