Juan Nazario: Boxing Career Highlights

Juan Nazario is a former Puerto Rican professional boxer who competed at lightweight. His career included three defining fights with fellow Puerto Rican Edwin Rosario and a unification bout with Pernell Whitaker. BoxRec lists Nazario as WBA lightweight champion from April 4 to August 11, 1990, and its career profile tracks his title reign.

Nazario first challenged Rosario for the WBA lightweight title in Chicago on August 11, 1987. Rosario stopped him in the eighth round. They met again on April 4, 1990, in San Juan. This time Nazario won when the referee stopped the contest in the eighth round, taking the WBA title. The WBA’s Rosario record and The Washington Post’s report on their first fight document the two results.

Nazario made one title defense, facing Pernell Whitaker on August 11, 1990, in a bout to unify the WBA, WBC and IBF lightweight belts. Whitaker knocked him out at 2:59 of the first round and became the undisputed champion. The BoxRec fight record lists the result.

Nazario continued boxing after losing the title. His final recorded bout was a unanimous-decision win over Angel Córdova on July 10, 1993. The available professional record lists that as his last fight.

Nazario’s title history is bookended by his two battles with Rosario: the first ended in defeat, while the rematch made him world champion. His brief reign ended against one of the era’s leading lightweights, and he returned to competition for nearly three more years.

Selected Recorded Results

• 1993-07-10: Juan Nazario won against Angel Cordova in Miami.
• 1992-12-09: Juan Nazario lost to Silverio Flores in San Juan.
• 1992-09-04: Juan Nazario won against Kent Hardee in Isla Verde.
• 1992-06-13: Juan Nazario won against Braulio Santiesteban in Miami.
• 1990-08-11: Juan Nazario lost to Pernell Whitaker in Caesars Tahoe, Outdoor Arena, Stateline (international boxing federation world lightweight title world boxing association world lightweight title world boxing council world lightweight title | lost).

Sources

career profile; WBA’s Rosario record; Biographical source; Recorded professional bout history.

Article Tags

Juan Nazario, Boxing, Sports History