Boxing
Trading Journalism Dreams for Boxing: How Sena Agbeko Achieved the Unthinkable
Published
3 months agoon
For many Ghanaians, swapping their professional goals for a sports career can be detrimental, but Sena Agbeko found that it paid off.
Super middleweight Agbeko, who had to deal with the intensity of combining boxing with school, spent five years pursuing a four-year Bachelor of Communications degree at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), according to him, he had to give up his dream of becoming a broadcast journalist to pursue a passion he developed later in life.
“To be forthright, my first love was to become a lawyer, but at the time I was more worried about the tuition costs for that,” Agbeko told BoxingScene. “So instead of going to law school, I thought I’d just do communications because I always wanted to be a broadcast journalist.
“It’s not something you can throw away. It’s something I could continue. I can still continue if I want to, but boxing is one of those things that requires 100 percent focus and attention. And you know the nature of journalism. Yes, you have to, whether you’re doing eight hours or going to locations to record and interview people, and I can’t do that in boxing. It would be impossible and I don’t think I could have gone that far in boxing.”
Boxing was a surprise to Agbeko (28-4, 22 KOs), who was no fan of fighting growing up in Dzorwulu, a suburb of Accra. He was drawn to the sport in 2007 when he watched Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya fight for the WBC junior middleweight championship. A year later, he watched Ghana’s boxing team, the Black Bombers, fight at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“So I think the Olympics that year ended in August and then I started boxing shortly after in 2008,” Agbeko said. “Those two events just gave me the desire to continue boxing.”
Agbeko’s first introduction to boxing was just a few minutes from his home, where he shared close quarters with Ambassador Ray Quarcoo – a boxing administrator and former president of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Federation (GABF). Quarcoo set up a boxing gym in his home, closer to where Agbeko lived.
The brave Agbeko approached Quarcoo’s house and told him he was interested in taking up the sport – a move that forced Quarcoo to prepare the ring so Agbeko and another boxer could begin training.
“It was just me and him and then he hired a coach from Bukom, Suleman Martey, who I still work with today. He’s in Ghana and he was my first coach. When he was hired, he was hired just to train us and I remember it was a long, tough six months of training and begging him to let me fight.
“He kept telling me I wasn’t ready. Then he finally got a bunch of guys from the gym to fight in the Great Accra League on Friday nights.”
Agbeko spent three years as an amateur fighter, winning 60 fights and losing nine between 2008 and 2011. His impressive record earned him a place on the Ghanaian boxing team and was part of the Junior World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. However, Agbeko’s hopes of competing in the championships were dashed.
“It was in 2010 and we went to the Junior World Championships in Azerbaijan. I was ready to compete, but I got diseased anyway, so I wasn’t really able to compete.”
In 2011, Agbeko was unable to represent Ghana in the Olympic qualification for the 2012 London Games. His place in the Olympic qualification was offered to a more experienced player, despite having beaten him in the justify-your-inclusion tournament.
Agbeko said Kwasi Ofori Asare, coach of the Ghanaian boxing team, preferred to utilize a fighter who had just won gold at the West African regional boxing tournament because he believed the fighter had a better chance of qualifying for the Olympics. This disappointment forced Agbeko to turn professional.
“I played in the African Gloves Championship and won a gold medal. At that time, the owner of Kpando Heart of Lions (a football club in Ghana), Victor Ahiakpor, saw me at that tournament and decided to manage me if I wanted to turn professional. So I said yes and he helped me turn professional and it’s been that way ever since.”
Agbeko made his professional debut on June 18, 2011, with a second-round technical knockout victory over Cudjoe Darah at the Lebanon House in Accra. He remained undefeated in his first 15 fights in Ghana before moving to the United States in 2014 with the lend a hand of US-based Ghanaian manager Alex Kotey.
Agbeko soon fell out with Kotey and left before making his U.S. debut in a four-round TKO loss to Raymond Gatica at a Banner Promotions event Boxing Tournament series on ESPN.
“At that time, I made a lot of very selfish decisions that affected me because as a newborn guy from Ghana, I wanted to do a lot of things quickly. And at that time, I didn’t really understand it. And I say that because I want the world to understand that Alex Kotey did nothing wrong to me.
“I was the one who wanted so much done quickly that I felt dissatisfied with his plan. So I ended up going my own way, which I later regretted and apologized to him. His plan was to get me into Top Rank. And to do that, he wanted me to fight one of their guys, but the fights weren’t coming right away either.
“And I thought I had to start fighting right away. But he wanted me to take my time, let me get in the system for a while, train really well, and then he brought me into Top Rank and saw how it went.”
Agbeko went into hibernation for three years after the Gatica loss, his inactivity due to a promotional dispute with Banner Promotions.
“I moved to Las Vegas and I was living with Joseph Agbeko (former IBF bantamweight champion). So there were a few instances where we had a lot of fights that kept falling through. People would offer fights, we would take them, and then before we knew it, the fight would get canceled for one reason or another.
“I injured my right hand while training for the fight, and when I was trying to get them to lend a hand me heal it, that’s when I realized that these people might have more sinister plans, because they wouldn’t want me to do this. So I got mad. They wanted to give me a cortisone shot so I could fight. And I thought, how are you going to give me a cortisone shot so I can fight? This is wrong. Like my hand needs real healing.”
After returning with a six-round unanimous decision victory over Timothy Hall Jr. in March 2017, Agbeko had won seven straight fights before losing to Vladimir Shishkin in February 2021. Five months later, he stopped Daniel Yocupicio Mendez in one round and recorded five more victories, including a 10-round unanimous decision over Isaiah Steen.
Agbeko landed a fight for David Morrell Jr.’s secondary WBA super middleweight title after that run last December. The fight was supposed to take place eight months earlier, but Agbeko had licensing issues that forced him to fight Bruno Romay.
Two months after knocking out Romay in the second round last October, Agbeko faced Morrell in his first world title fight, lasting only two rounds against the Cuban.
“That fight got canceled, which was devastating because I had lost so much money preparing for the Morrell fight. And in the months that followed, I was just a broken person because it’s not effortless to deal with things like that. It’s not effortless to train really tough for a fight for months and then people try to insinuate that I had a problem.
“I had to fight to prove that I was fine, when the commission gave me the license, but then it was too delayed by a week and a half because the fight had already taken place. I actually had a test that was done and presented to the commission that showed I was good, and only then did they give me the license.
“When they offered me the fight again, not only was I a broken man, but God knows what they could do. I was prepared for the fight, but the question is, what did he have up his sleeve that they didn’t want to do any drug testing? I’m not saying he cheated, but my question is, if you have nothing to hide, why don’t you want to take a drug test?”
Last week, Agbeko suffered another TKO loss to Cuba’s Osleys Igleys. Despite his ups and downs in his career, Agbeko believes he still has something to offer the sport as he drops down to 160.
“It was a good fight. I prepared as best I could and it just didn’t work out. As a result, I think the guys in the super middleweight division are a little too huge for me. That’s why I made the decision to start my campaign at 160.
“It’s my decision that I’m going to fight, hopefully at the end of this year or early next year, at my novel weight.”
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Boxing
George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team
Published
7 hours agoon
November 23, 2024Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
Boxing
Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul
Published
2 days agoon
November 21, 2024One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
Boxing
Lauren Price looks to win Jonas vs Habazin with an undercard victory
Published
2 days agoon
November 21, 2024Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.
Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.
Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.
Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.
Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.
Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.
There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.
Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.
McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.
English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.
Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.
Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.
After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.
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