Fulgencio Obelmejias

Fulgencio Obelmejias, popularly known as “Fully Obel,” was a Venezuelan boxer born on January 1, 1953. Obelmejias’ professional boxing career spanned over 15 years, from 1977 to 1992, and amounted to a total of 57 fights. During his career, Obelmejias won two world titles at two different weight classes and won a total of 52 fights, with 41 of those wins coming by way of knockout. Here’s a detailed look at his career.

Early Career Highlights

Obelmejias began his professional career in January 1977 as a Middleweight, defeating Franklin Suzarra via first-round TKO. After winning his next 29 consecutive fights, including a victory over Elisha Obed, a former world Jr. Middleweight champion, Obelmejias was given his first world title fight at the age of 25 on December 17, 1978. Obelmejias faced Carlos Marks for the middleweight WBC title, which was held in Culiacán. He won the title by defeating Marks via 9th round TKO.

On August 7, 1979, Obelmejias successfully defended the WBC middleweight title against Luis Arias, winning the fight via 2nd round KO. On October 6, 1981, Obelmejias knocked out Eddie Gazo in the 2nd round, adding another knockout to his record. These three fights are considered the highlight of his career.

The Loss to Marvin Hagler

Obelmejias lost for the first time on January 17, 1981, when he challenged Marvin Hagler for the world Middleweight title. Obelmejias entered the ring with an impressive record of 30-0 with 28 knockouts, impressing many boxing fans at the time. However, Obelmejias was handed an eighth-round knockout loss by the then world champion and lost his undefeated status.

Despite the loss, Obelmejias bounced back and won eight consecutive fights, including a victory against future world champion Chong-Pal Park, before being given a rematch against Hagler. On October 30, 1982, the two boxers met again, and Hagler defeated Obelmejias via a knockout in the fifth round.

Obelmejias’ Second World Title Win

Obelmejias’ third try at becoming a world champion came when the Lineal and WBA Super Middleweight champion, Chong-Pal Park, offered him a shot. Obelmejias finally fulfilled his lifelong dream on May 23, 1988, by beating Park in a twelve-round decision at South Korea. With that win, Obelmejias became the WBA Super Middleweight champion but lost the title during this first defense, 370 days after winning it, to In-Chul Baek via an eleventh-round knockout in South Korea.

Final Years and Retirement

After losing his second world title fight to Baek, Obelmejias won nine straight bouts, primarily in Europe. He was upset in his final fight, against Clarence Osby on July 21, 1985, via a decision, but went on to complete three more wins, the last of which was against Eduardo Rodriguez on December 15, 1992, via a ten-round decision.

It’s been 30 years, 3 months, and 16 days since Obelmejias last fought professionally, retiring at the age of 39. In total, Obelmejias fought 57 times during his professional career, winning 52 fights and losing five times, with four losses coming by way of knockout.

Conclusion

Fulgencio Obelmejias had an impressive boxing career, having won two world titles in two different weight classes. He was known for his power punches and his ability to win fights by way of knockout. Despite suffering five losses and four losses by knockouts, Obelmejias' boxing career remained noteworthy and will forever be remembered as one of the great careers in boxing history. As a Venezuelan, he brought pride to his country and demonstrated the strength and skill of Venezuelan boxers to the world.

Fulgencio Obelmejias Fight Record