Reno Zurek Boxing Academy

What a humble man

Genaro "Chicanito" Hernández ended the decade-plus title reign of Ghana's legendary Azumah Nelson when he won the WBC junior lightweight title with a 12 round split decision over "The Professor" at Memorial Coliseum in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1997.

Nelson had been a pro for about 18 years and a hand injury in training initially postponed the fight. The challenger didn't take Nelson lightly, though, and he said, "I'm hoping that I beat him so good he doesn't want a rematch," in response to Nelson's tendency to win rematches.

In training, Hernández aimed to maintain his distance and stay off the ropes, and he managed to apply that during the fight. Nelson lost a point in the 7th for punching Hernández after the bell, and Hernández's strategy ultimately won out when Nelson never caught up. The split decision was likely generous toward Nelson.

Hernández, long considered a classy fighter, ignored boxing's tradition of symbolically taking the belts before giving them back after the bout, and he chose to let Ghana's great champion keep them.

"You came a champion," Hernández told Nelson. "You'll leave a champion. I want you to wear it out of the ring."

“From the beginning, I always understood boxing. From my first spar, I thought it was straightforward. We had a good exhibition. I hit him with a right-hand counter over his jab and he fell into the bottom rope. Technically it wasn’t ruled a knockdown, but he was hurt. Emanuel Steward used to say when he saw me: ‘Here’s the white guy who taught the Kronk gym how to throw a right hand.’ Gil Clancy was there and said he hadn’t seen anyone with my lateral movement and right-hand counterpunching since Emile Griffith. The next day, I quit my job and decided to box full-time.”

Former WBC light-heavyweight champion Donny Lalonde was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, in 1960.

Lalonde had only 15 amateur bouts – winning 11 – and said: “I learned in the gym. I would drive around the States and spar whoever was in the gym. I wanted to find the best sparring. I read that Marvin Johnson was knocking everyone out in sparring, so I went to his gym in Indianapolis to spar him, and I must have done 500 rounds with Iran Barkley.”

Lalonde would fight on until he was 43, losses to Bobby Czyz and Virgil Hill leaving his record as 41-5-1 (33). “The only reason I fought on so late in life,” he told Boxing News, “is because I wanted to show what I could do with two hands. I felt I never really got the chance to show what I could do with a healthy body, but I got a badly damaged eye in sparring about a week before I fought Virgil. We were sitting together afterwards and he said: ‘You hit me so hard in one round, you only had to touch me again to put me over and you didn’t.’ I said: ‘I couldn’t see you.’ I knew it was the end.”

The former trainer of Jeff Fenech and Kostya Tszyu has backed Jai Opetaia to prove himself Australia’s finest ever fighter.

“In that world you dealt drugs, stole, or worked as a hit man. Boxing is what saved me. I trained hard and never once used drugs or even smoked a cigarette.”

~ Edwin Valero

Dedication to a craft can become more than a career; it can become a way out. And when someone chooses that path with determination, it can transform not just their future, but their entire identity.

Jamaican boxing legend Mike McCallum dies at 68 💔

According to preliminary reports, McCallum fell ill while travelling to the gym and was forced to pull off the road. He was reportedly found to be unresponsive, and was later pronounced dead.

Known as “The Bodysnatcher” for his hurtful body shots, McCallum made history in 1984 by becoming the first Jamaican to win a world title. He captured the WBA light-middleweight crown after defeating Irishman Sean Mannion at Madison Square Garden.

His career continued to flourish as he claimed world titles in two other weight divisions - the WBA middleweight and the WBC light-heavyweight - showcasing his versatility and dominance in the ring.

McCallum’s achievements earned him a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003, cementing his legacy as one of the sport’s greats. His technical skill, toughness, and trademark body work left a lasting mark on boxing.

Rest in peace, Mike "The Bodysnatcher" McCallum. 🕊