by James Slater – British-born Ola Afolabi, the man who made a big name for himself by sensationally stopping big-punching Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli in the 9th round back in March, is currently working on his next fight with his promoter Dino Duva. According to top scribe Dan Rafael over at ESPN.com, there are presently two options being worked on for the man who may well become the new star and dominant force of the 200 pound division..
Originally it was assumed Afolabi would meet Argentina’s Victor Ramirez – a fellow claimant of the WBO cruiserweight strap – in his first fight after the win over Maccarinelli. However, Ramirez now has another fight scheduled – for May 16th in his native country, against the little-known Ali Ismailov – and it seems as though he and Afolabi will not be meeting any time soon.
Instead, according to ESPN, “Kryptonite” is headed towards either a June 20th fight in Canada against recent “Contender” winner Troy Ross, or, if that fight cannot be made, Afolabi may fight once again in the UK, on the Amir Khan-Andriy Kotelnik card on June 27th in London. Either way it will be good to see the potentially long-reigning champion back in action.
A surprise winner over Maccarinelli in many eyes, Afolabi – who lives in California but was born in London – said recently that he now wants to earn some good money in big fights. A fight against the man who won the cruiserweight version of the once popular reality TV show may not be a big fight, but it sure would be an intriguing one. As to who the 14-1-3(6) 29-year-old will fight if he winds up taking the June 27th slot at The O2 in London, we can only surmise. A rematch with the deposed Maccarinelli cannot be totally ruled out though. And this too would be another interesting fight.
First choice looks to be the fight against Ross, though.
The 33-year-old Ross, like Afolabi before him, had been fighting pretty much under the radar before claiming his big breakthrough victory – for him winning “The Contender” show did it. With a fine record of 21-1(15), the Guyana-born southpaw who lives in Toronto, Canada is a good puncher and a hungry fighter. Indeed, he and Afolabi meeting up is a good and even-looking match. Never before stopped, as is the case with Afolabi, Ross would surely go into such a fight convinced he’d come out of it with the world title.
Will Afolabi’s reign prove to be a short-lived one, or will he display his own punching power once again and become the first man to stop Ross? We may find out on June 20th, otherwise British fans will likely get a second chance to see the new champ’s kryptonite a week later.