Middleweight Michael ‘The Silk’ Olajide, His Career and Obscure Barkley Bout
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Full 23 Minute Iran Barkley versus Michael Olajide bout on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctuh23Smk6s NBC Commentary by Marv Albert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFci3LS_Dao Olajide post Iran Barkley fight interview
Recently I was reviewing a sports DVD entitled ‘101 Knockouts De Campionato’ (101 Championship Knockouts) featuring Iron Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Oscar De la Hoya, Meldrick Taylor, Tito Trinidad, Manny Pacquiao, Julian ‘The Hawk’ Jackson, Alexis Arguello, Jorge Arce, George Foreman and others. The DVD, which runs 140 minutes in color, displays only critical knockouts, and was distributed by Videovisa Films Home Entertainment in 2008. The title of the DVD would seem to indicate it was marketed to the Spanish and Latino communities in the United States, Mexico, Central and South America.
The DVD, like the CD and the videotape, the laser disc, the cassette, filmstrips and film projectors (except for movie theatre cinema projection), tank sized televisions with a back, tube televisions, dial televisions, the blu-ray, the eight track and reel to reel, has become a thing of the past in the era of digital downloading and professional sports. Long play vinyl records appear to be making somewhat of a comeback with audiophiles. I actually met somebody with a new SUV this week who had a new CD player in his car, and he appeared somewhat surprised his particular new car had a CD player installed when he found it and purchased it new. The CD player in the car is almost gone now.
In the context of history, DVDs followed VHS and Beta videotapes as a more compact, digitally precise format. Sort of a smaller version of the laserdisc, DVDs could scratch or stop during play when worn out. The advent of the DVD offered boxing fans a more digitally enhanced colorful collage of sports clips past and present, along with the opportunity to switch to whatever part of the DVD you wanted to view (as opposed to the VHS videotape obsolete fast and forward function).
It was within this 101 Championship Knockouts DVD recently I found a highlight clip of the end of the long forgotten obscure super middleweight bout between Iran ‘The Blade’ Barkley and Michael ‘The Silk’ Olajide. This was not actually a championship bout, which they fought at the Felt Forum in New York City on March 3, 1988. Both men stood 6’1”, but Olajide had a two inches reach advantage (77 inches to 75 inches for Barkley). This was the first time Olajide was stopped, at 1:12 of the fifth round. Olajide was down in the second and fifth rounds. Barkley was down in the fourth round. Olajide protested the stoppage. In the post fight interview, Olajide felt he was burned out. He still felt he could win a world title, but felt changes were necessary. “You learn, and grow and make mistakes, and try to go on as best possible.”
Olajide was not capable of slugging it out in a power shot war against an experienced slugger like Barkley, who both knocked out Hearns and won a decision against him in championship contests. At the highest levels, the flashy Olajide got outworked by Tate, Barkley, Hearns, Dennis Milton (who beat Gerald McClellan) and Ralph Moncrief (who was knocked down three times by Bernard Hopkins in the first round at the Blue Horizon in Philadelphia five months later).
An analysis of Olajide’s record shows this was one of the four Olajide bouts fought at the 168 pound super middleweight limit, all four bouts which Olajide lost. Olajide lost a vacant International Boxing Federation World Middleweight title bout to Frank Tate by 15 round decision at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in October 1987, his first loss. The critical understanding of Olajide was, his flashy showboating personality aside, Olajide was a naturally talented middleweight. From Roberto Duran to Gerald McClellan to Tito Trinidad to Kelly Pavlik, many talented middleweight champions have not transitioned well to super middleweight. Others, from Carlos Monzon to Marvelous Marvin Hagler to Gennady Golovkin, never rose above 160 pounds for the same reason. Other champions, such as Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns, did rise up to win titles at 175 pounds light heavyweight, so each fighter is markedly different.
Among Olajide’s four losses was a 12 round decision World Boxing Organization title challenge loss to Hearns in October 1990 at the Taj Mahal Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. Olajide only won two round on one scorecard against Hearns. Against Tate, Olajide did not win a round. After losing four of his last six bouts, Olajide retired after an eighth round stoppage to journeyman Ralph Moncrief in April 1991 at Shriner’s Auditorium in Mobile, Alabama led to a permanent right eye injury which ended his career. Olajide later became a successful trainer. His last three professional bouts, all losses, were fought at super middleweight. Olajide’s final record was 27-5 with 19 knockouts. Olajide, born in Liverpool, United Kingdom, fought out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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