| Ossie Ocasio | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Osvaldo Ocasio (1955-08-12) August 12, 1955 (age 69) Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Other names | Jaws |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | |
| Height | 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (182 cm) |
| Reach | 74 in (188 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 37 |
| Wins | 23 |
| Wins by KO | 12 |
| Losses | 13 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Osvaldo "Ossie" Ocasio (born August 12, 1955) is a Puerto Rican former boxer who held the World Cruiserweight Championship from 1982 to 1984. He was also a Top Contender and Heavyweight Challenger in 1979. He scored notable wins against Former Cruiserweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi as well as beating Top Heavyweight Contender Jimmy Young and Heavyweight Contender Pierre Coetzer, as well as drawing with Future Heavyweight Champion Michael Dokes. Nicknamed "Jaws", his peculiar nickname was the result of him accidentally biting another boxer during a sparring session.
Heavyweight contender
Ocasio campaigned in the heavyweight division, turning pro in 1976 and putting together 10 wins before signing with Don King and making a name for himself outpointing King fighter Kevin Isaac.
In 1978 on the undercard of the Larry Holmes/Ken Norton title fight Ocasio scored a major upset when he outpointed the highly regarded Jimmy Young, who'd outpointed George Foreman only a while back. In a rematch, Ocasio underlined his superiority by again outpointing a this time in-shape Young, in Puerto Rico. It was Ocasio's career high in the Heavyweight division.
This earned him his only world heavyweight title shot, against Larry Holmes in 1979. Attempting to become the first Hispanic to win the world Heavyweight championship, Ocasio was badly outclassed and was knock out in the seventh round.
In 1980 he fought red hot undefeated prospect Michael Dokes and was unlucky to only get a draw. However a rematch saw Ocasio surprisingly knocked out in 1 round. The following year he travelled to the UK and made little effort against local prospect John L. Gardner, before collapsing without getting hit in the 6th round.
Cruiserweight World Champion
Main article: Evander Holyfield vs. Ossie Ocasio| External audio | |
|---|---|
 You may watch Ossie Ocasio vs Dwight Muhammad Qawi here |
He later went down in weight, to fight in the then newly created division of the Cruiserweights. In 1982 he was matched with Robbie Williams in South Africa for the vacant WBA title. Ocasio became a world champion by beating Williams by a 15-round split decision. He shared honors as world champion of that division with countryman Carlos De León, the WBC world champion.
Ocasio made three successful defenses, winning 15-round decisions over Young Joe Louis and Randy Stephens, appearing on Jet Magazine the week before the Stephens bout, and knocking out John Odhiambo in the 15th round in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. After the bout Ocasio turned down a fight with Great Britain fighter David Pearce, after Morgans Palle had provided contracts to make the fight in the USA, due to the BBBoC not sanctioning the cruiserweight division in the UK. Ossie eventually decided to return to South Africa, where he lost his title to Piet Crous by a 15-round decision. One month before losing the title, his brother had been murdered.
Ocasio, during his championship run, was able to buy a house in Trujillo Alto, where he maintained a large farm. He also participated in a Puerto Rican movie, playing a slave in the production.
In 1986, he made a comeback, winning two fights including a 10-round decision over former world champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi in Atlantic City. Most fans had Qawi winning all 10 rounds, and this is considered one of the worst decisions in boxing history. He attempted to regain his world championship against Evander Holyfield in Marseille, France, but lost by a knockout in 11 rounds.
Return to Heavyweight
He returned to the heavyweight division in 1988, defeating Pierre Coetzer in South Africa, but losing the decision in a rematch. After this fight he was relegated to trialhorse status.
In 1989 he made Ray Mercer look bad, losing an 8-round decision. In 1990 he dropped decisions to Tyrell Biggs and Bruce Seldon, then travelled to the UK for two fights losing and being the first opponent to take Lennox Lewis to the distance and scoring an upset when stopping Jess Harding in 8 rounds. Ocasio then travelled to Australia, where he was outpointed by the erratic Mike Hunter.
One last comeback in 1992 resulted in a dreary points loss to ex-contender Carl Williams, but it was hard hitting Hispanic prospect Alex Garcia who convinced the usually durable Ocasio to retire- he decked Ocasio several times before knocking him out in the 8th.
He retired from boxing with a record of 23 wins, 13 losses and 1 draw, with 12 knockout wins. He currently resides in Orlando, Florida.
Professional boxing record
| 37 fights | 23 wins | 13 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 12 | 5 |
| By decision | 11 | 8 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Loss | 23–13–1 | Alex Garcia | TKO | 8 (10), 1:59 | Nov 23, 1992 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, US | |
| 36 | Loss | 23–12–1 | Carl Williams | UD | 10 | Aug 20, 1992 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 35 | Loss | 23–11–1 | Mike Hunter | UD | 10 | Dec 14, 1990 | Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 34 | Win | 23–10–1 | Jess Harding | RTD | 8 (10), 3:00 | Oct 3, 1990 | Festival Hall, Basildon, Essex, England, United Kingdom | |
| 33 | Loss | 22–10–1 | Lennox Lewis | PTS | 8 | Jun 27, 1990 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| 32 | Loss | 22–9–1 | Bruce Seldon | UD | 8 | May 18, 1990 | San Jose, California, US | |
| 31 | Loss | 22–8–1 | Tyrell Biggs | UD | 10 | Jan 11, 1990 | Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 30 | Loss | 22–7–1 | Ray Mercer | SD | 8 | Dec 7, 1989 | Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |
| 29 | Loss | 22–6–1 | Pierre Coetzer | UD | 10 | Nov 26, 1988 | Standard Bank Indoor Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| 28 | Win | 22–5–1 | Pierre Coetzer | UD | 10 | Mar 6, 1988 | Good Hope Centre, Cape Town, South Africa | |
| 27 | Loss | 21–5–1 | Evander Holyfield | TKO | 11 (15), 1:24 | Aug 15, 1987 | Saint-Tropez, Var, France | For WBA and IBF cruiserweight titles |
| 26 | Win | 21–4–1 | Dwight Muhammad Qawi | MD | 10 | May 15, 1987 | Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, US | |
| 25 | Win | 20–4–1 | Narcisco Maldonado | UD | 10 | Mar 23, 1986 | Lawlor Events Center, Nevada, US | |
| 24 | Loss | 19–4–1 | Piet Crous | UD | 15 | Dec 1, 1984 | Superbowl, Sun City, South Africa | Lost WBA cruiserweight title |
| 23 | Win | 19–3–1 | John Odhiambho | TKO | 15 (15), 2:24 | May 5, 1984 | Mets Pavilion, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico | Retained WBA cruiserweight title |
| 22 | Win | 18–3–1 | Randy Stephens | UD | 15 | May 20, 1983 | Dunes Outdoor Arena, Nevada, US | Retained WBA cruiserweight title |
| 21 | Win | 17–3–1 | Eddie Taylor | UD | 15 | Dec 15, 1982 | Aragon Ballroom, Illinois, US | Retained WBA cruiserweight title |
| 20 | Win | 16–3–1 | Robbie Williams | SD | 15 | Feb 13, 1982 | Rand Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | Won inaugural WBA cruiserweight title |
| 19 | Loss | 15–3–1 | John L. Gardner | KO | 6 (10), 0:19 | Mar 17, 1981 | Wembley Arena, London, England, UK | |
| 18 | Win | 15–2–1 | Barry Funches | UD | 10 | Oct 23, 1980 | Felt Forum, New York City, New York, US | |
| 17 | Loss | 14–2–1 | Michael Dokes | TKO | 1 (10), 2:33 | Jun 28, 1980 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 16 | Draw | 14–1–1 | Michael Dokes | SD | 10 | Apr 19, 1980 | Gimnasio Municipal, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | Jack Sterling | TKO | 1 (10), 1:10 | Nov 20, 1979 | Convention Hall, Florida, US | |
| 14 | Loss | 13–1 | Larry Holmes | TKO | 7 (15), 2:38 | Mar 23, 1979 | Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Nevada, US | For WBC heavyweight title |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Jimmy Young | UD | 10 | Jan 27, 1979 | Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Jimmy Young | SD | 10 | Jun 9, 1978 | Caesars Palace, Sports Pavilion, Nevada, US | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Kevin Isaac | UD | 10 | Apr 8, 1978 | Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel, Bayamon, Puerto Rico | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Tom Nickson | KO | 4 (6) | Jul 12, 1977 | Orlando Sports Stadium, Florida, US | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Frank Schram | TKO | 4 (?) | Jun 25, 1977 | Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel, Bayamon, Puerto Rico | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Clarence Morris | KO | 2 (6), 1:37 | Jun 14, 1977 | Orlando Sports Stadium, Florida, US | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Gene Idelette | KO | 1 (?) | Mar 17, 1977 | Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Ed Turner | KO | 2 (?) | Feb 12, 1977 | Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel, Bayamon, Puerto Rico | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Aaron Solomon | KO | 1 (?) | Aug 16, 1976 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Ed Turner | PTS | 8 | Jul 17, 1976 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Luis Reins | KO | 1 (?) | Apr 27, 1976 | Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Rafael Guerrero | KO | 2 (?) | Apr 5, 1976 | Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Lorenzo Simons | KO | 3 (?) | Feb 20, 1976 | Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
See also
References
- "This Week in Boxing History: August 10th – August 16th". August 10, 2015.
- "Larry Holmes KOs Ossie Ocasio This Day March 23, 1979 and Keeps Crown". Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
- "The History of the Heavyweight Championship - 1979". sports.yahoo.com. 7 March 2019.
- Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 1983-05-09.
- "Almost Getting to the Sunshine - Boxing.com". www.boxing.com.
External links
- Boxing record for Ossie Ocasio from BoxRec (registration required)
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Inaugural Champion | WBA cruiserweight champion February 13, 1982 – December 1, 1984 |
Succeeded byPiet Crous |