‘I thought, if I’m that bad, that rubbish, how come he’s not got rid of me? Maybe I’m not that bad after all. That’s how I started to think. I won the fourth and fifth fights. I thought, I’ll get to 10 and see how we go. I kept giving myself five fights and that’s how I got into it.’
Considerably more motivated than he had been as an amateur, the eager young prospect began winning more than he lost. On May 21, 1989, Nelson remarkably captured the vacant British title on the undercard of the Nigel Benn-Michael Watson fight. Nelson says that along with becoming world champion, that was his proudest moment.
‘I wasn’t expected to win,’ he said. ‘I was on the bus back thinking, ‘I’ve won the British title.’ It showed, Brendan Ingle’s system worked. I didn’t have the talent. I had to work from scratch in that gym.’
Nelson’s rapid improvement hadn’t gone unnoticed, and shortly after his 23rd birthday, the southpaw stylist was matched against WBC cruiserweight titleholder Carlos de Leon. The bout took place on January 27, in Sheffield.
‘As a professional, I didn’t think I was any good,’ admitted Nelson. ‘I thought the opposition was bad and that I was fortunate to be in the position where I boxed people that weren’t very good.
‘It was a day of reckoning. I looked at De Leon and was beat before I even got in the ring. It was a great opportunity to fight for the world title, but I didn’t have the confidence and self-belief to back up my ability. I got a draw against one of the best fighters in the world, so in hindsight I did pretty well.’
Despite the draw, Nelson now felt that he needed a back-up plan. He attended university and studied recreational management, with the idea of teaching physical education. The ups and downs in his professional boxing career continued.
Nelson captured the vacant European championship by stopping Markus Bott in the 12th and final round in December 1990. Bott would subsequently test positive for steroids.
In May 1992, a second title shot against IBF belt holder James Warring ended in a wide decision defeat. Looking back, Nelson feels he hadn’t got over the De Leon fight. He wasn’t sure of himself and let the American’s camp hustle him and talk him out of the fight.
Nelson was at a crossroads in his career. He travelled to Germany and sparred some of that country’s top operators from the early 1990s: Axel Schultz, Torsten and Rudigier May and Henry Maske. He also boxed around the world in France, South Africa, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, Thailand and Brazil with mixed success.
During that time, Nelson had to deal with racism, bribery to throw a fight and he was shot at by police in Brazil.
Those experiences instilled the vital self-belief that Nelson had been lacking. He started fighting at home again in 1996 with a completely new mindset.
‘That was the best thing I could have done,’ said Nelson. ‘Brendan knew it wasn’t a physical thing. It was a mental thing, so he had to build my confidence up. He had to make me decide if I really wanted it.
‘It was a great experience, in and out of the ring, and it was a test of character. It gave me the chance to see all sides of boxing.’
In March 1999, Nelson received a third shot at fulfilling his dreams. He met countryman Carl Thompson for the WBO title and this time the challenger was a completely different animal.
‘I had all the belief I didn’t have in the past,’ Nelson said. ‘I had no excuses. I’d done everything for me to actually win. Now I expected to win.
‘I knew Carl, mentally, hadn’t been where I’d been. He’s the kind of guy who wears his heart of his sleeve. I knew I had to rattle him. Physically, I couldn’t have done anything, but mentally I knew he was nowhere near my level.’
Nelson picked Thompson apart over five rounds to win the title. But he wasn’t done, and a remarkable 13 successful defenses followed. That record remains unsurpassed at cruiserweight, although German boxer-puncher Marco Huck did equal the run in 2014.
‘I’ve not gone through all this shit to just beat Carl Thompson,’ he explained. ‘I want a lot more than that. That’s why I was a champion who wasn’t going to get beat. I was a hungry champion.’
Among others, Nelson defeated Pietro Aurino (TKO 7), savvy veteran former champion Marcelo Dominguez (UD 12), dynamite puncher Ezra Sellars in an up-off-the-floor win (KO 8) and future WBA titleholder Guillermo Jones (D12). His title reign lasted seven-and-a-half years.
Just prior to facing Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli in March 2006, Nelson snapped the patella in his knee. The doctors, much to his disappointment, told him he’d never box again. A bereft Nelson exited the sport after nearly 20 years with a record of (45-12-2, 29 KOS).
‘I would have liked to have fought Juan Carlos Gomez,’ revealed Nelson. ‘Barring myself, he was the best. Another guy was IBF champion, Vassiliy Jirov. We boxed on the same card in Las Vegas. We trained at the same gym and I was watching him. I knew, at that time, I could have been unified cruiserweight champion.’ Ring TV online article, ‘Best I Faced: Johnny Nelson’
55) Ezra Sellers KO8: UK Sky TV Commentary TV -
v Ezra Sellers 4 June 2002 WBO Cruiserweight Copenhagen Denmark [r1] … He’s [Nelson] got the height, he’s got the reach … [r2] … Nelson did absolutely nothing … Nelson lands with a right hand … [r3] … Nelson is just determined not to get counterpunched … [r4] … There’s very little happening … He knows he has to start doing something now … Left hand and Nelson is wobbled! … Left hand and down goes Nelson! … [r5] … Well … Body shot from Sellers … Nelson is out of range a lot of the time … That’s a bit better … Great left hand … [r6] … A very poor performance from Nelson … Nelson gets there with the right hand … [r7] … Nelson was a bit shaken by one there … Nelson walked into one, he’s getting hammered around on the inside there … [r8] … Good shot by Nelson … Good shot … right on the right eye … Turned it all around in Round 8 … UK Sky TV commentary
[8.5] FLOYD PATTERSON 64-55(40)-8-1 [Heavyweight 187-200 lbs]: Daily Telegraph - Classic Sports TV -
Floyd Patterson: Youngest world heavyweight boxing champion and first fighter to regain the title: Floyd Patterson, who died yesterday aged 71, not only became the youngest world heavyweight champion at 21; he also became the first fighter to regain the title when he knocked out Sweden’s Ingemar Johansson in 1960 in the second of their their fights.
Furthermore, he was the first Olympic champion to go on and win boxing’s richest prize. Yet Patterson did not rank among the heavyweight greats, and his build seemed ill-suited to the division. Standing just 6 ft and weighing a mere 13st 8lb, his short reach of 71 inches and stubby arms forced him to develop the unorthodox method of springing towards his opponents in order to land his blows. This high-risk strategy left Patterson open to counter shots, and in his seven world title bouts he visited the canvas 16 times – most famously in 1959 when Johannson floored him on seven occasions during the first of their trilogy of fights. Daily Telegraph article 11 May 2006
Patterson, never topping 200 pounds, was one of the lightest modern heavyweight champions of all time. Classic Sports banner, cited Boxing: First Round Knockouts
41) Sonny Liston Lost KO1: US Fight Commentary TV -
v Sonny Liston 25th September 1962 Chicago: [r1] ... Liston’s heavy jabs bother Patterson. Patterson’s bobbing and weaving makes Liston miss often ... A solid left to the cheek bone drops the champion. US fight commentary
42) Sonny Liston Lost KO1: UK Fight Commentary TV - US Fight Commentary TV -
v Sonny Liston II 22nd July 1963 Las Vegas [r1] ... He’s [Liston] getting though underneath and he’s got him going again. Less than a minute gone and there is the first count ... He’s trying to fight back Patterson but the other man has got the far heavier punch. And he’s over again the second time ... Another sensational win for Sonny Liston ... And Liston has retained his title. Harry Carpenter, UK fight commentary
v Sonny Liston II 22nd July 1963 Las Vegas [r1] ... Runs into a right uppercut which sets up the challenge. In their test of strength up close Patterson is incapable of tying up Liston ... Sets up the second knockdown ... The knockout blow – the left uppercut. US fight commentary
[8.5] MARCO HUCK 47-41(28)-5-1 [Cruiserweight & Heavyweight]: Bad Left Hook online -
Marco Huck, a longtime top cruiserweight and former titleholder, will be moving up to the heavyweight division full-time starting with a June 16 fight against Yakup Saglam.
Huck, 33, has lost two in a row and three of his last five, and will look to essentially launch a second career in the new division. He was beaten in 2015 by Krzysztof Glowacki, who knocked Huck out in the 11th round, and then won fights against Ola Afolabi and Dmytro Kucher, before losing back-to-back bouts in 2017 to Mairis Briedis and Oleksandr Usyk.
Huck (40-5-1, 27 KO) losing those fights is not necessarily a sign that he’s finished, though — Usyk and Briedis are maybe the two best cruiserweights in the sport.
Saglam (40-4, 37 KO) is a big-punching veteran, 41 years old, whose most notable fight came in 2015, when he was stopped in two by Joseph Parker. He also has losses to Manuel Charr and Odlanier Solis by stoppage.
Huck fought at heavyweight in 2012, when he was beaten by majority decision in a challenge for Alexander Povetkin’s WBA ‘world’ title. Bad Left Hook online article Scott Christ 9th April 2018, ‘Marco Huck moving to heavyweight division’