Editing Jeff Fenech (section)

==Boxing career==
Fenech was born in [[St Peters, New South Wales|St Peters]], [[Sydney]] and is of [[Maltese people|Maltese]] parentage.<ref>{{cite news |last=Attard |first=Monica |date=27 June 2008 |title=Jeff Fenech |url=https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/06/27/2287958.htm |work=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=23 January 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123004613/https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/06/27/2287958.htm |archive-date=23 January 2015}}</ref> After playing junior [[rugby league]] and getting into trouble with the police as a child, Fenech was turned onto boxing when he attended the Newtown Police Boys Club in Sydney where he met [[Johnny Lewis (boxing trainer)|Johnny Lewis]]. From there Fenech had a stellar amateur career, which led to him representing his country at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] where he was selected as the boxing team captain. At the Olympics, Fenech lost a controversial quarter-final bout to [[Yugoslavians|Yugoslavian]] [[Redžep Redžepovski]]. Fenech was initially given the decision, but after intervention by the Olympic Boxing Committee and a total recount, the decision was reversed with Redžepovski being awarded the win. Many of the other boxers and those in the press felt that Fenech had been robbed of a chance to win an Olympic medal and most boxing writers noted how political amateur boxing was, especially at the [[Summer Olympic Games|Olympic Games]].

It was that decision that led Fenech to turn professional later in 1984, and in his first professional fight he defeated Bobby Williams by a [[knockout]] in round two. Fenech quickly gained a reputation as a fast starter: he won his first eleven bouts by knockout, and held his first fight abroad in only his fourth fight, when he beat Iliesa Manila by a knockout in two rounds in [[Fiji]].<ref name="mildura-weekly">{{cite news |title=I luv youse all says Jeff |url=https://issuu.com/mweekly/docs/mwvol4no16 |work=Mildura Weekly |volume=4 |issue=16 |date=26 February 2010 |page=21}}</ref>
   
He beat fringe contenders Wayne Mulholland and Rolando Navarro, both by a knockout in the fifth round, to start 1985. After those two wins, he was placed number one among the world's bantamweights by the [[International Boxing Federation]]. However, his early wins by KO had some of the press wondering if he could last the full 15 round distance.
  
===Bantamweight champion===
Fenech took only six professional fights to become the number one contender. He became the eighth-fastest boxer to fight for a world title after beginning his career when he challenged [[Satoshi Shingaki]] for the IBF Bantamweight title in only his seventh bout, displacing the second [[Davey Moore (boxer, born 1959)|Davey Moore]], and trailing Shingaki himself, [[Leon Spinks]], [[Saensak Muangsurin]], [[Pete Rademacher]], [[Joves De La Puz]], [[Joko Arter]] and [[Rafael Lovera]]. Fenech was the third fastest boxer to become a world champion, behind Muangsuring and Spinks, when he knocked out Shingaki in nine rounds in front of a packed house at the Horden Pavilion in Sydney. After two non-title knockout wins, he gave Shingaki a rematch at the [[State Sports Centre]] in Sydney and retained the crown with a knockout in three rounds. After one more non-title knockout win, Fenech had to go the distance for the first time, when he faced American [[Jerome Coffee]] at the [[Sydney Entertainment Centre]], retaining the title by a 15-round unanimous decision.<ref name="mildura-weekly" />
   
In 1986, Fenech had only two bouts, but they were both major fights: He won a 10-round, non-title fight decision over former [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] bantamweight and future super bantamweight world champion [[Daniel Zaragoza]], and he retained his IBF world championship with a TKO in round 14 over American [[Steve McCrory]]<ref name="mildura-weekly" /> in a bout dubbed "Olympic Revenge" by Fenech's then promoter Bill Mordy. McCrory, like Fenech, had competed in the flyweight division at the Los Angeles Olympics, winning the [[Boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Gold Medal]] by defeating Redžep Redžepovski in the final. After the bout at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, McCrory graciously allowed the Australian to wear his Olympic Gold Medal to show off to the crowd. During the fight with McCrory, Fenech wore green and red trunks, the colours of the [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]] rugby league team with their tough forward [[Mario Fenech]] (no relation) in his corner. McCrory was trained out of the [[Kronk Gym]] in [[Detroit]].

===Super bantamweight champion===
1987 was a big year for Fenech. He went up in weight, and in his first fight as a [[super bantamweight]], he defeated Tony Miller by a decision. Then the [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] super bantamweight champion, [[Samart Payakaroon]], travelled to Australia to defend his belt against Fenech. Fenech became a two-weight world champion by knocking Payakaroon out in four rounds. For his next defense, he met future world bantamweight champion [[Greg Richardson]] and knocked him out in five. Next it was former WBC bantamweight champion [[Carlos Zarate (boxer)|Carlos Zarate]]'s turn to challenge Fenech. Fenech retained his crown by a technical decision win in four rounds at the [[Perth Entertainment Centre]], and then finished his year by knocking out Osmar Avila in one round in a non-title affair.

===Featherweight champion===
By 1988, Fenech had grown into a [[featherweight]], and the WBC matched him with [[Puerto Rico]]'s former world super bantamweight champion ''[[Victor Luvi Callejas]]'' for their vacant featherweight title, once again, in Sydney. Fenech joined boxing's exclusive group of fighters who have been world champs in three or more divisions, by knocking Callejas out in the 11th round.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jeff Fenech of Australia stopped Victor Callejas of Puerto... |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/03/07/Jeff-Fenech-of-Australia-stopped-Victor-Callejas-of-Puerto/3696573714000/ |work=[[United Press International]] |date=7 March 1988 |access-date=23 January 2015}}</ref> He retained that title twice before the year was over, knocking out [[Tyrone Downes]] and Georgie "Go Go" Navarro, both in the fifth round.<ref name="mildura-weekly" />
   
In 1989, he beat Marcos Villasana and former [[Julio César Chávez]] challenger [[Mario Martínez (boxer)|Mario Martinez]], both by decision.<ref name="mildura-weekly" />

===Super featherweight title challenges===
{{Main|Azumah Nelson vs. Jeff Fenech}}
After that, Fenech took one year off and came back in 1991 as a [[super featherweight]]. After beating Johnny Calhoun by a knockout in four, he tried to become a four division world champion when he met [[Azumah Nelson]]. The fight was fought on the undercard to the [[Mike Tyson]] vs [[Donovan Ruddock|Razor Ruddock]] rematch at [[Caesars Palace]] in [[Las Vegas]]. After 12 ferocious rounds the bout was controversially declared a draw with many of the boxing press who were present (as well as Tyson) claiming that Fenech had been robbed of a clear win.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Alan |date=28 June 1991 |title=Nelson fights to draw, retains WBC super-featherweight title |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1991-06-29-1991180068-story.html |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |access-date=12 November 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622053943/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1991-06-29-1991180068-story.html |archive-date=22 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hasen |first=Jeff |date=28 June 1991 |title=Nelson, Fenech fight to draw |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/06/28/Nelson-Fenech-fight-to-draw/6140678081600/ |work=United Press International |access-date=12 November 2022}}</ref> Fenech has accused Nelson's promoter [[Don King]] of [[Match fixing|fixing]] the fight: "Him being Azumah Nelson and being under the Don King banner helped him because I believe the referee ([[Joe Cortez]]) didn’t let me do what I wanted to do, breaking up the fight, let Azumah hit me after the bell. People want to say I’m a dirty fighter but I only retaliate when someone does something to me. I’ve got no need to do something dirty at the start because I’m busy trying to cut the ring off and put pressure on. Like I said, although I won the fight, nobody tried to help me like that. The judging, the referring, everything was against me."<ref name="ringtv">{{cite web |url=https://www.ringtv.com/479284-best-faced-jeff-fenech/ |title=Best I Faced: Jeff Fenech |last=Wainwright |first=Anson |date=6 January 2017 |website= |access-date=9 January 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109220327/https://www.ringtv.com/479284-best-faced-jeff-fenech/ |archive-date=9 January 2017}}</ref> On Monday 7 November 2022, a review of the fight by WBC Boxing retrospectively declared Fenech the winner, thus giving him a fourth world title.<ref>{{cite news |last=Healy |first=Jon |date=8 November 2022 |title=Jeff Fenech wins super featherweight world title 31 years after controversial draw with Azumah Nelson |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-09/jeff-fenech-wins-world-title-31-years-after-azumah-nelson-draw/101632582 |work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=12 November 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109000026/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-09/jeff-fenech-wins-world-title-31-years-after-azumah-nelson-draw/101632582 |archive-date=9 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McMurtry |first=Andrew |date=9 November 2022 |title=Boxing fans stunned after controversial 1991 Jeff Fenech fight overturned |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/boxing/boxing-fans-stunned-after-controversial-1991-jeff-fenech-fight-overturned/news-story/6cb6c0e1e4c82aa44537bba422ddeb3c |work=[[news.com.au]] |access-date=12 November 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109061509/https://www.news.com.au/sport/boxing/boxing-fans-stunned-after-controversial-1991-jeff-fenech-fight-overturned/news-story/6cb6c0e1e4c82aa44537bba422ddeb3c |archive-date=9 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/34981371/australian-jeff-fenech-awarded-fourth-world-boxing-title |title=Fenech awarded fourth world title 31 years on |date=8 November 2022 |website=[[ESPN]] |access-date=12 November 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108235340/https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/34981371/australian-jeff-fenech-awarded-fourth-world-boxing-title |archive-date=8 November 2022}}</ref>

Fenech returned to Australia and after beating Miguel Francia, Nelson travelled to [[Melbourne, Australia|Melbourne]] to offer Fenech a second title try. This time in front of over 30,000 fans at the [[Princes Park (stadium)|Princes Park]] football stadium, Fenech suffered his first loss, when he was knocked out in the eighth round for Nelson to retain the world title. Fenech's TKO loss was recognized as the [[Ring Magazine]] [[Upset of the Year]].<ref name="ringtv" />

After that fight, he fought sporadically. In 1993, he was beaten in seven rounds by knockout by [[United States|American]] former IBF featherweight champion [[Calvin Grove]] at the [[Rod Laver Arena]] in Melbourne, and in 1995, he beat Tialano Tovar, by a knockout in eight in [[New Jersey]].

===Lightweight title challenge===
In 1996, in what was thought to have been his last fight (he fought Nelson a third time 12 years later), he lost to IBF [[lightweight]] champion [[Phillip Holiday]] of [[South Africa]] by a knockout in the second round. He retired after the bout.
   
Fenech retired with a record of 28 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, with 21 wins by knockout.