What can you tell me about him. What was his style like? Did he have a good resume? Were does he rank amongst fighters in his weightclass.
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What can you tell me about him. What was his style like? Did he have a good resume? Were does he rank amongst fighters in his weightclass.
He was an excellent Featherweight champ, but it was at Super-Featherweight that he was a true great. Beat some excellent fighters like Wilfredo Gomez, Jeff Fenech, Gabriel Ruelas & a prime Jesse James Leija.
His only losses in his prime came to ATGs Salvador Sanchez & Pernell Whitaker. He would then lose to Leija as his skills started to decline, although he beat him in a rematch, before losing to Leija again & the excellent Genaro Hernandez. He then had a bizarre rematch with Fenech last year, which I was glad not to watch, which he apparently lost in a boring close fight.
In his prime he was one of the best. I'd have him in the Top 3 SFWs of all time with Floyd Mayweather Jr & Alexis Arguello just ahead of him.
Thanks Jazz. Is that Wilfrdo Benetiz against Roberto Duran in your avator?
Nah, Ray Leonard vs Duran. You should try get a copy of Sanchez vs Nelson, it's a great fight, really showcases both guys' skills. It was also only Nelson's 11th pro fight. The fights with Fenech are good too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Motor City Cobra
Found it on Youtube Jazz. Think il watch it later tonight. Did Nelson improve significantly as a boxer after the Sanchez fights or do you think the reuslt would be the same if Nelson had had more fights?
Really Liked the Professor when I finally found him.....Pin is pulled :biteit:. Was a great stalker and pressure fighter with a water proof guard.Could be diverse in attack,good adaptability and an all around ring general up there with the very best.
Outstanding Featherweight showing maturity beyond his ring years and age when he met and was defeated by the great Salvador Sanchez while early on.May sound odd,but I think this war made him better in the long run definitely.He won his first major title at Featherweight with a KO over another outstanding fighter in Wilfredo Gomez.Ran off some good defenses with a brutal KO of Pat Cowdell,two wins over future champ Marcos Villasana.He would rise to capture the Jr.Lightweight title vacated by JC Chavez but ultimately climb one division to high when he met a streaking phenom in Whitaker.Nelson was one step behind as Pernell put on a boxing clinic,albeit not exactly stimulating for the audience.Ever the comer Azumah would press but become frustrated only able to give Whitaker a few uncomfortable moments late.He would meet granite headed Juan Laporte and turn in abit of a boxing show in his next fight,allowing Laporte to press him and land some stinging shots before Nelson would take the decision.Next up he would fight to a tough and hotly disputed 'draw' with Australian buzz saw Jeff Fenech.Fenech kept him bottled up and mostly on the ropes and stuck in a corner showing much more aggression.Less than a year later the two would meet in a rematch and he would erase any doubts as he showed massive pressure and bludgeoned a less than sturdy Fenech for a harsh TKO victory for his 7th title defense.
You could see signs of erosion in his win over the fast but frail Calvin Grove.....he himself coming off a shocking one punch KO of Nelsons rival former rival Jeff Fenech.Groves movement and in and out approach gave him a few fits but was not enough and the Professor would win over 12.Azumah did very well in beating a fresh talent and very capable Gabe Ruelas next up in a nicely fought 12.
His 4 fight series with Jesse J. Lejia was a bit odd.You really got the impression of no love loss as they took turns one upping each other.The first took place in Leijas hometown where it appeared that Nelson was the more in control,resulted in a disputed draw that virtually left Leija sulking and on the brink of tears.Revenge was sweet in #2 as Lejia....who was never thought a puncher....dropped the solid chinned Nelson in the second round hard.Nelson would be docked a point in the 9th round and go on to lose a 12 round call and his reign would come to an end......breifly.
Guess I'm making the coffee stonger these days...blah,blah,blah
He would come back yet again and look the part of his old self.He meet a 'bothered' Ruelas again who himself previously defeated Lejia and Nelson proceeded to beat him from pillar to post in a display of power.Reclaiming his Title and setting up a third battle with Leija.Again.....He put on a pressure/power display.Dropping Jesse early,cutting him to ribbons above the eyes and getting sweet revenge in a good trilogy that goes a bit under the radar these days.After those showing.....the ship had seemingly sailed on his career.The professors last two fights were pretty wide losses.He lost his belt to an under appreciated rangy Genaro Hernandez in 97'.One in which Hernandez was felled by a punch to the throat and told he could stop and win via DQ....but instead opted to fight on against the dangerous HOF bound Nelson.Azumah lost over 12 and would face Leija yet again in their 4th and final fight.Leija was rejuvenated and on top of his game.Taking a brisk and smart boxing display,keeping Nelson one step behind him and handing Nelson a loss.The man was a true boxing professional and awesome talent.
Nelson's style of the high guard and excellent jab are the template for the Ghanaian fighters like Kotey, Quartey and Clotty.
Thanks Spicoli for the lenghy analysis- learned a lot;)
One more for the road, the professor was never in a bad fight and when he took on Ruelas, more that one member of the press said he should have been a psychologist the way he read his opponents and manipulated teir movents toward him in the ring. In other words it seems he just told you when wher and how he was going to win.
Azumah Nelson was hardly in his prime when he faced Pernell Whitaker. No way would have Nelson in his prime had difficulties with Fenech or Leija.Quote:
Originally Posted by JazMerkin
Arguably the greatest African fighter of all time, a tragedy only prevented us from seeing another fight with Salvador Sanchez. He could have his off nights though.
Absolutely, I was just about to suggest this. One of the greatest fights in the history of Madison Square Garden, and that's saying something.Quote:
Originally Posted by JazMerkin
After losing to Sanchez, Nelson didn't lose again for 8 years, until he moved up in weight and challenged a prime Whitaker at 135.
Greatest African fighter ever.
my favorite fighter ever. nelson was a joy to watch. i could watch him fight all day
I'm wondering where I said the Nelson that fought Fenech & Leija was in his prime. I do think when he fought Whitaker he was in his prime, I thought he gave him a tough fight, certainly tougher than the JCC or Ramirez fights, however Sweet Pea was just that bit too good & there's no shame in that, he was fighting against arguably the best LW of the past 60 years at his weight.Quote:
Originally Posted by TaethAzumah Nelson was hardly in his prime when he faced Pernell Whitaker. No way would have Nelson in his prime had difficulties with Fenech or Leija.Quote:
Originally Posted by JazMerkin
Everyone has basically said everything about Azumah Nelson, so i won't repeat everything thats just been said. But i would like to say that i thought Azumah Nelson went 2-2 with Jesse James Leija IMO, i thought he the 1st fight was a bit of a bad decision.
I also enjoyed Azumah Nelson's fight with Jim McDonnel. Being a brit when i see this fight last year. I was really proud of Jim McDonnel and thought he put up a hell of a fight.
I personally like the Pat Cowdell performance myself. ;D
Definitely lost the fight to fenech, no where near a draw. Havent watched the fight for a while but i remember thinking there is no way it was a draw.
Yes it wasn't nowhere near a draw your right, but i heard Azumah Nelson was ill and had malaria or something. And he faded down the stretch, which was very strange considering Azumah Nelson always had good conditioning.Quote:
Originally Posted by snakey
Whatever it was Azumah Nelson certainly wasn't 100 percent, and i think he fought one of his best fights in the rematch. He was alot better in the rematch, but also Jeff Fenech had been affected mentally from the 1st fight. And he was never the same.
I had Fenech losing the first 3 Rounds, if you watch closely Fenech lands a thunderous right hand in round 3 and Nelson did not fully recover changing the fight completely. It was a great fight, i had Fenech winning 117-111 amazing decision! Nelson in the 2nd fight caught a mentally drained Fenech and won by KO. Nelson often had nights where he wasn't always at his best.Quote:
Originally Posted by snakey
Quote:
Originally Posted by ICBYes it wasn't nowhere near a draw your right, but i heard Azumah Nelson was ill and had malaria or something. And he faded down the stretch, which was very strange considering Azumah Nelson always had good conditioning.Quote:
Originally Posted by snakey
Whatever it was Azumah Nelson certainly wasn't 100 percent, and i think he fought one of his best fights in the rematch. He was alot better in the rematch, but also Jeff Fenech had been affected mentally from the 1st fight. And he was never the same.
I remember it was a gift for Azumah that first fight .
Hadnt Azumahs wife passed away that last week as well as him having the flu straight after wards?
Whatever the reason, Nelson was poor in that first fight but the rematch he was awesome and convincingly beat Fenech in his own back yard and if he had that form in the first fight he would have beaten Fenech there too.
Azumah was also ill for the Whitaker fight and he desperately wanted a rematch which he was never allowed to have.
Back in 1982, a tough fighter out of Zambia named Charm “Shuffle” Chiteule, who did much of his work in Germany and the U.K., fought a Ghanaian by the name of Azumah Nelson. At stake was the prestigious African Featherweight Title which Nelson had won in 1981 by knocking out AustralianBrian Roberts in the fifth stanza in Accra, Ghana.
This fight was held at the Woodlands Stadium in Lusaka, Zambia. Nelson was 11-0 while the slick “Shuffle,” who became the number one contender to the Commonwealth title, came in at 19-1. Chiteule had won the Zambian Featherweight Title in 1979 while Nelson had taken the Ghanaian featherweight title in 1980. Nelson knocked out Chiteule in the tenth round and in so doing was able to get a shot at the world title just five months later. Still, only aficionados knew who he was and that his amateur record (50-1) was an outstanding one.
But Nelson made himself known throughout the global boxing landscape on July 21, 182 at Madison Square Garden when he gave the legendary Salvador Sanchez (42-1-1 coming in) all he could handle and then some before finally being stopped in the fifteenth round in a classic battle between two great fighters. It was a war from the start, as both fighters let their hands go in brutal exchanges marked by the great Mexican champion’s jarring left hooks. Even though Nelson had been dropped, the phone booth was still up for grabs going into the championship rounds, thought the booth in this instance was a bit larger since both fighters were winging from range.
Finally, in the last round, a rejuvenated Sánchez decked a still very game but tiring Nelson with a malefic four-punch combo. The warrior rose but was wobbly. Sánchez went right after him, landed five more blows that badly staggered Nelson just before referee Tony Perez, in one of his best career calls, jumped in to halt the action at the 1:47 mark. At the end, Nelson’s right jaw was badly swollen and likely broken and blood was coming from his mouth, but the Garden crowd roared its approval for his valiant effort. They knew what they had just witnessed; they knew a future legend when they saw it.
Sadly, Salvador Sanchez died shortly after this fight in an automobile accident on August 12, 1982. As for Azumah Nelson, this fight signaled his what was to come. After winning six straight, his come-from-behind knockout of Wilfredo Gomez in Puerto Rico in 1983 removed any lingering doubts as to championship stature. He would go on to win the WBC super-feather title in February 1988 when he won a disputed decision over Mario Martinez, but his attempt in 1990 to become a three division world champion failed when he lost a decision to Pernell Whitaker. He then bounced back to beat rugged Juan Laporte. After fighting to a draw against Jeff Fenech, he iced the future Hall of Famer in their rematch. He went 1-2-1 against Jesse James Leja, who seemed to have The Professor’s number.
It looked as if time had finally caught up with the Ghanaian when he lost a rematch with Leija, who promptly lost the crown in his next fight to Gabriel Ruelas. When he fought Nelson, many considered it a “safe fight” for Ruelas, but he TKOd the champion in the fifth canto in one of his more satisfying wins as it showed he was not through after all.
Eventually, with a record of 38-6-2, he would be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He gained national hero status in coastal West African nation of Ghana as the greatest fighter ever to come out of that country (David Kotei became Ghana's first World boxing champion when he won the WBC featherweight title in 1975). Indeed, many regard “The Professor” as the greatest fighter ever to emerge from the African continent.
Hope this helps, mate.
Just to confirm in the first Fenech fight he was suffering from Malaria. Proved what he could do with Fenech in a hostile environment (fenech's back yard in Oz) in the rematch.
Defo the greatest African fighter of all time.
I thought Azumah Nelson beat Jesse James Leija in there 1st meeting, it should of really been 2-1 to Azumah Nelson. The 4th fight should of never happened.Quote:
Originally Posted by holmcall
I have never bought the Malaria story from Nelson, if he had any sign of Malaria he would not have been passed to fight. The Symptoms of Malaria are great, you cannot hide them and you cannot fight a world championship fight with the symptoms of Malaria. 'The Professor' was very good at making excuses in fights, he is the greatest African fighter ever, but he was soundly beaten in that first Fenech fight. In fact the 2nd fight was close up until the KO, despite the first round knockdown Fenech fought back well until nailed. People are selling Fenech's performance that first fight well short.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bukom Battler