Nicholas “The Axe Man” Walters quit from a one-sided beating against Vasiliy Lomachenko on Nov. 26, 2016, and quit boxing for good soon after.

After several unsuccessful attempts at making a comeback throughout the years, Walters (27-1-1, 21 KOs) finally made his ring return Saturday in Colombia and scored a unanimous decision win against journeyman Luis Diaz Marmol (19-17, 11 KOs).

The 37-year-old Walters was awarded scores of 80-72, 78-74, and 78-74 in the eight-round fight. 

The former WBA 126-pound champion from Montego Bay, Jamaica was fighting at 140 pounds. 

Walters was a super featherweight stalwart during a stretch from 2014 to 2016.

He became a world champion in 2012 when he stopped Daulis Prescott for the vacant WBA title in seven rounds.

Walters also knocked out Vic Darchinyan inside five rounds in 2014 and scored a TKO win over Nonito Donaire inside six rounds later that year. 

He lost his title on the scale in 2015 when he blew weight against then-undefeated Miguel Marriaga. Walters would end up winning a unanimous decision. 

Walters also fought to a majority draw against Jason Sosa before meeting Lomachenko at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. 

After suffering a beating for seven rounds, Walters quit in his corner before the beginning of the eighth round. 

The fall of Walters led to the continued rise of Lomachenko, who earned the moniker “No Mas” Chenko after forcing Sosa, Marriaga, and Guillermo Rigondeaux to also quit in the following three fights after Walters. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.