Ninvalle engages former World Champion Azumah Nelson
…Seeks “The Professor’s” input on development
The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) is poised to benefit from the knowledge of world class former boxer Azumah ‘The Professor’ Nelson, who is widely regarded as the greatest African boxer of all time.
This comes on the heels of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle meaningfully engaging the Ghanian boxer at his home in Ghana on Monday.
“Well, the meeting with Mr. Nelson today went extremely well. We held discussions on a wide array of topics. Our main focus, of course, was about his ability to assist with the development of boxing in Guyana and the Caribbean, and Mr. Nelson said that he stands ready,” Ninvalle shared in an invited comment.
It is believed that with the input of the former World Featherweight and Super Featherweight champion’s vast knowledge of the sport, not only would the GBA benefit, but local pugilists would also.
GBA President Steve Ninvalle sharing a light moment with former World Champion Azumah ‘The Professor’ Nelson
The GBA President said about “The Professor’s” future involvement, “His team will be making contact with us soon as to the details of how they can assist, and then we can move forward from there. Mr. Nelson is a legend. As you know, he is the greatest boxer to come out of the African continent, and he’s the only African who’s a Hall of Famer in boxing.”
The GBA Boss expressed that the meeting with the world-renowned boxer Nelson at his home in Ghana also had personal significance to him.
“I remembered one fight exactly when he defeated Wilfredo Gomez. Gomez was looked upon as being immortal in boxing, but Nelson would have knocked him out. So, it was an extremely special day for me, on a personal note, to meet with him,” he explained. Ninvalle added, “Not only to meet with him, but to be invited into his home to have these discussions.
During his amateur career, Azumah ‘The Professor’ Nelson competed at the All-Africa Games and Commonwealth Games, both in 1978, where he captured gold in the featherweight division at both events.
Nelson made his first challenge for a world title (WBC Featherweight) in 1982, but lost to Salvador Sanchez. However, in 1984 he won the WBC Featherweight championship in a famous fight against Wilfredo Gomez, whom he knocked out in the 11th round. Years later, Nelson first won the WBC Super featherweight title in 1988 after overcoming Mario Martinez via split decision.
