The Night Azumah Nelson Beat Wilfredo Gómez: Full Fight Story and Career timeline after ‘Bazooka’ Dies at 69

Gómez was renowned for his devastating punching power and achievements across three weight divisions. During his professional career, he won the WBC super-bantamweight title, the WBC featherweight championship and the WBA super-featherweight crown.

He recorded 44 victories in 48 professional fights, including 42 wins by knockout, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.

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One of the defining chapters of his career came when he faced Nelson, popularly known as “The Professor”, in a contest that tested the Puerto Rican’s championship pedigree against the Ghanaian’s tactical intelligence, resilience and punching power.

By the age of 26, Gómez had established himself as one of boxing’s most dominant champions. He had successfully defended the WBC junior featherweight title 17 times, with every defence ending in a stoppage, and had also captured the WBC featherweight title.

The Puerto Rican entered the fight against Nelson with an outstanding record and ambitions of becoming a world champion in three weight divisions.

A pre-fight wire report from Puerto Rico quoted Gómez, who had a record of 41 wins, one defeat and one draw, including 40 knockouts, going into the contest, as saying:

“Nelson comes from Ghana with hopes to win, but lamentably, this title will stay here because it belongs to Puerto Ricans. My goal is to win three world titles, and Nelson is not going to block my career.”

Nelson, however, was determined to upset the champion and establish himself against one of the most feared punchers in the sport.

Gómez approached the opening rounds cautiously, appearing wary of Nelson’s strength and counterpunching ability.

The Puerto Rican looked effective when using his footwork and jab to control distance. However, Nelson repeatedly disrupted his rhythm and prevented him from building sustained attacking momentum.

Although Gómez had moments of success, Nelson’s responses made it difficult for the champion to dominate the exchanges.

The fourth round marked an important turning point. Nelson connected with a series of right hands that disrupted Gómez’s progress and boosted the Ghanaian’s confidence.

He carried that momentum into the fifth round, continuing to press forward and challenge the champion with his power.

The contest became increasingly physical as both fighters attempted to impose their strengths.

Gómez began finding opportunities as Nelson pressed forward, forcing the Puerto Rican to stand and exchange punches rather than rely entirely on movement.

The seventh round developed into a demanding tactical battle. Nelson landed the more eye-catching punches to the head, while Gómez responded with shots to the body and sides.

Both men enjoyed moments of success, but the intensity of the exchanges placed considerable demands on their stamina.

As the fight progressed, Nelson continued searching for openings while Gómez returned to a more cautious approach.

Gómez regained some momentum in the ninth round, demonstrating the technical quality and composure that had helped establish his reputation as a world champion.

Nelson responded with more damaging right hands in the tenth round, leaving Gómez looking increasingly ragged between rounds.

With the contest approaching its closing stages, Nelson’s corner believed he needed to increase the pressure to secure victory.

According to the fight account, Nelson’s cornerman, Bill Prezant, told him shortly before the eleventh round that he was behind on the judges’ scorecards and needed to “step it up”.

Despite looking worn, Nelson summoned the energy for a final assault. A pair of right hands ransacked Gómez’s defences and awkwardly folded him backwards, bringing the contest to a dramatic end.

Nelson later recalled the decisive sequence in The Professor, his 2014 biography, describing Gómez as dazed after the knockdown and questioning the referee’s decision to allow the fight to continue.

“When I knocked Gomez down in round eleven, he was dazed,” Nelson said in “The Professor", his 2014 biography. “The referee had to stop the fight, but the referee tried to help him and let him carry on. I came in, and I feigned to him and then threw a straight right, and he fell to the ground. He was not supposed to take that punch, and he wouldn’t have had to if the referee stopped it when he should have.”

Nelson’s account highlights the intensity of the closing moments and the importance of the Ghanaian’s finishing attack in securing the victory.

Nelson’s victory sparked jubilant scenes across Ghana, with people flooding the streets to celebrate the triumph of their national boxing hero.

The fight had generated enormous interest throughout the country. However, the television broadcast was delayed because of problems with the international video feed.

To make the contest accessible to the public, the Ghanaian government purchased the broadcasting rights, allowing people across the country to watch the bout.

Nelson’s victory therefore became more than a significant achievement in his professional career. It was a moment of national celebration that strengthened his standing as one of Ghana’s greatest sporting icons.

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Successful title defences across three divisions

International Boxing Hall of Fame induction