Azumah Nelson

I love Nelson, one of my very favorites. He was very audacious, so very confident in his abilities. If he didn't respect your strength and power, he'd just walk you down and gleefully chop you up.

While not a great boxer per se, he was superb at setting traps and is probably better described as "crafty" and "tricky," particularly in the waning years of his career. By maybe 1992 onward, it was more about outlasting and outthinking oppoenents for Azumah, whereas before brute strength and power meant more.

One of my favorite memories of him was how he went to Puerto Rico to face their Golden God and simply showed him no respect, battering Gomez relentlessly and laughing off anything the hometown hero had to offer. Finally, Nelson turned up the heat and the sight of Gomez falling to his haunches, then backward, dead to the world at the feet of Nelson's buzzsaw attack was especially pleasant to watch.

 

Not a Gomez fan huh?

 

An appreciator, but not a fan.

 

Spot on.

I'm a big Nelson fan, also. Loved his confidence.

 

Great stuff! Thanks Philly!

 

Love how he dominated Villasana second time round. Nelson was ****ing clowning him.

A solid all-round operator. I can't think of anything he was consistently spectacular at utilising just very impressed with his defence, output and punch selection. And obviously his chin.

Even 'green' against Sanchez he was awesome. Less patient and refined but he was clearly world class even then. Sal' was the best thing that could've happened to Azumah. He just got better and better.

Seen him flat a few times but in his most important fights he usually turned it on. The way he executed Fenech in their rematch was highly impressive as well considering the ebb and flow of the first contest.

 

He'd decimate Broner inside a round. Hell, let Rios weigh in at 140 and I'll take the Nelson of the Pea fight to tear him a new one.

 

excellent fighter, fun to watch and with a great resume. I can still see him hammering Jeff Fenech against the ropes in their rematch at princess park, in Australia. Probably a guy who has been forgotten in a lot of circles.

 

I met Nelson shortly before the Ruelas fight. I was struck by how tiny his hands were- but I'm 6'3", 185, with big hands. I told him that I always wanted him to lose, but that, since he fought the best around and usually won, I had tons of respect for him. He said that he appreciated my opinion, and that, if I kept watching, he'd make me a fan.
And he did. Until the Genaro Hernandez fight. In perspective, at 130, Arguello and Chavez would have decimated him. Tony Lopez would have won 2 of 3. Hernandez at his best would have beaten him easy. He got lucky against Azabache Martinez in the first fight, and the second (when Martinez lost due to a compound fracture of his right hand, not Nelson), the first Fenech fight, and twice against Leija.
VERY VERY overrated fighter. Twenty years sooner, nobody would have ever heard his name, other than as an opponent.

 

He could fight.

 

Great fighter. But he was damned dirty. It seemed like he hit everyone when they were down sometime in combination.

 

I loved the Fenech rematch. Azumah was so strong that day. He knew he was in control from the opening bell.

Agree he was a good all around champion. When I think of him I think of "heavyhands". When he hit somebody they may not go right down but he moved them and did damage.

He could think on the fly and adjust his style during the fight.

 

This guy was the total package...A trainers dream..