Jorge Luján’s Zamora Knockout Began a Three-Year
Jorge Luján won the WBA bantamweight championship by knocking out Alfonso Zamora in the tenth round in Los Angeles on November 19, 1977. The Panamanian boxer held the belt until August 1980.
The championship defenses
An orthodox boxer from Colón, Luján was managed by Aurelio Cortez. His championship opponents included Roberto Rubaldino, Alberto Dávila, Cleo García and Shuichi Isogami.
Luján stopped García in the fifteenth round in Las Vegas in April 1979 and Isogami in the ninth round in Tokyo in April 1980. Julián Solís ended his reign by split decision in Miami Beach on August 29, 1980.
Challenges in three divisions
Luján challenged Solís’s successor, Jeff Chandler, in Philadelphia in January 1981, losing by unanimous decision. He later pursued the WBA super bantamweight championship against Sergio Víctor Palma in January 1982 and the featherweight championship against Eusebio Pedroza in February 1985.
Both later championship contests ended in unanimous-decision defeats. They extended Luján’s world-title opposition beyond the bantamweight division in which he had become champion.
Luján’s debut in June 1973 ended with a first-round knockout of Baby San Blas III in Panama City. He later stopped experienced contender Socrates Batoto. His unbeaten run ended against Gilberto Illueca in May 1977, but the Zamora championship victory followed that same year.
Sources
- BoxRec: Luján’s identity, manager and championship reign
- WBA Stats: Luján’s Zamora victory and championship defenses
- BoxerList: Luján’s defenses and later title challenges
