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Philippines, 14 May 2008 |
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THE FIERY HEART OF NICK OTIENO PhilBoxing.com Fri, 09 May 2008 For a country better known for its distance events and world record breaking marathoners, such as Paul Tergat, Kenya remains a distance from becoming a hotspot for world boxing contests. And for a talented warrior like Nick “Kanyankole” Otieno the less popular game of boxing must be played from the heart with sights set at the lofty arena of world professional boxing for a promising future to come by. Reigning UBO bantamweight champion Otieno has been playing the game with a fiery heart. Raised in a land of vast wildlife and home to hundreds of thousands of blue wildebeests and the so-called “big five” African animals—lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros, and elephant—Otieno grew into a hardy and persistently fiery warrior—fast-handed, round-running, and fists of stone. He got a busy stint in amateur boxing, gaining a wealth of experience obtained from multi-gold forays into the ring. His entry into the professional boxing scene brought a round-two TKO of Charles Kibuku at Nairobi in mid-2005. He took hold of the vacant UBO bantamweight title in Dec 2006, and victoriously defended it in a rematch with Twalib Mubiru early last year by a stoppage in round seven. For the rest of the year, he became a willing target of debutantes who wanted to open their pro-boxing career by stopping a champion. His “no-thanks” message came across with two TKOs and two point-wins as he sent four upcoming pugilists a zero-win welcome. The preoccupation with lesser fights has cost him the IBF international bantamweight crown opposite reigning champion Eduardo Garcia on Feb 2. While he was fighting four pro starters, Garcia was busy fighting title contender Sebastien Gauthier for the IBF crown. But hard lessons sink in easily to Otieno. Less than two months later, Otieno came back on tract, and was on fire. He disposed African Boxing Union super flyweight boss Francis Miyeyusho with a first-round knockout on Apr 5. His sight is blazing on another target for demolition—reigning IBF Intercontinental super flyweight champion Z “The Dream” Gorres. Defeating Gorres will open to him the world boxing vista, particularly the more lucrative American market. Can Gorres hold off the Kenyan heat and stay on track for the IBF super flyweight prize? The scorching duel explodes on May 31 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino in Lahug. Click here to view a list of other articles written by . Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles: |
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