SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Duke Micah doesn’t mind being tagged the underdog when he challenges Johnriel Casimero for the World Boxing Organization bantamweight crown.
Like many of Ghana’s world champions, Micah fights best when the odds are against him.
Though unbeaten in 24 fights with 19 knockouts to boot, Micah is given slight chances of wresting the 118-pound belt from Casimero (29-4, 20 knockouts) in their 12-round Showtime pay per view bout at Mohegun Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Saturday, September 26 (Sunday, September 27, Philippine time).
In an ongoing online poll being conducted by betting expert.com, 3 out of every 4 respondents think the pride of Ormoc City will beat Micah. Truth is, it’s even slightly higher as 78.3% picked Casimero while only 21.7% chose Micah.
In previous interviews, Micah claims he fears nobody in the ring, including Casimero, who he describes as a great champion.
The 29-year-old Micah, a 2012 London Olympian, believes in the dictum “to be the best you have to beat the best,” and intends to pull it off against Casimero.
Micah only needs to look at his countrymen for inspiration.
Notable world champions Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Joseph Agbeko and Nana Yaw Konadu were also the B side when they won titles for Ghana.
Nelson clinched the World Boxing Council featherweight belt in 1984 at Wilfredo Gomez’s turf in Puerto Rico; Quartey stopped Venezuelan Crisanto Espana for the World Boxing Association welterweight crown in 1994; Agbeko trounced Nicaraguan Luis Alberto Perez for the International Boxing Federation bantamweight title in 2007; and Nana Yaw Konadu went to Mexico to grab Gilberto Roman’s WBC super flyweight belt in 1989.
Old Filipino boxing fans remember another Ghanaian, Love Allotey, for giving the late great Flash Elorde two tough fights in 1963.
In their first bout in August, Elorde won by unanimous decision before all-Filipino judges, but Allotey cried robbery.
In their rematch in November for the WBC and WBA super featherweight belts, Allotey got disqualified for repeated fouling.
Most likely, Micah doesn’t know about Allotey.
Micah, however, is familiar with Nelson, Quartey, Agbeko, Konadu, and even Joshua Clottey, whom Manny Pacquiao beat by wide unanimous decision in their WBO welterweight title bout 10 years ago in Arlington, Texas.
Micah wants to take Casimero’s crown to Ghana and prove he rarely barks but bites hard. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.