Esteban De Jesús
| Esteban de Jesús | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Esteban de Jesús |
| Nickname(s) | Vita |
| Rated at | lightweight |
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in) |
| Reach | 170 cm (67 in) |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Born |
August 2, 1951 Carolina, Puerto Rico |
| Died | May 12, 1989 (aged 37) San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 63 |
| Wins | 58 |
| Wins by KO | 33 |
| Losses | 5 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Esteban de Jesús (August 2, 1951 – May 12, 1989) was a Puerto Rican world lightweight champion boxer whose life was full of controversy, problems and scandals. De Jesús, 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.
De Jesús debuted as a professional in 1969, beating El Tarita by a knockout in round three in San Juan. He won his first twenty fights, thirteen by knockout and then stepped up in class, for the first time, when he boxed future world title challenger Josue Marquez in 1971, beating him in a ten round decision. His next fight was a fourth round knockout victory over Victor Ortíz. After that, there was a rematch with Marquez, who was beaten again, this time over twelve rounds.
Next came his first international fight, in Caracas, Venezuela, against the future four-time world title challenger Leonel Hernandez. De Jesús won the ten round fight by unanimous decision in what was the start of a four fight tour of Venezuela. That Venezuelan campaign ended with a ten round decision loss against former world champion Antonio Gomez in Caracas.
1972 was a pivotal year in de Jesús' career. He won six fights in a row, including a twelve round knockout win in a third fight with Marquez, and a ten round decision over Doug McClendon. Despite all the wins, he was virtually unknown to most boxing fans. That changed quickly in his last fight of 1972 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 "Durán - de Jesús trilogy", de Jesús dropped Durán in round one and went on to inflict Durán's first defeat in a ten round decision.
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