Azumah Nelson (born July 19, 1958) is a Ghanaian former professional boxer. Widely considered the greatest African boxer of all time, he held the WBC featherwight title once and the WBC super featherweight title twice.

Amateur career

Nelson had a stellar amateur career, competing at the 1978 Commonwealth Games where he won a gold medal in the Featherweight class, and compiling an Amateur Record of 50-2.

Professional career

Nelson's professional boxing debut, in 1979, did not generate much attention, except in Ghana, where he was known because of his family ties. Internationally, Nelson lacked the recognition for such an event to be given its due importance. With the years, however, all of that changed because he garnered worldwide fame as a boxer.

He beat Billy Kwame in Accra by a decision in eight to mark his professional debut. In his third fight, he fought on March 3, 1980, he knocked out Henry Sadler in the ninth round to win Ghana's regional 126 pound title. On December 13 of that year, he knocked out Joe Skipper in round 10 to add the African continent's belt to his Ghanaian regional championship.

In 1981, Nelson beat Bozzou Aziza in Togo; it was Nelson's first fight abroad. He then beat Miguel Ruiz in his first United States fight, held in California. He added the Commonwealth of Nations' Featherweight title with a fifth round knockout of Brian Roberts.

Despite all his early achievements and being undefeated in 13 fights, Nelson was virtually unkown outside Ghana. Because of this, he was a decisive underdog when he challenged WBC featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez on July 21, 1982 at the Madison Square Garden in New York. Despite losing that fight by a knockout in round 15, Nelson's stock as a boxer rose after that fight, and he established himself as a deserving leading contender in the eyes of many fans. Further, Nelson was put at a significant disadvantage when his custom mouthpiece was stolen and he had to make do with a makeshift one purchased from a store and cut to his mouth with a knife, leaving him in pain for the whole fight. The Sanchez-Nelson fight would be Salvador Sanchez's last fight, as he died almost two months later after suffering a car accident in Mexico City.

In his next fight, Nelson knocked out fringe contender Irving Mitchell in eight rounds.

World featherweight champion

Nelson won all four of his fights in 1983, and he began 1984 by beating Hector Cortez by decision on March 9 in Las Vegas. Then, on December 8 of that year, he became boxing royalty by knocking out Wilfredo Gomez in round 11 to win the WBC featherweight championship. Behind on the three judges' scorecards, Nelson rallied in that last round to become champion in Puerto Rico.

Nelson held on to that title for three years. He could not fight for 9 months after the Gomez bout, but when he returned, he retained the title in Miami with a fifth round knockout of Juvenal Ordenes in September 1985, and then in October of that year, he retained it again with a first round knockout of Pat Cowdell in Birmingham, England. The Cowdell knockout in particular became a highlight film material" Cowdell was left frozen on the canvas by Nelson's knockout punch.

In 1986, he retained the title two times, beating future world champion Marcos Villasana and former Barry McGuigan challenger Danilo Cabrera (once again, in Puerto Rico).

In 1987, Nelson retained the title against Mauro Guitierrez, by a knockout in round six, and in a rematch with Villasana, once again, by decision. After the second fight with Villasana, Nelson abandoned the WBC title.