As Nigerians look forward to the ‘Flight of the Decade’ between Rilwan ‘Real One’ Oladosu and Oto ‘Joe Boy’ Joseph, former national boxing coach, Jerry Okorodudu, says ‘Real One’ will win the African Boxing Union lightweight title.
Real One, who is the West African Boxing Union (WABU) champion, is due to fight Joe Boy for the ABU title at GOtv Boxing Night 20 on October 12 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.
Speaking in Lagos yesterday, Okorodudu, who represented Nigeria at the Los Angeles ‘84 Olympic Games and won a bronze medal at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, said he was convinced that ‘Real One’ would win because he is a better boxer.
“I worked with both of them in the national camp, and I know them well. Oladosu, I can tell you, is a fantastic boxer. He is really good and I believe he will defeat Joseph.”
Okorodudu admitted that Joseph is also good, but relies solely on his punching power to overwhelm opponents.
“Joseph is a hard puncher. That is his main weapon. If allowed, he can easily win by a knockout. But if the fight lasts the distance, Oladosu will win. He only needs to avoid being knocked out,” Okorodudu stated.
Despite tipping the WABU champion, Okorodudu said he expects the encounter to be close run because both boxers are familiar with each other.
The October 12 Boxing Night in Lagos will feature eight fights with some of the biggest names on the domestic scene set to be in action. Among these are Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola, national super featherweight champion; Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, WABU welterweight champion; Tope “TP Rock” Musa and Adewale “Masevex” Masebinu, national light heavyweight champion. Others are Kabiru “KB Godson” Towolawi, Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi and Sadiq Adeleke.
