I like to read up about my island past great fighters. I must admit though I don't know much about De Jesus. I do know he beat a prime Roberto Duran but also know drugs and aids eventually claimed the life of this great fighter. So many great Puerto Rican fighters have fallen to these damn drugs. I want to get some thoughts on De Jesus. I'm going to get some of his fights so I can learn more about him. I also understand he was trained by Benitez father. Anyone here followed De Jesus career? http://www.biographybase.com/biography/De_Jesus_Esteban.html
Ive seen his fights with Duran, Dejesus, and Yamabe(sp?). Duran whupped his ass in the 2nd fight, and especially in the 3rd fight(arguably Duran's best ever performance). And Cervantes dominated him. He beat the shit outta Yamabe though. From what Ive seen of him though he was a very good boxer-puncher with good technical skills, very fast hands, and good power in both hands. If he was around today, he'd definitely dominate 135. In alotta ways, he was similar to Rosario. Both were very good, very talented boxer punchers who unfortunetely ran into two legends(Duran, and Chavez). Thats a good MM actually, imma post it.
It messed up he was a hell of a fighter but after he was done he killed a 17 year old kid get life in jail then to top it all off catches AIDS while in jail. :doh: Duran went and saw him before he died from AIDS. Anyway hell of a left hook. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Esteban+De+Jesus+&search=Search
Thanks guys! It's nice to see some of you have seen some of De Jesus. I'm looking forward to know more about him. Hey Cuz thanks for the clips!:bears:
WOW what a left hook! :eeeek: <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2-2SQ-7klnQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2-2SQ-7klnQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
Steven was a special favorite of mine as he was champ when I was coming up through the ranks in Houston, and I did a piece on him about five years ago entitled "The Final Main Event" which detailed his career and the murder that he was sentenced to life for. I am going to find it and post it up later.
I've got all the Duran bouts and his bout with Cervantes. Hell of a fighter and a surprise to me that he is not in the IBHOF. If he and Duran were heavyweights, he'd have been in long ago on the Ken Norton rule. As is, he was a better fighter than Rosario as well and given standards should certainly be in the Hall.
The only two lightweights I would rate ahead of him throughout the entire 60's and 70's decades were Carlos Ortiz and Duran, and Whitaker and Chavez over him in the 80's, so in the last 50 years or so in boxing, I have him around 5th best at lightweight side by side with Joe Brown and that is some pretty heavy company he is in with.
That's a pretty fair rating. He is a fine parallel in the 70s to Rodrigo Valdez; both would likely have dominated their class for years if not for the presence of legends right in front of them which gives them a touch of legend themselves. On his own merit, DeJesus beat some damn good fighters (Viruet, Lampkin twice, future 140 king Frazer) and the fight with Cervantes is just an excellent thinking mans battle. Oh, and what's up SK...long time no chat. :)
Maybe this is why he isn't in the hall This is an excerpt of a piece I did on DeJesus years back: "DeJesus was out of his mind on drugs and was now a full fledged heroin and cocaine junkie, and there were reports that he was now a hitman for a Puerto Rican drug lord as well. He was so revered by the local people and even the authorities as a national hero, they basically left him alone and let him do what he wanted, choosing to look the other way. One hot and muggy Saturday morning though, Steven pushed the envelope too far. Up the entire previous night on a whiskey and cocaine binge, he was still mainlining in the early morning when he ran into the back of a blue Chevrolet Malibu at a traffic signal in downtown San Juan, the scene of some of his most historic victories in the prize ring. DeJesus exited his car and punched the driver of the Chevy through the open window and pulled the motorist out of the car and threw him to the concrete median. The driver was a 17 year old local boy on his way to work at the supermarket where he was the sole provider for his mother and 3 siblings. High as a kite, DeJesus laid into the kid, beating him severely. A right hand sent the youngster backwards onto the hood of the Malibu and a follow up left hook and right hand sent him down to the concrete once more. A crowd was now gathered and traffic was stopped, the onlookers getting once last look at a faded ring great in his final battle. Then to the horror of the onlookers, Steven went into his car and opened the glove compartment, drawing out a .45, and walked over to his unconscious foe and fired, executing him on the spot in front of hundreds."
