Jason Litzau
Encyclopedia
Jason John Litzau is an American
professional boxer
in the Super Featherweight
division and former North American Boxing Federation
Super Featherweight Champion.
. He attended Harding Senior High School
in St. Paul, Minnesota. Litzau's brother Allen Litzau
is also a professional boxer.
national champion, having finished second at the 2001 U.S. Championships and earning a spot on the 2001 U.S. National team.
Litzau turned pro in 2002.
on December 16, 2006 on HBO. He lost to IBF World Featherweight Champ Robert Guerrero
in a title match on Leap Day, February 29, 2008.
in a fight against Jose Hernandez
. The fight was intended to showcase Litzau's considerable talent and box office draw. Litzau was ahead on points (68-64 on all three cards) when Hernandez scored an eighth round knockout over Litzau with a clubbing right hand to the head. Litzau had been dropped by a right hand in round one, but appeared well in control of the bout until getting knocked out in round 8.
in his first shot at the title, on February 29, 2008.
vs. Jeff Lacy
, Litzau fought Verquan Kimbrough for the vacant NABF
Lightweight
title. Litzau won by RTD
at the end of Round 3. Litzau moved up two weight classes for the fight.
Friday Night Fights program against 15-4 Johnnie Edwards with the NABF Super Featherweight
title in play. Litzau won the fight by unanimous decision, winning a second NABF title.
Litzau defended his title against Rocky Juarez
on April 3, 2010, winning by technical decision
when the fight was halted in the seventh round due to a bad cut on Litzau's cheek which referee Jay Nady
ruled was caused by an accidental head butt.
On the undercard of Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis
, Liztau beat former WBA
and IBF
champion, Panama
's Celestino Caballero
.
|align="center" colspan=8|28 Wins (21 knockouts), 2 Losses, 0 Draw
|- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;"
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res.
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Venue and Location
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-align=center
|Loss || 28-3-0 ||align=left|
Adrien Broner
||| 1 || 2011-06-18|| align=left|
|align=left|vacant WBC USNBC super featherweight title
|-align=center
|Win || 28-2-0 || align=left|
Celestino Caballero
|SD
|| 10 || November 27, 2010 ||align=left|
MGM Grand
, Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win || 27-2-0 || align=left| Rocky Juarez
|TD || 7 (3:00) || April 3, 2010 ||align=left| Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|align=left|Defended his NABF
Super Featherweight
title
|-align=center
|Win || 26-2-0 || align=left| Johnnie Edwards
|UD || 10 (10) || November 4, 2009 ||align=left|
Corrosion Hangar, Camp Lejuene
, North Carolina
, United States
|align=left|Won the vacant NABF
Super Featherweight
title
|-align=center
|Win || 25-2-0 || align=left| Verquan Kimbrough
|RTD || 3 (3:00) || August 15, 2009 ||align=left|
Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
, United States
|align=left|Won the vacant NABF
Lightweight
title
|-align=center
|Win || 24-2-0 || align=left| Phillip Payne
|TKO || 5 (0:52) || April 18, 2009 ||align=left|
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
, United States
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss || 23-2-0 || align=left| Robert Guerrero
|KO || 8 (2:25) || September 29, 2008 ||align=left|
Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Lemoore, California
, United States
|align=left|For the IBF
featherweight
Title.
|-align=center
|Win || 23-1-0 || align=left| Edel Ruiz
|UD || 10 || November 23, 2007 ||align=left| Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
, United States
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win || 22-1-0 || align=left| Emmanuel Lucero
|TKO || 2 (2:48) || August 17, 2007 ||align=left| Harrah's Rincon Casino, Valley Center, California
, United States
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win || 21-1-0 || align=left| Aldo Valtierra
|UD || 10 || April 25, 2007 ||align=left| Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota
, United States
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss || 20-1-0 || align=left| José Hernández
|KO || 8 (2:52) || December 16, 2006 ||align=left|
Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort, Miami, Florida
, United States
|align=left|
|-align=center
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional 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...
in the Super Featherweight
Super Featherweight
Super featherweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 130 pounds or 59 kilograms....
division and former North American Boxing Federation
North American Boxing Federation
The North American Boxing Federation is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council .-History:...
Super Featherweight Champion.
Early life
In his youth Litzau played Little League Baseball, as a pitcherPitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. He attended Harding Senior High School
Harding Senior High School (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Harding Senior High School is a public comprehensive high school located on the East Side of Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school is one of six high schools in the Saint Paul Public School District and is the largest high school in the city of Saint Paul with enrollment at approximately 2400...
in St. Paul, Minnesota. Litzau's brother Allen Litzau
Allen Litzau
Allen Curtis Litzau, alias The American Boy is a featherweight professional boxer from Minnesota.-Personal life:Allen Litzau is the older brother of featherweight prospect Jason Litzau...
is also a professional boxer.
Amateur career
Known as "The American Boy", Litzau began boxing at 11 years old and reportedly compiled an amateur record of 125-10 Litzau is a former Silver GlovesSilver Gloves
The Silver Gloves is an annual competition for amateur boxing in the United States. The contest is sponsored by Ringside, Inc.The Silver Gloves are open to all non-professional pugilists age 10 to 15 years old. The Silver Gloves is not the Golden Gloves amateur tournament, which is for amateur...
national champion, having finished second at the 2001 U.S. Championships and earning a spot on the 2001 U.S. National team.
Litzau turned pro in 2002.
Professional career
Litzau turned pro on November 16, 2002 and as of April 2010 had a record of 27-2 with 21 knockouts. He has garnered considerable fanfare due to his appearances on ESPN's fight cards. His first loss was against Jose HernandezJosé Hernández (boxer)
José Andrés Hernández is a Mexican professional boxer in the Super Featherweight division.-Professional career:As of May 2007, Hernandez had a career record of 22-4 , including an impressive knockout of highly touted prospect Jason Litzau on December 16, 2006...
on December 16, 2006 on HBO. He lost to IBF World Featherweight Champ Robert Guerrero
Robert Guerrero
Robert Joseph Guerrero is a professional American boxer of Mexican descent. He is the former IBF Super Featherweight champion and a former two-time IBF featherweight champion of the world. Nicknamed The Ghost, Guerrero's record is 29 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, and 2 no contest, with 18 of his wins...
in a title match on Leap Day, February 29, 2008.
The Hernandez Incident
Litzau was upset in his first spotlight appearance on HBO's Boxing After DarkBoxing After Dark
Boxing After Dark is an HBO boxing program, premiering in April 1996, that usually shows fights between well-known contenders, but usually not "championship" or "title" fights. Unlike its sister program, HBO World Championship Boxing, BAD features fighters who are usually moving up from ESPN's...
in a fight against Jose Hernandez
José Hernández (boxer)
José Andrés Hernández is a Mexican professional boxer in the Super Featherweight division.-Professional career:As of May 2007, Hernandez had a career record of 22-4 , including an impressive knockout of highly touted prospect Jason Litzau on December 16, 2006...
. The fight was intended to showcase Litzau's considerable talent and box office draw. Litzau was ahead on points (68-64 on all three cards) when Hernandez scored an eighth round knockout over Litzau with a clubbing right hand to the head. Litzau had been dropped by a right hand in round one, but appeared well in control of the bout until getting knocked out in round 8.
IBF Featherwieght Championship
Litzau lost via 8th-round TKO to Robert GuerreroRobert Guerrero
Robert Joseph Guerrero is a professional American boxer of Mexican descent. He is the former IBF Super Featherweight champion and a former two-time IBF featherweight champion of the world. Nicknamed The Ghost, Guerrero's record is 29 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, and 2 no contest, with 18 of his wins...
in his first shot at the title, on February 29, 2008.
NABF Lightweight Championship
On August 15, 2009, as an undercard to Roy Jones Jr.Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones, Jr. is an American boxer. As a professional he has captured numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions...
vs. Jeff Lacy
Jeff Lacy
Jeffrey Scott Lacy is an American boxer. He is a former International Boxing Federation super middleweight champion.-Amateur career:...
, Litzau fought Verquan Kimbrough for the vacant NABF
North American Boxing Federation
The North American Boxing Federation is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council .-History:...
Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
title. Litzau won by RTD
Referee technical decision
A referee technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight ends because a fighter refuses to continue ....
at the end of Round 3. Litzau moved up two weight classes for the fight.
NABF Super Featherweight Championship
On November 4, 2009 Litzau headlined an ESPN2ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
Friday Night Fights program against 15-4 Johnnie Edwards with the NABF Super Featherweight
Super Featherweight
Super featherweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 130 pounds or 59 kilograms....
title in play. Litzau won the fight by unanimous decision, winning a second NABF title.
Litzau defended his title against Rocky Juarez
Rocky Juarez
Ricardo Rocky Juarez is a professional Mexican-American boxer. Juarez has a current professional record of 28 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, with 19 wins coming by way of knockout.- Professional career :...
on April 3, 2010, winning by technical decision
Technical decision
A technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight has to be stopped because of a headbutt.In boxing fights, referees have to pay deep attention to the action going on between the fighters, especially when the two combatants are fighting close to each other...
when the fight was halted in the seventh round due to a bad cut on Litzau's cheek which referee Jay Nady
Jay Nady
Jay Nady is a championship boxing referee and the uncle of Chicago Cubs outfielder Xavier Nady.-Biography:Nady boxed and played football at the University of Nevada, Reno in the 1960s. For his accomplishments on the field and in the ring, he was inducted into the UNR Hall of Fame in 1986.Nady's...
ruled was caused by an accidental head butt.
On the undercard of Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis
Marquez vs. Katsidis This fight has been considered to be the best fight of the year. Marquez has slowed to the point that he almost seems to prefer getting into slugfests where he can still use his excellent counter-punching accuracy, while Katsidis has never been one to turn down a blood-drenched...
, Liztau beat former WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
and IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
champion, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
's Celestino Caballero
Celestino Caballero
Celestino "Pelenchin" Caballero is a professional boxer from Panama. He is the former undisputed Super Bantamweight WBA & IBF and Super Champion for the WBA. On October 14th, 2011, Celestino became the new WBA Featherweight champion of the world after beating Jonathan Barros at Luna Park, Argentina...
.
Professional record
|- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;"|align="center" colspan=8|28 Wins (21 knockouts), 2 Losses, 0 Draw
|- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;"
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res.
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Venue and Location
|align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-align=center
|Loss || 28-3-0 ||align=left|
Adrien BronerAdrien Broner
Adrien Broner is an American Junior Lightweight boxer, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Adrien has been featured in the top ten of the Ring Magazine rankings for the Junior Lightweight division.-Professional career:2008...
||| 1 || 2011-06-18|| align=left|
|align=left|vacant WBC USNBC super featherweight title
|-align=center
|Win || 28-2-0 || align=left|
Celestino CaballeroCelestino Caballero
Celestino "Pelenchin" Caballero is a professional boxer from Panama. He is the former undisputed Super Bantamweight WBA & IBF and Super Champion for the WBA. On October 14th, 2011, Celestino became the new WBA Featherweight champion of the world after beating Jonathan Barros at Luna Park, Argentina...
|SD
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis
Marquez vs. Katsidis This fight has been considered to be the best fight of the year. Marquez has slowed to the point that he almost seems to prefer getting into slugfests where he can still use his excellent counter-punching accuracy, while Katsidis has never been one to turn down a blood-drenched...
|| 10 || November 27, 2010 ||align=left|
MGM GrandMGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
, Las Vegas, Nevada
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win || 27-2-0 || align=left|
Rocky JuarezRocky Juarez
Ricardo Rocky Juarez is a professional Mexican-American boxer. Juarez has a current professional record of 28 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw, with 19 wins coming by way of knockout.- Professional career :...
|TD || 7 (3:00) || April 3, 2010 ||align=left|
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NevadaLas 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|Defended his NABF
North American Boxing Federation
The North American Boxing Federation is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council .-History:...
Super Featherweight
Super Featherweight
Super featherweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 130 pounds or 59 kilograms....
title
|-align=center
|Win || 26-2-0 || align=left|
Johnnie Edwards|UD || 10 (10) || November 4, 2009 ||align=left|
Corrosion Hangar, Camp LejueneMarine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a United States military training facility in North Carolina. The base's of beaches make it a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports allows for fast deployments.The main base is supplemented by five satellite...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|Won the vacant NABF
North American Boxing Federation
The North American Boxing Federation is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council .-History:...
Super Featherweight
Super Featherweight
Super featherweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 130 pounds or 59 kilograms....
title
|-align=center
|Win || 25-2-0 || align=left|
Verquan Kimbrough|RTD || 3 (3:00) || August 15, 2009 ||align=left|
Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, MississippiBiloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|Won the vacant NABF
North American Boxing Federation
The North American Boxing Federation is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council .-History:...
Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
title
|-align=center
|Win || 24-2-0 || align=left|
Phillip Payne|TKO || 5 (0:52) || April 18, 2009 ||align=left|
Target Center, Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss || 23-2-0 || align=left|
Robert GuerreroRobert Guerrero
Robert Joseph Guerrero is a professional American boxer of Mexican descent. He is the former IBF Super Featherweight champion and a former two-time IBF featherweight champion of the world. Nicknamed The Ghost, Guerrero's record is 29 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, and 2 no contest, with 18 of his wins...
|KO || 8 (2:25) || September 29, 2008 ||align=left|
Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Lemoore, CaliforniaLemoore, California
Lemoore is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 230 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|For the IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
Title.
|-align=center
|Win || 23-1-0 || align=left|
Edel Ruiz|UD || 10 || November 23, 2007 ||align=left|
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win || 22-1-0 || align=left|
Emmanuel Lucero|TKO || 2 (2:48) || August 17, 2007 ||align=left|
Harrah's Rincon Casino, Valley Center, CaliforniaValley Center, California
Valley Center is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. The population was 9,277 at the 2010 census, up from 7,323 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Valley Center is located at ....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win || 21-1-0 || align=left|
Aldo Valtierra|UD || 10 || April 25, 2007 ||align=left|
Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss || 20-1-0 || align=left|
José HernándezJosé Hernández (boxer)
José Andrés Hernández is a Mexican professional boxer in the Super Featherweight division.-Professional career:As of May 2007, Hernandez had a career record of 22-4 , including an impressive knockout of highly touted prospect Jason Litzau on December 16, 2006...
|KO || 8 (2:52) || December 16, 2006 ||align=left|
Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort, Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|align=left|
|-align=center
See also
- Notable boxing families
- List of NABF champions