by James Slater – Tyson Fury is not the only UK heavyweight currently making waves as an exciting prospect. Last night, on the under-card of the Ian Nappa-Malik Bouziane European bantamweight title fight (which defending champ Nappa lost on points), 30-year-old man-mountain Larry Olubamiwo made it 4-0(4) as he scored a brutal KO. Destroying 31-year-old Pole Michal Skierniewski mere seconds into the opening round, “The War Machine” looked devastating – limited opponent or not..
And while promoter Mick Hennessey’s guy Fury has time on his side at age 20, and Frank Maloney’s hope doesn’t at a decade older, it just might be that the two huge men become involved in something of a rivalry in the near future. Fury, as we know, is much influenced by the former heavyweight king he was named after, while Olubamiwo is a fighter Maloney says just might be another Earnie Shavers, so hard does he bang. Certainly, Fury, as good as he’s looked this early, has yet to completely spark out a foe the way the 30-year-old with the immaculate physique did last night.
No sooner had big Larry landed his fight-ending right hand to the head, was his opponent laid out in a quivering heap. Quickly piling into the ring with the oxygen masks, the ringside physicians attended to the stricken Pole who fell to 3-4-1(1) as a pro. Thankfully, Michal was up and ok after a few scary seconds.
30-year-old Londoner Olubamiwo, who tips in at a solid 260-pounds and stands at 6’4,” will be looking to make his move pretty fast. Only having eleven fights as an amateur, the surprisingly fast heavyweight is still raw, yet he says he is working “massively” on his technique and on his stamina. Speaking post-fight last night, the articulate fighter said he will not be allowed by his trainers to attempt to get through fights on his sheer power alone – power that he says is “God-given.”
So far, Larry has boxed four fights in just over five months, and it’s to be hoped he will be back in action no later than April or May. As with Fury, it is nothing but optimistic at this stage to suggest Olubamiwo will develop into a champion – either at British level or higher – but it sure will be fun following whatever progress is made. Promising-looking heavyweights are always thrust into the public eye quicker than lower-weight up-and-comers – such is the attraction of the big men of boxing.
It seems Great Britain now has at least two such fighters to keep an eye on.