On This Day: One month before his death, Salvador Sanchez cements his greatness by pounding the substantial resistance out of Azumah Nelson in the 15th and final round

Salvador Sanchez v Azumah Nelson

SALVADOR SANCHEZ w rsf 15 AZUMAH NELSON
July 21, 1982; Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
WATCHING this fight today, as the great Salvador Sanchez accepts the crowdโ€™s cheers with a boyish grin ahead of the opening bell, itโ€™s impossible not to feel sadness for what was to come. Less than a month later the 23-year-old Mexican was killed behind the wheel of his Porsche as it collided head-on with a tractor. An inglorious end for Sanchez but the real and fitting epitaph came inside Madison Square Garden, when he stopped Nelson in the 15th round. If Sanchezโ€™s efforts rubber stamped his place in history, Nelson forcing him into this kind of battle after only 13 fights signalled the beginning of his own march towards greatness. A supreme contest.

DID YOU KNOW? Though Sanchez showed few signs of distress in battle he was well aware he was in the midst of a titanic struggle. โ€œI feel very weak,โ€ he told his corner at the end of the fourth. โ€œHe hits very hard and heโ€™s very fast.โ€

WATCH OUT FOR: How Sanchez expertly orchestrates the finish in the 15th round of a long and draining war. With his rival swarming all over him, he finds the space in a claustrophobic battleground to bludgeon the courageous Nelson to defeat.

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