Azumah Nelson kept his WBC super featherweight title against Juan Laporte on October 13, 1990, but the champion left Sydney with little satisfaction. He had won the fight while still grieving the death of his wife, and afterward acknowledged that his mind had been elsewhere.
Thirty-six years ago today, Nelson took a unanimous decision at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The scores were 116–113, 116–112 and 115–113. It was enough to preserve his title and keep a planned fight with Jeff Fenech alive, although his performance gave the Australian reason for encouragement.
Nelson, 32, was returning from a decision defeat against Pernell Whitaker five months earlier, when he had moved up to challenge for the lightweight titles. Back at 130 pounds, he faced another experienced opponent who was difficult to discourage.
Laporte had held the WBC featherweight crown and possessed the power to punish a careless champion. His knockout of Rocky Lockridge had demonstrated that danger. Nelson had little incentive to plant his feet and give him repeated opportunities to land.
Instead, the Ghanaian worked behind his left jab and used his quicker feet to keep the challenger reaching. Laporte pushed him toward the ropes at times, but Nelson repeatedly found his way back into open space. A contemporary report described the jab as the punch that kept Laporte from taking control.
That approach frustrated Laporte and disappointed spectators hoping for a harder fight. The challenger landed heavier punches in stretches, particularly when Nelson stayed near the ropes, but could not maintain enough pressure to make those moments the pattern of the night.
Nelson’s explanation afterward gave the subdued performance a painful context.
“I was only 50 percent, my head was not clear,” he told UPI, explaining that his wife had died of cancer four months earlier.
His trainer, Jose Martin, was unhappy too, believing Fenech would have beaten either boxer that night. Laporte felt his heavier shots deserved more credit, although he acknowledged that he needed to work at a faster pace.
The fight showed how much Nelson could accomplish with his boxing alone. Laporte wanted opportunities to use his power; Nelson made him spend too much time trying to get into position.
Bigger nights followed: the disputed draw with Fenech in Las Vegas in 1991, then Nelson’s eighth-round stoppage victory in Melbourne in 1992. Sydney was a quieter chapter, with a grieving champion doing enough to leave with his belt.
