Esteban De Jesús
Encyclopedia
Esteban De Jesús was a Puerto Rican
world lightweight champion boxer
whose life was full of controversy, problems and scandals. De Jesus, a native of the town of Carolina, Puerto Rico
, was a gymmate of Wilfred Benítez
and an acquaintance of Benitez's mother, Clara Benítez. He was trained by Wilfredo's father and Clara's husband, Gregorio Benitez. He was the first boxer to defeat Roberto Durán as a pro.
in three in San Juan
. He won his first 20 fights, 13 by knockout, and then he stepped in class for the first time, when he boxed future world title challenger Josue Marquez in 1971, and beat him by a ten round decision. His next fight was against Victor Ortíz
, a knockout win for de Jesus in four rounds. After that, there was a rematch with Marquez, who was beaten again, this time over 12 rounds.
Next came his first international fight, in Caracas
against the future 4 time world title challenger Leonel Hernandez. De Jesus won that fight by a decision in 10, in what was the start of a 4 fight tour of Venezuela
. That Venezuela
n campaign ended with a ten round decision loss against former world champion Antonio Gomez
, also at Caracas.
1972 was pivotal for De Jesus' career. He won six fights in a row, including a 12 round knockout win in a third fight with Marquez, and a ten round decision over Doug McClendon. Despite all those wins, he was virtually an unknown boxer to most boxing fans. That changed quickly in his last fight of '72, against the undefeated new world's Lightweight champion Roberto Durán
, at the Madison Square Garden
arena. In a televised bout that marked the beginning of the Duran-De Jesus trilogy, De Jesus dropped Duran in round one and went on to inflict Duran's first defeat with a ten round decision.
In 1973, he was rewarded for his efforts, receiving a chance to challenge Ray Lampkin for the regional, United States lightweight belt. he became the United States' champion by beating Lampkin by a 12 round decision. Then, he beat Johnny Gant, by a ten round decision, and Raul Montoya, also by decision in ten. Then, there was a rematch in New York with Lampkin, whom he beat again, by a decision. He finished '73 with a first round knockout win over fringe contender Al Ford
.
He began 1974 by knocking out former world Jr. Welterweight champion Alfonso Peppermint Fraser in 10 rounds in San Juan, after which he travelled to Panama City
to receive his first world title shot, and at the same time, face Duran in the second fight of their trilogy. He once again dropped Duran in round one, but this time Duran rebounded and dominated the bout, retaining the title by a knockout in eleven rounds. He recovered from that defeat with two more wins before the end of the year.
In 1975, he went up in weight briefly, and after beating Jesse Lara by a knockout in three, he returned to Panama City to challenge Colombia
's Antonio Cervantes
for the world's Jr. Welterweight title, losing by a 15 round decision. He beat Rudy Barros by a knockout in five to end that year, and he started 1976, by beating Valentin Ramos by a knockout in two.
Next came his third world title try, when the WBC
's world Lightweight champion Ishimatsu Suzuki
of Japan travelled to Puerto Rico
to defend his title against De Jesus. The third time proved to be the charm for De Jesus, who won the world title by beating Suzuki by a 15 round decision. Then, he retained the title against Hector Medina
by a knockout in seven.
De Jesus as a world champion started dabbling in drugs, an element which would later threaten to ruin his life, and definitely changed it.
In 1977, he retained the title against Buzzsaw Yamabe by a knockout in six, and against Vicente Mijares Saldivar by a knockout in eleven.
1978 began with the third and final chapter of his trilogy with Duran. In a title unification bout in Las Vegas
which displayed Duran's talents at the peaks of its powers, Duran systematically broke down Dejesus that resulted in a 12th round knockout.
De Jesus rebounded with three wins before the end of that year, including one over former world title challenger Edwin Viruet
.
In 1979, he had two more wins, including one over Jimmy Blevins. After beating Jose Vallejo
by a knockout in seven in San Juan to start 1980, he travelled to Bloomington, Minnesota
, to challenge Saoul Mamby
for Mamby's WBC world Jr. Welterweight title, in the major supporting event of the Larry Holmes
-Scott Le Doux world Heavyweight championship bout's undercard. In what turned out to be his last fight, he was beaten by a knockout in thirteen rounds.
His record was 57 wins and 5 losses, with 32 wins by knockout.
, making the Puerto Rico penal system all star team three times. In 1984, he became a born-again Christian
and started to turn his life around, becoming a preacher. After it became public knowledge that De Jesus had acquired HIV
and had become a sufferer of AIDS
, governor Rafael Hernández Colón
pardoned him.
After returning to spend his last days with his family, De Jesus was visited by many celebrities, including hall of fame baseball player Orlando Cepeda
, Salsa music
superstar Cheo Feliciano
and his old nemesis Duran himself. Duran hugged and kissed De Jesus and told his daughter to do the same. This event was witnessed by José Torres who said he was amazed to see Duran's compassionate gesture as he lifted De Jesus out of his bed and hugged him at a time when so little was known and so much feared about AIDS.[1]
Esteban De Jesús died one month after being pardoned at the age of 37.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
world lightweight champion boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
whose life was full of controversy, problems and scandals. De Jesus, a native of the town of Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
, was a gymmate of Wilfred Benítez
Wilfred Benitez
Wilfred Benítez , is a Puerto Rican boxer. He is remembered best as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities who won world championships in three separate weight divisions, and was the youngest world champion in boxing history at the age of 17...
and an acquaintance of Benitez's mother, Clara Benítez. He was trained by Wilfredo's father and Clara's husband, Gregorio Benitez. He was the first boxer to defeat Roberto Durán as a pro.
Professional career
De Jesus debuted as a professional in 1969, beating El Tarita by a knockoutKnockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
in three in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. He won his first 20 fights, 13 by knockout, and then he stepped in class for the first time, when he boxed future world title challenger Josue Marquez in 1971, and beat him by a ten round decision. His next fight was against Victor Ortíz
Victor Ortíz
Victor Ortiz is an American professional boxer of Mexican descent and the former WBC welterweight champion.He was previously in the light welterweight division, where he held the USBA & NABO title....
, a knockout win for de Jesus in four rounds. After that, there was a rematch with Marquez, who was beaten again, this time over 12 rounds.
Next came his first international fight, in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
against the future 4 time world title challenger Leonel Hernandez. De Jesus won that fight by a decision in 10, in what was the start of a 4 fight tour of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. That Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n campaign ended with a ten round decision loss against former world champion Antonio Gomez
Antonio Gomez
Antonio Gomez is a former professional boxer who fought in the featherweight division. Gomez won the WBA world featherweight title in 1971.-Professional career:...
, also at Caracas.
1972 was pivotal for De Jesus' career. He won six fights in a row, including a 12 round knockout win in a third fight with Marquez, and a ten round decision over Doug McClendon. Despite all those wins, he was virtually an unknown boxer to most boxing fans. That changed quickly in his last fight of '72, against the undefeated new world's Lightweight champion Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....
, at the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
arena. In a televised bout that marked the beginning of the Duran-De Jesus trilogy, De Jesus dropped Duran in round one and went on to inflict Duran's first defeat with a ten round decision.
In 1973, he was rewarded for his efforts, receiving a chance to challenge Ray Lampkin for the regional, United States lightweight belt. he became the United States' champion by beating Lampkin by a 12 round decision. Then, he beat Johnny Gant, by a ten round decision, and Raul Montoya, also by decision in ten. Then, there was a rematch in New York with Lampkin, whom he beat again, by a decision. He finished '73 with a first round knockout win over fringe contender Al Ford
Al Ford
Al Ford is a former lightweight professional boxer from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.-Professional Boxing Career:Ford made his debut as a professional boxer on October 20, 1967 , a 3rd round knockout win over Joe Hogue, who was also making his professional debut...
.
He began 1974 by knocking out former world Jr. Welterweight champion Alfonso Peppermint Fraser in 10 rounds in San Juan, after which he travelled to Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
to receive his first world title shot, and at the same time, face Duran in the second fight of their trilogy. He once again dropped Duran in round one, but this time Duran rebounded and dominated the bout, retaining the title by a knockout in eleven rounds. He recovered from that defeat with two more wins before the end of the year.
In 1975, he went up in weight briefly, and after beating Jesse Lara by a knockout in three, he returned to Panama City to challenge Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
's Antonio Cervantes
Antonio Cervantes
Antonio Cervantes aka Kid Pambelé is a Colombian boxing trainer and former two time world Jr. Welterweight champion. He successfully defended the title 16 times. Cervantes fought 21 world title fights, keeping the 140 pounds title for almost 8 years...
for the world's Jr. Welterweight title, losing by a 15 round decision. He beat Rudy Barros by a knockout in five to end that year, and he started 1976, by beating Valentin Ramos by a knockout in two.
Next came his third world title try, when the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
's world Lightweight champion Ishimatsu Suzuki
Guts Ishimatsu
is a former boxing world champion from Kanumashi, Japan. After retiring from boxing, he has gained popularity as an actor and comedian.As a boxer, he was known for his unpredictable style, sometimes marking completely unpredicted victories, and often losing in extravagant fashion as well...
of Japan travelled to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
to defend his title against De Jesus. The third time proved to be the charm for De Jesus, who won the world title by beating Suzuki by a 15 round decision. Then, he retained the title against Hector Medina
Héctor Medina
Héctor Medina is a Honduran football goalkeeper. He currently plays for Unión Ajax in the Liga Nacional de Ascenso de Honduras. He was also called up for the Honduras national football team from 1998 to 2001...
by a knockout in seven.
De Jesus as a world champion started dabbling in drugs, an element which would later threaten to ruin his life, and definitely changed it.
In 1977, he retained the title against Buzzsaw Yamabe by a knockout in six, and against Vicente Mijares Saldivar by a knockout in eleven.
1978 began with the third and final chapter of his trilogy with Duran. In a title unification bout in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
which displayed Duran's talents at the peaks of its powers, Duran systematically broke down Dejesus that resulted in a 12th round knockout.
De Jesus rebounded with three wins before the end of that year, including one over former world title challenger Edwin Viruet
Edwin Viruet
Edwin Viruet is a retired boxer from Puerto Rico. His brother Adolfo was also a professional boxer.Viruet made his professional debut in 1969...
.
In 1979, he had two more wins, including one over Jimmy Blevins. After beating Jose Vallejo
José Vallejo
José Miguel Vallejo Andujar is a Dominican professional baseball player. He currently plays Minor League Baseball as a second baseman.-External links:...
by a knockout in seven in San Juan to start 1980, he travelled to Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
, to challenge Saoul Mamby
Saoul Mamby
Saoul Paul Mamby was a professional boxer between 1969 and 2008.- Personal :Mamby, the child of a mother of Spanish descent and father from Jamaica, converted to Judaism at age 4.Mamby is also a Vietnam veteran....
for Mamby's WBC world Jr. Welterweight title, in the major supporting event of the Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes is a former professional boxer. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which gave birth to his boxing nickname, The Easton Assassin....
-Scott Le Doux world Heavyweight championship bout's undercard. In what turned out to be his last fight, he was beaten by a knockout in thirteen rounds.
His record was 57 wins and 5 losses, with 32 wins by knockout.
After Boxing
In Thanksgiving weekend 1981, in what became a famous case in Puerto Rico, De Jesus was convicted of murder after killing a 17-year-old, over a traffic dispute. He was sentenced to life in jail. There, he excelled in another sport, baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, making the Puerto Rico penal system all star team three times. In 1984, he became a born-again Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and started to turn his life around, becoming a preacher. After it became public knowledge that De Jesus had acquired HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and had become a sufferer of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, governor Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
pardoned him.
After returning to spend his last days with his family, De Jesus was visited by many celebrities, including hall of fame baseball player Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman.Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was...
, Salsa music
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
superstar Cheo Feliciano
Cheo Feliciano
José Feliciano, better known as Cheo Feliciano , is a composer and singer of salsa and bolero music.-Early years:...
and his old nemesis Duran himself. Duran hugged and kissed De Jesus and told his daughter to do the same. This event was witnessed by José Torres who said he was amazed to see Duran's compassionate gesture as he lifted De Jesus out of his bed and hugged him at a time when so little was known and so much feared about AIDS.[1]
Esteban De Jesús died one month after being pardoned at the age of 37.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of lightweight boxing champions
- List of WBC world champions
- List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions