06.07.06 – By Ike Enwereuzor: I recently had the previledge to interview with the newly crowned USBA cruiserweight Champion, Emmanuel Nwodo (20-3, 16 KO’s). This past week, he captured the vacant United States Boxing Association (USBA) title on July 1, 2006, with a 3rd round brilliant annihilation of Chris “Cold Steel” Thomas, in a bout that where he was knocked down 4 times by Nwodo. Nwodo is from the Enugu State in Nigeria and is now fighting out of Baltimore, Maryland. This win will certainly add Nwodo’s name in the top ten cruiserweight world rankings.
Nwodo also has impressive victories over former world champion, Imamu Mayfield, Tyrone Tate, Frank Walker, Rayco Saunders and more. Here’s what the current USBA champion had to say.
Ike: Congratulations for your current win over Chris Thomas and for the vacant USBA belt. How would you describe your fight with him?
Nwodo: It was a good win for me; we’re coming after the world championship. Oh yes, I must thank Mr. Han Kim for making this fight happen. At the time of the fight, Chris Thomas was ranked No.3 by USBA, and I was ranked No.4, with the No.1 and 2 spot being vacant, so Mr. Kim made the fight happen. I know the IBF should have us in the rankings soon.
Ike: What’s your impression of all the cruiserweight world champions?
Nwodo: I’d like to fight all of them, including Jean Marc Mormeck, Wayne Braitwaite, and Dale Brown, but he just lost his last fight. I wasn’t impressed by him. We’re looking into some deals now.
Ike: What can you tell us about your fight with Frank Walker?
Nwodo: He was very known in Philly and the favorite, but I stopped him in the first round.
Ike: Did you watch the Bell – Mormeck fight earlier this year? What did you think about the fight?
Nwodo: I’d really like to fight any of these guys. Mormeck gave Bell so much respect, and Bell was hitting him behind his head and that was a pretty dirty fight.
Ike: What did you learn from your fight with Rayco Saunders?
Nwodo: I broke my right hand in the third round of that fight, and I learned to be calm and stay on my game plan.
Ike: Describe your fight with John Douglas?
Nwodo: It was a good fight but he was very awkward and a strong fighter.
Ike: Describe your fight with Imamu Mayfield?
Nwodo: He’s a former world champion and is still fighting good. He previously fought at heavyweight and came down to cruiserweight, so I was brought into that fight as the underdog and boxing fans didn’t know me because I just came from UK. They wanted to check what I was made of, so I proved to them what I was made of. I wasn’t going to be just an opponent because I was coming to win and I stopped him in the first round. Also, I was training at the Lennox Lewis gym, and the Henry Cooper gym, in London, before I decided to move to United States. I also useed to train and spar with Peter Oboh.
Ike: Tell us a little about your amateur boxing career?
Nwodo: I started in Nigeria, but spent the rest of my amateur years in Asia. I studied in India, where I received my BS in Commerce. I later won two Gold medals for my school, as an amateur. Although, I never fought in Nigeria as a professional, so I don’t know why some people have a loss on my record, indicating that I fought a guy in Nigeria.
Ike: But you have fought a few times in Kenya as a professional; tell us about that experience?
Nwodo: I was already in Asia, but I had a journalist friend of mine, in Kenya, Uche Onyebadi, and he became my first manager. He got me fights in Kenya.
Ike: What do you remember about your fight with Joseph Akhasmba, in Kenya?
Nwodo: I was winning until I got cut on my right eye, and in 2nd round the Doctor decided to stop the fight.
Ike: You also fought in Denmark against Richel Hersisia. Tell us about that fight?
Nwodo: First the promoters didn’t put us in a hotel; they had us in a Sports Complex facility. We arrived in Denmark a week before the fight. When we got there, it was snowing and I never ran on the snow before, so after running on that snow, I got
sick. A day before the fight, I got even sicker and I couldn’t pull out of the fight because said they had spent a lot of money. So, I just went in there to survive 3 or 4 rounds, but I gave Hersisia a fight. It wasn’t an easy win for him; we asked him for a rematch, and he refused because he knew the next time around, I was going to knock him out. Right after the fight with him, I was rushed to the hospital.
Ike: When are you expected to return to action?
Nwodo: They are talking about getting me back in action very soon so I can keep busy. The fans should expect me back very soon.
If you have any comments? Questions or suggestions. Email: Jacboxingfans@hotmail.com