Jesse James Leija Record
| Total Fights | 57 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 47 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 2 |
| No-Contests | 1 |
| Title Wins | 1 |
|---|---|
| Title Defenses | 0 |
| Title-Fight KOs | 0 |
| KO Wins | 19 |
| KO Losses | 5 |
Featured Opponents
What is Jesse James Leija's boxing record?
In a professional boxing career spanning 16 years and three months, Jesse James Leija fought 57 times with 47 wins, 7 losses, and 2 draws.
Leija retired from professional boxing with a record of 47-7-2, which included one super-featherweight world-title win. He had a 33.9% knockouts-to-fights ratio with 19 of his total 57 fights being knockout wins. Leija lost five times via knockout, all five of them in title fights.
His last fight was a 5th round KO defeat to Arturo Gatti on January 29, 2005. Leija was fighting for the super-lightweight WBC title.
Some of Leija's best fights and notable victories include wins over Hall-of-Famer Azumah Nelson, Jeff Mayweather, Micky Ward, and Ivan Robinson.
| # | Date | Age | Opponent | Res | Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Jan 29, 2005 | 38 | Arturo Gatti | Loss * | KO5 |
| 56 | Jul 24, 2004 | 38 | Francisco Bojado | Win | SD |
| 55 | Apr 30, 2004 | 37 | Marteze Logan | Win | TD |
| 54 | Nov 15, 2003 | 37 | Fernando Mena | Win | TKO2 |
| 53 | May 22, 2003 | 36 | Adan Casillas | Win | TKO4 |
| 52 | Jan 19, 2003 | 36 | Kostya Tszyu | Loss * | RTD6 |
| 51 | Jan 5, 2002 | 35 | Micky Ward | Win | TD |
| 50 | Jul 7, 2001 | 34 | Héctor Camacho Jr. | NC | TD |
| 49 | Jan 7, 2001 | 34 | Fred Ladd | Win | TKO3 |
| 48 | Nov 11, 2000 | 34 | Ivan Robinson | Win | UD |
| 47 | Aug 5, 2000 | 34 | Juan Lazcano | Loss | SD |
| 46 | Apr 14, 2000 | 33 | Jorge Luis Lopez | Win | KO3 |
| 45 | Dec 2, 1999 | 33 | Wayne Boudreaux | Win | TD |
| 44 | Aug 20, 1999 | 33 | Verdell Smith | Win | UD |
| 43 | Nov 14, 1998 | 32 | Shane Mosley | Loss * | RTD9 |
| 42 | Jul 11, 1998 | 32 | Azumah Nelson | Win | UD |
| 41 | May 1, 1998 | 31 | Troy Crain | Win | KO2 |
| 40 | Jan 20, 1998 | 31 | Joel Perez | Win | UD |
| 39 | Nov 14, 1997 | 31 | Effie Schneider | Win | UD |
| 38 | Jun 14, 1997 | 30 | Jose Rodriguez | Win | UD |
| 37 | Mar 22, 1997 | 30 | Joel Perez | Win | UD |
| 36 | Dec 10, 1996 | 30 | Roberto Avila | Win | UD |
| 35 | Jun 1, 1996 | 29 | Azumah Nelson | Loss * | TKO6 |
| 34 | Dec 15, 1995 | 29 | Oscar De La Hoya | Loss * | RTD2 |
| 33 | Jul 29, 1995 | 29 | Rodney Garnett | Win | KO7 |
| 32 | May 2, 1995 | 28 | Jeff Mayweather | Win | UD |
| 31 | Sep 17, 1994 | 28 | Gabriel Ruelas | Loss * | UD |
| 30 | May 7, 1994 | 27 | Azumah Nelson | Win * | UD |
| 29 | Mar 23, 1994 | 27 | Tomas Valdez | Win | TKO3 |
| 28 | Sep 10, 1993 | 27 | Azumah Nelson | Draw * | SD |
| 27 | Mar 23, 1993 | 26 | Louie Espinoza | Win | UD |
| 26 | Dec 3, 1992 | 26 | Gabriel Castro | Win | UD |
| 25 | Oct 3, 1992 | 26 | Troy Dorsey | Win | RTD5 |
| 24 | Jul 15, 1992 | 26 | Jesus Poll | Win | PTS |
| 23 | Mar 3, 1992 | 25 | Jose Luis Martinez | Win | TD |
| 22 | Oct 18, 1991 | 25 | Steve McCrory | Win | UD |
| 21 | Aug 30, 1991 | 25 | Silvestre Castillo | Win | TKO2 |
| 20 | May 31, 1991 | 24 | Miguel Arrozal | Win | DQ |
| 19 | Apr 19, 1991 | 24 | Rafael Soliman | Win | UD |
| 18 | Feb 25, 1991 | 24 | Mark Fernandez | Win | UD |
| 17 | Jan 7, 1991 | 24 | Felipe de Jesus | Win | UD |
| 16 | Oct 8, 1990 | 24 | Edward Parker | Draw | SD |
| 15 | Aug 13, 1990 | 24 | Ricky Alvarez | Win | TKO1 |
| 14 | Jul 16, 1990 | 24 | Bobby McCarthy | Win | TKO5 |
| 13 | May 13, 1990 | 23 | Boyd Gardner | Win | UD |
| 12 | Mar 25, 1990 | 23 | Roy Muniz | Win | KO3 |
| 11 | Mar 15, 1990 | 23 | Gary Spencer | Win | KO2 |
| 10 | Jan 8, 1990 | 23 | Joe Thompson | Win | TKO3 |
| 9 | Dec 11, 1989 | 23 | Carlos Flores | Win | KO4 |
| 8 | Oct 16, 1989 | 23 | Tony De La Rosa | Win | KO1 |
| 7 | Sep 11, 1989 | 23 | Jaime Castellano | Win | TKO3 |
| 6 | Jul 24, 1989 | 23 | Capri Lipkin | Win | UD |
| 5 | May 29, 1989 | 22 | Chilo Guzman | Win | PTS |
| 4 | Apr 10, 1989 | 22 | Manuel Gomez | Win | UD |
| 3 | Jan 21, 1989 | 22 | Joe Mitchell | Win | UD |
| 2 | Nov 3, 1988 | 22 | Martin Melendez | Win | TKO2 |
| 1 | Oct 2, 1988 | 22 | Oscar Davis | Win | TKO1 |
* World-title fight
Boxing career
Jesse James Leija (The Texas Tornado) is a 57-year old retired American professional boxer. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. on July 8, 1966. He is a former super-featherweight world champion. His professional boxing career spanned more than 16 years — from 1988 to 2005.
Leija made his professional boxing debut against Oscar Davis at the age of 22 on October 2, 1988, defeating Davis via 1st round TKO. He went on to win 14 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 9 wins via stoppage.
He had his first world title fight on September 10, 1993 at the age of 27, after 27 professional fights, against Azumah Nelson with the WBC title on the line. The fight ended in a split decision draw.
Leija has won one world title at super-featherweight. For all the details about Leija's world title wins and defenses refer to the "Championships" section below.
Leija had a total of seven losses in his professional boxing career.
His last professional fight was on January 29, 2005 against Canadian boxer Arturo Gatti for Gatti's super-lightweight WBC title. Leija lost the fight via 5th round KO. It's been 19 years, 2 months, and 21 days since this fight.
Championships
Leija had a total of eight world-title fights, which includes winning one world title and zero successful title defenses. He won one of these fights, lost six, and drew in one.
Title Wins
Jesse James Leija fought for a super-featherweight world title in seven fights and won once. He won one super-featherweight belt.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Won | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1994 | Azumah Nelson | Super-featherweight | WBC | UD |
Title Losses
Jesse James Leija lost one world-title defense fight, and lost one title in the fight.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Lost | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 1994 | Gabriel Ruelas | Super-featherweight | WBC | UD |
Highlights
Leija fought a total of 57 times during his professional career, which includes 8 world-title fights at three weight divisions. These five fights are the highlight of his career.
September 10, 1993: In his first world-title fight, Jesse James Leija has a draw against Azumah Nelson via 12 round split decision. He was fighting for the WBC super-featherweight title.
May 7, 1994: Leija wins the WBC super-featherweight title from Azumah Nelson, by beating Nelson via 12 round unanimous decision.
May 2, 1995: Jesse James Leija beats Jeff Mayweather via 10th round unanimous decision.
July 11, 1998: Jesse James Leija beats Azumah Nelson via 12th round unanimous decision.
January 5, 2002: Jesse James Leija beats Micky Ward via 5th round technical decision.
FAQs
How many KOs does Jesse James Leija have on his record?
Leija knocked out 19 of his 57 opponents. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 33.9%. Of his total 47 wins, 19 of them were via KO (40.4%).
What was Jesse James Leija's first world title win?
Leija's first world-title win was the WBC belt at super-featherweight. He defeated Azumah Nelson via 12 round unanimous decision to win the title.
How many world titles did Jesse James Leija win?
Leija won one world title at super-featherweight.
How many title defenses did Jesse James Leija make?
Leija had one title defense fight, which he lost.