Ola Afolab
i" src="http://realcombatmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Ola-Afolabi.jpg" alt="" width="268" height="188" />Afolabi Stops Brudov, Awaits Huck’s Decision
By: Boxing Writer José A. Maldonado, MFA
ESPRIT Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany – Ola Afolabi took care of business in an interim WBO bout, stopping his Russian opponent Valery Brudov in cruiserweight action this Saturday. The Brit, known as Kryptonite and residing in Los Angeles, dominated the fight, dropping Brudov (39-3-28 KOs) once in the third and again in the fifth before referee Genaro Rodríguez called a halt to the contest 3:00 minutes into the fifth round.
Afolabi (19-2-9 KOs) now has to await a decision from Marco Huck, the full WBO cruiserweight titleholder. That is because last week, Huck moved up to heavyweight to challenge WBA interim champ Alexander Povetkin in what turned out to be an entertaining slugfest. Despite dropping the decision, Huck proved himself more than worthy of fighting against the big boys, and must now figure out whether he wants to continue at heavy or move back down to cruiserweight to defend his title. The WBO’s deadline for this decision is Tuesday.
Though many observers would say there is a dearth of talent in the heavyweight division at the moment, there does appear to be somewhat of a resurgence, with quite a few intriguing matchups cropping up from seemingly out of nowhere. Apart from the Klitschkos, there are many lucrative, winnable fights at Huck’s new weight, including possible opponents like Tomasz Adamek (a former sparring partner), Chris Arreola, and Derek Chisora, to name a few.
Huck (34-2-25 KOs) is a major draw in Germany, yet cruiserweight does not appear to offer many new challenges for him, especially when one considers that Afolabi, his top contender, already dropped a unanimous decision to him in December of 2009. Kalle Sauerland, Huck’s promoter, hinted at a rematch shortly after that fight, but it looks like now Huck has bigger fish to fry. If, in fact, Huck decides to stay at heavyweight, Afolabi would be elevated to full WBO champion (for what it’s worth). Considering the circumstances, this is what will most likely occur.
José A. Maldonado is senior staff writer at punchrate.com and contributor to realcombatmedia.com
Follow Boxing Writer José A. Maldonado on TWITTER @REALCOMBATMEDIA
Join our FACEBOOK for the latest up to date fight news Real Combat Media.COM
Add us to your circle on GOOGLE PLUS: plus.google.com/Real Combat Media.
JOIN OUR NEW INTEGRATED FACEBOOK FORUMS :realcombatmedia.com/forum
English
No Comments Yet