Boxing hall of Famer, Azumah Nelson, has advised that with every downfall, one must make an undying effort to rise again.
In an interview with Rev. Erskine on the Y-Leaderboard Series, a segment on the Myd-Morning Show on Yfm, he made this statement in relation to how he was able to get back on his feet to win his next match, after his first loss to Mexican boxer, Salvador Sanchez.
Azumah Nelson, on July 21, 1982, experienced his first career defeat after challenging Mexican boxer, Salvador Sanchez for his WBC featherweight title at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
The boxing champion said, “In this world when you fall, you don’t have to stay there. You have to get up and continue”, he urged.
Defending why he lost that match, Azumah Nelson confessed that he knew he was not ready for that fight but he fought anyway. However, he made sure to give Sanchez a tough time.
According to him, he was ready to fight again for the title after that big loss but his opponents kept avoiding having to meet him in the ring again because they saw him as a dangerous boxer. This went on till he pushed to become number one.
“They dodged me till I became number one and then it was mandatory defense. If you hide they will take the title from you so they put me to fight with Wilfredo Gomez in Puerto Rico and I knocked him out in the 11th round”, he further narrated.
December 8th, 1984, Azumah Nelson defeated Wilfredo Gomez and was crowned the new WBC featherweight champion at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
By: Maureen Dedei Quaye