Paul Truscott has been handed a surprise opportunity to challenge for the vacant Commonwealth featherweight title after only ten pro outings. The unbeaten 21-year-old prospect will meet Ghana’s Osumanu Akaba at the Eston Sports Academy in Middlesbrough next Friday (May 9). SKY Sports televise live.
Local boy Paul Truscott steps up in a surprise challenge for the the vacant Commonwealth featherweight title in Middlesbrough next week (May 9) against Ghana's tough Osumanu Akaba.
The title was recently made vacant by hot Ugandan Jackson Asiku.
Truscott is an exciting prospect unbeaten in 10 pro outings. That's the good. The bad is he turned pro less than two years ago and was boxing four-rounders up to October last year. Fortunately, he went eight rounds for the first time in February, when he outscored so-so Frenchman Samir Kasmi, but picked up a heavy nosebleed and remains untested going into his biggest fight to date.
Southpaw Akaba is also inexperienced on paper, with just 13 fights, but was lined up to challenge Asiku next month in London (before Asiku relinquished) and was also linked to Commonwealth (and British) super-featherweight champ Kevin Mitchell quite recently in Nottingham. The visitor is rugged, willing and resilient and has won two fights by stoppage since South African Jeffrey Mathebula outscored him in a 12-rounder in South Africa in September 2005. Mathebula, a former Olympian, has just one loss in 24 pro outings. The only other man to beat Akaba is fellow Ghanaian Abdul Malik Jabir, who had to climb off the floor to come through on cuts in Ghana back in 2001 and was hammered in six rounds in a rematch three years later. Jabir would earn an iron man reputation here for a bloody 12-rounder with Glasgow's Craig Docherty and weeks of sparring with a then 'hot' Michael Brodie.
Akaba is a threat. Yes, he lost when he stepped up - and this is his first trip outside Africa - but the challenger has never been genuinely stopped, shown real improvement, carries a whack (10 stoppage wins; Truscott only has one) and done the championship 12. Plus, his southpaw style could cause Truscott problems, although Paul has been sparring Rendall Munroe.
The real crux of this fight centres around Truscott's ability to make nine stone, given he's been boxing at super-featherweight and even higher. He's one of those rangy fighters, smooth-boxing and quick, and a growing boy at just turned 22 (today, in fact), Even if he wins, you wonder how long he can stay at feather.
I think he will win (a tough fight). Paul picks his punches intelligently and goes well to the body, and should be able to do 12 rounds at a decent pace, roared on by partisan support. Victory would make him Middlesbrough's first champ since Grangetown's John "Cornelius" Carr outscored James Cook for the British super-middleweight title at York Hall in March 1994.
Last edited by bennie on 02 May 2008, 14:53, edited 1 time in total.
Can i just say, Paul Truscott makes featherweight comfortably,he has always fought fighters heavier than him,hence he tends to come in heavier himself,at the time of writing this he is down to 9 stone 4,he has plenty of time to make weight,which for a tall featherweight has never been a problem,as for southpaws,growing up and training in the gym its all he ever sparred with,he also boxed a few southpaws in his amateur days,although we know the pro game is vastly different,heres hoping Paul does the 12 rounds comfortably enough and comes through,he is a genuinely nice lad.
Mowgli wrote:Can i just say, Paul Truscott makes featherweight comfortably,he has always fought fighters heavier than him,hence he tends to come in heavier himself,at the time of writing this he is down to 9 stone 4,he has plenty of time to make weight,which for a tall featherweight has never been a problem,as for southpaws,growing up and training in the gym its all he ever sparred with,he also boxed a few southpaws in his amateur days,although we know the pro game is vastly different,heres hoping Paul does the 12 rounds comfortably enough and comes through,he is a genuinely nice lad.
good to hear. I thought with him looking so big he would struggle to get down to feather.
