Azumah Nelson Record & Stats
In a career spanning 28 years and 6 months, Azumah Nelson fought 46 times with 38 wins, 6 losses, and 2 draws. By his last professional fight on June 24, 2008, Nelson's boxing record stood at 38-6-2 (27 KO wins, 1 KO loss).
- Born
- Jul 19, 1958
- Age
- 64
- Debut
- Dec 1, 1979
- Record
- 38-6-2
- Rounds
- 393
- KOs
- 27 (58.7%)
- Height
- 165 cm
- Reach
- 173 cm
- Ape Index
- 8 cm
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Last Fight
| WBC |
|---|
| sFT w2 d11 |
| FT w1 d6 |
Azumah Nelson (The Professor) is a retired Ghanaian professional boxer. He was born in Accra, Ghana on July 19, 1958. Nelson made his professional boxing debut at the age of 21 on December 1, 1979. He is a former 2-weight-class world champion. He is 64 years old, and will be turning 65 in 5 months and 15 days. Nelson is a Hall of Famer.
Boxing Record
| Total Fights | 46 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 38 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No-Contests | 0 |
| KO Wins | 27 |
|---|---|
| Total Title Wins | 3 |
| Title Defenses | 15 |
| Title-Fight KO Wins | 12 |
| Losses via KO | 1 |
| # | Date | Age | Opponent | Result | Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Jun 24, 2008 | 49 | Jeff Fenech | Loss | MD |
| 45 | Jul 11, 1998 | 39 | Jesse James Leija | Loss | UD |
| 44 | Mar 22, 1997 | 38 | Genaro Hernández | Loss | SD |
| 43 | Jun 1, 1996 | 37 | Jesse James Leija | Win | TKO6 |
| 42 | Dec 1, 1995 | 37 | Gabriel Ruelas | Win | TKO5 |
| 41 | May 7, 1994 | 35 | Jesse James Leija | Loss | UD |
| 40 | Sep 10, 1993 | 35 | Jesse James Leija | Draw | SD |
| 39 | Feb 20, 1993 | 34 | Gabriel Ruelas | Win | MD |
| 38 | Nov 7, 1992 | 34 | Calvin Grove | Win | UD |
| 37 | Mar 1, 1992 | 33 | Jeff Fenech | Win | TKO8 |
| 36 | Jun 28, 1991 | 32 | Jeff Fenech | Draw | SD |
| 35 | Mar 16, 1991 | 32 | Daniyal Mustapha Ennin | Win | KO4 |
| 34 | Oct 13, 1990 | 32 | Juan Laporte | Win | UD |
| 33 | May 19, 1990 | 31 | Pernell Whitaker | Loss | UD |
| 32 | Nov 5, 1989 | 31 | Jim McDonnell | Win | KO12 |
| 31 | Feb 25, 1989 | 30 | Mario Martínez | Win | TKO12 |
| 30 | Dec 10, 1988 | 30 | Sidnei Dal Rovere | Win | KO3 |
| 29 | Jun 25, 1988 | 29 | Lupe Suarez | Win | TKO9 |
| 28 | Feb 29, 1988 | 29 | Mario Martínez | Win | SD |
| 27 | Aug 29, 1987 | 29 | Marcos Villasana | Win | UD |
| 26 | Mar 7, 1987 | 28 | Mauro Gutierrez | Win | KO6 |
| 25 | Jun 22, 1986 | 27 | Danilo Cabrera | Win | TKO10 |
| 24 | Feb 25, 1986 | 27 | Marcos Villasana | Win | MD |
| 23 | Oct 12, 1985 | 27 | Pat Cowdell | Win | KO1 |
| 22 | Sep 6, 1985 | 27 | Juvenal Ordenes | Win | TKO5 |
| 21 | Dec 8, 1984 | 26 | Wilfredo Gómez | Win | KO11 |
| 20 | Mar 9, 1984 | 25 | Hector Cortez | Win | UD |
| 19 | Nov 25, 1983 | 25 | Kabiru Akindele | Win | KO9 |
| 18 | Sep 23, 1983 | 25 | Alberto Collazo | Win | TKO2 |
| 17 | Aug 17, 1983 | 25 | Alvin Fowler | Win | TKO2 |
| 16 | Feb 12, 1983 | 24 | Ricky Wallace | Win | UD |
| 15 | Oct 31, 1982 | 24 | Irving Mitchell | Win | TKO5 |
| 14 | Jul 21, 1982 | 24 | Salvador Sánchez | Loss | TKO15 |
| 13 | Jun 26, 1982 | 23 | Mukaila Bukare | Win | TKO6 |
| 12 | Feb 28, 1982 | 23 | Charm Chiteule | Win | TKO10 |
| 11 | Dec 4, 1981 | 23 | Kabiru Akindele | Win | KO6 |
| 10 | Sep 26, 1981 | 23 | Brian Roberts | Win | TKO5 |
| 9 | Aug 18, 1981 | 23 | Miguel Ruiz | Win | TKO4 |
| 8 | May 2, 1981 | 22 | Don George | Win | KO5 |
| 7 | Mar 6, 1981 | 22 | Aziza Bossou | Win | PTS |
| 6 | Dec 13, 1980 | 22 | Joe Skipper | Win | TKO10 |
| 5 | Oct 4, 1980 | 22 | David Capo | Win | PTS |
| 4 | Aug 2, 1980 | 22 | Abdul Rahman Optoki | Win | TKO8 |
| 3 | Mar 1, 1980 | 21 | Henry Saddler | Win | TKO9 |
| 2 | Feb 2, 1980 | 21 | Nii Nuer | Win | TKO3 |
| 1 | Dec 1, 1979 | 21 | Billy Kwame | Win | PTS |
Featured Opponents
Statistics
Career Summary
Azumah Nelson's professional boxing career spanned more than 28 years — from 1979 to 2008.
Nelson made his debut against Billy Kwame at the age of 21 on December 1, 1979, defeating Kwame via 10 round PTS. He went on to win 12 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 10 wins via stoppage.
Nelson had his first world title fight at the age of 24 on July 21, 1982 after 13 professional fights, against Salvador Sánchez for the WBC and The Ring titles. He lost to Sánchez via 15th round TKO.
Nelson has won three world titles at 2 weight classes. For all the details about Nelson's world title wins and defenses refer to "Azumah Nelson World Titles".
Some of Nelson's best fights and notable victories include wins over Jeff Fenech, Wilfredo Gómez, Jesse James Leija, and Mario Martínez.
Azumah Nelson had a total of six losses in his professional boxing career — four of them in title bouts and two in non-title bouts. He suffered his first loss against Salvador Sánchez via 15th round TKO on July 21, 1982, which ended his 13-fight win streak. He has been stopped once and lost five times via decision. For more details about these defeats, refer to "All of Azumah Nelson's losses".
His last professional fight was a non-title rematch against Australian boxer Jeff Fenech on June 24, 2008. Nelson lost the fight via 10 round majority decision. It's been 14 years, 7 months, and 11 days since this fight.
Nelson retired from professional boxing with a record of 38-6-2, which included 27 knockout wins and 1 loss via knockout, and 3 title wins. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 2004.
Career Highlights
Azumah Nelson fought a total of 46 times during his professional career. He was among the very best of his generation and put on some great performances. These four fights are the highlight of his career.
Azumah Nelson vs. Wilfredo Gómez
A 26-year old Azumah Nelson (19-1, 14 KO) had his first world title fight against Wilfredo Gómez for Gómez' WBC featherweight belt. Gómez was 28 years old with a record of 41-1-1. Gómez was on a nine-fight win streak with 40 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 1 cm but Nelson had a 7 cm reach advantage over Gómez.
Nelson defeated Gómez via 11th round KO to win the WBC featherweight title.
Azumah Nelson vs. Mario Martínez II
In a rematch, a 30-year old Azumah Nelson (29-1, 21 KO) faced Mario Martínez, who was now 23 years old with a record of 47-4-2 in a super-featherweight title defense fight. Martínez was on a one-fight win streak with 29 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 3 cms but Nelson had a 5 cm reach advantage over Martínez.
Nelson defeated Martínez via 12th round TKO to retain the WBC super-featherweight title.
Azumah Nelson vs. Jeff Fenech II
In an immediate rematch, a 33-year old Azumah Nelson (33-2-1, 24 KO) faced an undefeated Jeff Fenech, who was now 27 years old with a record of 26-0-1 in a super-featherweight title defense fight. Fenech was on a one-fight win streak with 19 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 6 cms but Nelson had a 2 cm reach advantage over Fenech.
Nelson defeated Fenech via 8th round TKO to retain the WBC super-featherweight title. He handed Fenech the first loss of his career.
Azumah Nelson vs. Jesse James Leija III
In a rematch, a 37-year old Azumah Nelson (37-3-2, 26 KO) faced Jesse James Leija, who was now 29 years old with a record of 30-2-2 in a super-featherweight title defense fight. Leija was on a one-fight losing streak. Both the boxers were of the same height but Nelson had a 3 cm reach advantage over Leija.
Nelson defeated Leija via 6th round TKO to retain the WBC super-featherweight title.
FAQs
What are some of Azumah Nelson's best wins?
Some of Nelson's best wins were against Jeff Fenech, Wilfredo Gómez, Jesse James Leija, and Mario Martínez. Despite the loss, his performance against Genaro Hernández is also among Nelson's best.
How many KOs does Azumah Nelson have on his record?
Nelson knocked out 27 of his 46 opponents. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 58.7%. Of his total 38 wins, 27 of them were via KO (71.1%).
Who did Azumah Nelson lose to?
Nelson had 6 losses. Jeff Fenech, Genaro Hernández, Jesse James Leija, Pernell Whitaker, and Salvador Sánchez are the five boxers who have beaten Nelson.