Peter Oboh's fight back on...
Posted: 11 Nov 2003, 10:42
London-based Latvian Elvis Michailenko defends his WBA international light-heavyweight title against reigning British and Commonwealth champion Peter Oboh this Friday at York Hall. Oboh pulled out yesterday with a bad cold, but is much better today said trainer Dean Powell and has agreed to fight.
His opponent, Michailenko, who fights out of the Peacock gym, won the title with a split decision over former WBO title challenger Alejandro Lakatus in Madrid last October, which was a really good win considering Lakatus, a Rumanian, is based in Madrid. He has fought only once since, a fouth round stoppage of Zimbabwe's Hastings Rasani last May, his second win over Rasani. The 27-year-old is clearly proving a difficult opponent to match and boasts an unbeaten 13-0-1 (4) record since turning pro in May 2000.
The draw came with leading super-middleweight contender Tony Dodson over six rounds in the latter's own hometown of Liverpool. Michailenko was having just his third pro fight.
Oboh has been avoided himself (for years), especially after a stunning first round knockout over world class Ole Klemetsen in 1998 and an equally stunning second round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Thomas Hansvoll in Denmark a year later. But the Nigerian southpaw persevered and - on his 34th birthday - captured the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight title with another first round knockout over Kenya's George Adipo Odour last year. A fight later, the Brockley banger added the vacant British title with a fine 11th round stoppage over Neil Simpson in the latter's own backyard of Coventry.
So the winner of this one could be line for a proper 'world' title shot at WBA champion Silvio Branco, who is always prepared to travel and who Joe Calzaghe is also said to be targetting. Roy Hilder of the Peacock said: "We're very pleased that Elvis has this chance. It's a good opportunity for him to move up the rankings and hopefully challenge for the WBA title."
Oboh, statistically unimpressive 12-5 at (10), was thrown in deep in his early career against the likes of Johnny Nelson, Terry Dunstan, Garry Delaney and even big heavyweight Scott Welch, but the crushing win over Klemetsen showed he was no journeyman and he struggled desperately to find work. Since that blowout six years ago, he has boxed just six times in fact. Worse, his 17 pro fights to date have taken 10 years to compile, all of which speaks for itself. The guy is too dangerous for his own good. Ten of his 12 wins have come by by stoppage or knockout and he showed against Simspon he has the power to hurt an opponent in the later rounds as well as, obviously, early on. He wore down and floored the talented Simpson in the 11th with a big southpaw left, prompting the referee's stoppage, and earned the right to fight for the Commonwealth title in an eliminator with Welsh puncher, Chris Davies, who was stopped in eight.
So this fight is a real coming together of dangermen and could turn into the fight of the night. Oboh is far more experienced (in terms of opponent met), and his British and Commonwealth titles, while not on the line here, mean a lot more than this WBA intermational title in truth. But, at 35, there's a chance that Oboh could find himself outworked by the young and hungry Latvian, especially down the stretch. Oboh is quite clever with the head, so there's also a chance this could end on cuts, but more likely is a bruising, hard-earned points victory for Michailenko.
His opponent, Michailenko, who fights out of the Peacock gym, won the title with a split decision over former WBO title challenger Alejandro Lakatus in Madrid last October, which was a really good win considering Lakatus, a Rumanian, is based in Madrid. He has fought only once since, a fouth round stoppage of Zimbabwe's Hastings Rasani last May, his second win over Rasani. The 27-year-old is clearly proving a difficult opponent to match and boasts an unbeaten 13-0-1 (4) record since turning pro in May 2000.
The draw came with leading super-middleweight contender Tony Dodson over six rounds in the latter's own hometown of Liverpool. Michailenko was having just his third pro fight.
Oboh has been avoided himself (for years), especially after a stunning first round knockout over world class Ole Klemetsen in 1998 and an equally stunning second round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Thomas Hansvoll in Denmark a year later. But the Nigerian southpaw persevered and - on his 34th birthday - captured the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight title with another first round knockout over Kenya's George Adipo Odour last year. A fight later, the Brockley banger added the vacant British title with a fine 11th round stoppage over Neil Simpson in the latter's own backyard of Coventry.
So the winner of this one could be line for a proper 'world' title shot at WBA champion Silvio Branco, who is always prepared to travel and who Joe Calzaghe is also said to be targetting. Roy Hilder of the Peacock said: "We're very pleased that Elvis has this chance. It's a good opportunity for him to move up the rankings and hopefully challenge for the WBA title."
Oboh, statistically unimpressive 12-5 at (10), was thrown in deep in his early career against the likes of Johnny Nelson, Terry Dunstan, Garry Delaney and even big heavyweight Scott Welch, but the crushing win over Klemetsen showed he was no journeyman and he struggled desperately to find work. Since that blowout six years ago, he has boxed just six times in fact. Worse, his 17 pro fights to date have taken 10 years to compile, all of which speaks for itself. The guy is too dangerous for his own good. Ten of his 12 wins have come by by stoppage or knockout and he showed against Simspon he has the power to hurt an opponent in the later rounds as well as, obviously, early on. He wore down and floored the talented Simpson in the 11th with a big southpaw left, prompting the referee's stoppage, and earned the right to fight for the Commonwealth title in an eliminator with Welsh puncher, Chris Davies, who was stopped in eight.
So this fight is a real coming together of dangermen and could turn into the fight of the night. Oboh is far more experienced (in terms of opponent met), and his British and Commonwealth titles, while not on the line here, mean a lot more than this WBA intermational title in truth. But, at 35, there's a chance that Oboh could find himself outworked by the young and hungry Latvian, especially down the stretch. Oboh is quite clever with the head, so there's also a chance this could end on cuts, but more likely is a bruising, hard-earned points victory for Michailenko.