Jesse James Leija
Encyclopedia
James Leija is a retired professional boxer
from Texas
.
in 1988. Later that year he lost in the first rounds of the Olympic Trials to Kelcie Banks
.
in round one, in Leija's native San Antonio
. When he turned professional he took the name "Jesse James" in honor of his father, Jesse Leija, who trained him.
On January 21, 1989, he defeated Joe Mitchell by a decision in four at the Trump
Plaza hotel in New Jersey
. This marked Leija's debut outside Texas. On his fourth fight, Leija beat Manuel Gomez in San Antonio by decision in four, on April 10.
During the early 1990s, Leija won his first fifteen fights, ten by knockout. His first blemish came on October 8, 1990, when he and Rudy Carmona fought to a ten round draw in San Antonio, TX.
Leija won his next three bouts, and then, he had an upgrade in opposition quality when he met the experienced Miguel Arrozal, on May 31, 1991. He beat Arrozal by an eighth-round disqualification. On October 18, he met Steve McCrory
, the former WBA
bantamweight
champion, in Houston
, beating McCrory by a ten-round decision.
Leija got his first championship try on the fight that proceeded his win over McCrory. On March 3, 1992. He met Jose Luis Martinez for the North American Boxing Federation
bantamweight championship. This fight was held in San Antonio, and it resulted in a nine-round technical draw decision
.
Leija proceeded to win three bouts, two of them against former world champions. Having defeated Jesus Poll by a decision in twelve rounds and Troy Dorsey
by a knockout in six, he was matched, on March 23, 1993, with Louie Espinoza
, a former two-time world featherweight champion. Leija won this fight by a twelve round decision, and with this, the NABF title and the right to challenge for the world title for the first time.
's first ever events, when he challenged Azumah Nelson
for the WBC
super featherweight
title. After twelve rounds, Nelson had been announced as the winner by a split decision, only to find out twenty minutes later that a judge had miscalculated his scoring card, and the fight was really a draw.
On May 7, he got a rematch with Nelson. Leija became the WBC super featherweight champion when he defeated Nelson by a twelve-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
, once again, in Las Vegas. Leija lost his world title when he lost to Ruelas by a twelve-round unanimous decision.
Leija rebounded with two wins, including one over Jeff Mayweather
, and then, on December 15, 1995, he received a chance at becoming world champion for the second time, when he challenged Oscar De La Hoya
for De La Hoya's WBO lightweight
title, at Madison Square Garden
. He lost by second-round knockout.
On June 1, 1996, Leija challenged Nelson, who had regained the WBC super featherweight title. Leija lost by a tech. knockout in six.
After a string of wins against relatively insignificant competition, Leija won the NABF lightweight title, defeating Joel Perez by a decision in twelve rounds on January 20, 1998.
After a second round knockout victory over Troy Crain, Leija fought Nelson for the fourth time. In what was Nelson's final career bout, Leija defeated Nelson by a twelve-round unanimous decision on July 11, 1998.
On November 14, Leija had a shot at the IBF lightweight title when he faced Shane Mosley
. Leija was dropped in rounds six, eight and nine before the fight was stopped, with Mosley retaining the world title by a ninth-round knockout win.
Leija's next significant bout came on August 5, 2000, when he fought Juan Lazcano
. Although no world championship was involved in this bout, it created general interest among Hispanic
boxing fans, as Lazcano, nicknamed "The Hispanic Causing Panic," had become a popular boxer among Latinos. Leija lost an unpopular dec. in a ten-round split decision (scores of 94-96, 93-97 and a favorable 96-94) to Lazcano in Uncasville, Connecticut
.
Next followed another HBO televised fight, when Leija fought Ivan Robinson
, who had twice beaten Arturo Gatti
, on November 11 at Las Vegas. Leija beat Robinson by a ten-round unanimous decision.
After a victory over Fred Ladd, Leija faced Hector Camacho Jr.
in Long Island, July 7, 2001. This would prove to be a very controversial fight: after an accidental headbutt, Camacho Jr. was injured and he could not fight on. Camacho Jr. was initially announced as the winner by a technical decision, but the Leija team formally protested the result with the New York State Athletic Commission
. The athletic commission decided to declare the fight a five-round no contest
.
Micky Ward
was being considered for a fight with WBC, WBA
and IBF
world light welterweight
champion Kostya Tszyu. On January 5, 2002, Leija and Ward faced off at San Antonio. Once again, the fight was stopped as a consequence of a headbutt, but this time, it was Leija who was injured. Leija won the fight by a five-round technical decision, and became the number-one challenger to Tszyu.
Leija then proceeded to move to Australia
for six months, to get acquainted with the country and its climate before his challenge of Tszyu, scheduled for January 19, 2003. Tszyu retained the title when he beat Leija by a six-round knockout.
After three wins, Leija faced young prospect Francisco Bojado
. Leija and Bojado fought on July 24, 2004, in Atlantic City. Leija produced what some viewed as a minor upset by beating his much younger rival by a ten-round split decision.
Leija's record consists of 47 wins, 7 losses, 2 draws and 1 no contest in 57 fights, with 19 knockouts wins.
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...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Amateur career
Leija had an amateur career that spanned three years, going 23-5 during this time. He won the San Antonio Golden GlovesGolden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
in 1988. Later that year he lost in the first rounds of the Olympic Trials to Kelcie Banks
Kelcie Banks
Kelcie Herron Banks is a retired boxer from the United States, who competed in the featherweight division. As an amateur he won the gold medal at the 1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Reno and at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Inducted to the USA Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993...
.
Professional career
Jesse James Leija began his professional boxing career on October 2, 1988, beating Oscar Davis by 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 round one, in Leija's native San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. When he turned professional he took the name "Jesse James" in honor of his father, Jesse Leija, who trained him.
On January 21, 1989, he defeated Joe Mitchell by a decision in four at the Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
Plaza hotel in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. This marked Leija's debut outside Texas. On his fourth fight, Leija beat Manuel Gomez in San Antonio by decision in four, on April 10.
During the early 1990s, Leija won his first fifteen fights, ten by knockout. His first blemish came on October 8, 1990, when he and Rudy Carmona fought to a ten round draw in San Antonio, TX.
Leija won his next three bouts, and then, he had an upgrade in opposition quality when he met the experienced Miguel Arrozal, on May 31, 1991. He beat Arrozal by an eighth-round disqualification. On October 18, he met Steve McCrory
Steve McCrory
Steve McCrory was an American boxer, who won the Flyweight Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics...
, the 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...
bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
champion, in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, beating McCrory by a ten-round decision.
Leija got his first championship try on the fight that proceeded his win over McCrory. On March 3, 1992. He met Jose Luis Martinez for the 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:...
bantamweight championship. This fight was held in San Antonio, and it resulted in a nine-round technical draw 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...
.
Leija proceeded to win three bouts, two of them against former world champions. Having defeated Jesus Poll by a decision in twelve rounds and Troy Dorsey
Troy Dorsey
Troy Glenn Dorsey is a former professional boxer and martial arts fighter. He is the only man in history to hold world titles in both karate and boxing.-Martial arts career:...
by a knockout in six, he was matched, on March 23, 1993, with Louie Espinoza
Louie Espinoza
Louie Espinoza is an American boxer in the Featherweight division. He now resides in Chandler, Arizona....
, a former two-time world featherweight champion. Leija won this fight by a twelve round decision, and with this, the NABF title and the right to challenge for the world title for the first time.
Title fights against Nelson
On September 10, 1993, Leija participated at one of the AlamodomeAlamodome
The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S...
's first ever events, when he challenged Azumah Nelson
Azumah Nelson
Azumah Nelson , a native of Ghana, is a former professional boxer. He is a three-time world champion in two weight classes.Nelson is the former Lineal and two-time WBC Super Featherweight Champion...
for 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...
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. After twelve rounds, Nelson had been announced as the winner by a split decision, only to find out twenty minutes later that a judge had miscalculated his scoring card, and the fight was really a draw.
On May 7, he got a rematch with Nelson. Leija became the WBC super featherweight champion when he defeated Nelson by a twelve-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
Losing the title and afterwards
On September 17, he defended his title against Gabriel RuelasGabriel Ruelas
Gabriel Ruelas, , was a professional boxer.Career=Ruelas turned pro in 1988 and in 1993 challenged WBC Super Featherweight Title holder Azumah Nelson, losing a close majority decision. In 1994 he was able to capture the title by outpointing Jesse James Leija...
, once again, in Las Vegas. Leija lost his world title when he lost to Ruelas by a twelve-round unanimous decision.
Leija rebounded with two wins, including one over Jeff Mayweather
Jeff Mayweather
Jeff Mayweather was a boxer who fought in the 1990s.- Pro career :"Jazzy Jeff" had a career boxing record of 32-10-5...
, and then, on December 15, 1995, he received a chance at becoming world champion for the second time, when he challenged Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
for De La Hoya's WBO 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, at 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...
. He lost by second-round knockout.
On June 1, 1996, Leija challenged Nelson, who had regained the WBC super featherweight title. Leija lost by a tech. knockout in six.
After a string of wins against relatively insignificant competition, Leija won the NABF lightweight title, defeating Joel Perez by a decision in twelve rounds on January 20, 1998.
After a second round knockout victory over Troy Crain, Leija fought Nelson for the fourth time. In what was Nelson's final career bout, Leija defeated Nelson by a twelve-round unanimous decision on July 11, 1998.
On November 14, Leija had a shot at the IBF lightweight title when he faced Shane Mosley
Shane Mosley
“Sugar” Shane Mosley is an American professional boxer from Pomona, California who has held world titles in three weight divisions.-Amateur career:Mosley was an amateur standout, capturing various amateur titles, including:...
. Leija was dropped in rounds six, eight and nine before the fight was stopped, with Mosley retaining the world title by a ninth-round knockout win.
Leija's next significant bout came on August 5, 2000, when he fought Juan Lazcano
Juan Lazcano
Juan Lazcano is a Mexican American professional boxer from El Paso, Texas, who is now based in Sacramento, California, USA....
. Although no world championship was involved in this bout, it created general interest among Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
boxing fans, as Lazcano, nicknamed "The Hispanic Causing Panic," had become a popular boxer among Latinos. Leija lost an unpopular dec. in a ten-round split decision (scores of 94-96, 93-97 and a favorable 96-94) to Lazcano in Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...
.
Next followed another HBO televised fight, when Leija fought Ivan Robinson
Ivan Robinson
Ivan "Mighty" Robinson is a boxer who has compiled a record of 36-12-2 since becoming a professional in 1992. He attended Simon Gratz High School.- Professional career :...
, who had twice beaten Arturo Gatti
Arturo Gatti
Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...
, on November 11 at Las Vegas. Leija beat Robinson by a ten-round unanimous decision.
After a victory over Fred Ladd, Leija faced Hector Camacho Jr.
Héctor Camacho Jr.
Hector Camacho Jr. is a professional boxer. He is the son of legendary three time world champion Hector Macho Camacho.-Boxing career:...
in Long Island, July 7, 2001. This would prove to be a very controversial fight: after an accidental headbutt, Camacho Jr. was injured and he could not fight on. Camacho Jr. was initially announced as the winner by a technical decision, but the Leija team formally protested the result with the New York State Athletic Commission
New York State Athletic Commission
The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, professional wrestlers, seconds, ring officials,...
. The athletic commission decided to declare the fight a five-round no contest
No contest (boxing)
No contest is a technical term used in some combat sports to describe a fight that ends for reasons outside the fighters' hands.-Boxing:...
.
Micky Ward
Micky Ward
Micky Ward , nicknamed Irish, is a retired American junior welterweight professional boxer and a former WBU champion from Lowell, Massachusetts...
was being considered for a fight with WBC, 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 :...
world light welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
champion Kostya Tszyu. On January 5, 2002, Leija and Ward faced off at San Antonio. Once again, the fight was stopped as a consequence of a headbutt, but this time, it was Leija who was injured. Leija won the fight by a five-round technical decision, and became the number-one challenger to Tszyu.
Leija then proceeded to move to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for six months, to get acquainted with the country and its climate before his challenge of Tszyu, scheduled for January 19, 2003. Tszyu retained the title when he beat Leija by a six-round knockout.
After three wins, Leija faced young prospect Francisco Bojado
Francisco Bojado
Francisco Bojado is a Mexican professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division and represented Mexico at the 2000 Olympic Games. He's a former IBA Continental, WBC Youth World, and WBC Continental Americas Light Welterweight Champion...
. Leija and Bojado fought on July 24, 2004, in Atlantic City. Leija produced what some viewed as a minor upset by beating his much younger rival by a ten-round split decision.
Final bout
On January 29, 2005, Leija fought Arturo Gatti for Gatti's WBC light welterweight title. Fighting once again in Atlantic City, Leija lost to Gatti by a fifth-round knockout. Leija retired after the loss.Leija's record consists of 47 wins, 7 losses, 2 draws and 1 no contest in 57 fights, with 19 knockouts wins.