Marco Huck vs Ola Afolabi Preview
by The Boxing Bulletin on Dec 4, 2009 2:10 AM EST
in Fight Previews
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PrintMatt Chudley previews Saturday's cruiserweight showdown between Marco Huck and Ola Afolabi.
After 18 months of uncertainty, the WBO will finally end the confusion and crown their successor to David Haye this Saturday in Germany. Former European Champion Marco Huck brings the title he won from Victor Emillio Ramirez in August, while American based Brit Ola Afolabi brings the interim title he claimed by stopping Enzo Maccarinelli back in March, to the Ludwigsburg Arena in Baden-Wuttemberg.
With almost no amateur experience, Ola Afolabi developed his slick and awkward style through serving as a sparring partner during heated sessions at the Wildcard Gym to well established fighters such as James Toney. Having struggled to find fights against quality opposition, the Battersea, South London born fighter was inactive during all of 2006 and 2007, but pushed himself into title contention with a big win in April of last year over the highly rated and also avoided Eric Fields on ESPN.
He then made the most of his opportunity by stopping Enzo Maccarinelli in Manchester this spring, only to find his carreer in limbo when visa issues prevented an immediate return to the US, but eventually managed to return to California several months later.
Afolabi is arugably the most defensively sound fighter in the cruiserweight division, and given that he managed to survive Vitali Klitschko in sparring ahead of the giant heavyweight's September fight with Chris Arreola, the Brit should be in little danger of being stopped by the wide looping punches of the German. The main concern for Afolabi though is his tendency to spend large stretches of a fight being passive, often on the ropes, and Huck's gameplan will likely be to push Afolabi back, while firing off as many shots as possible.
Huck's mauling attack greatly suffered when Steve Cunningham pushed him onto the back foot but it would be very much out of character for Afolabi to attempt such a tactic, and with his high workrate and the fight being held in Germany, Huck has every chance of prevailing on points. For Afolabi to win, his best chance will be to take Huck into deep waters and hope to catch the technically suspect German tiring late like he did with Enzo Maccarinelli.
The chief supporting bout sees the return of the IBF's unbeaten mandatory challenger for the heavyweight title, Alexander Povetkin. A super-heavyweight Gold medalist for Russia in the 2004 Olympics, Povetkin was set to fight Wladimir Klitschko in December of last year but withdrew due to injury and has only fought once since then. Taking on Povetkin over 10 rounds will be the once beaten but softly matched American, Leo Nolan.
Also seeing action in the Heavyweight division is Sauerland's young 19-0-1I talian hope Francesco Pianeta, who stays busy against 10-5-1 Russian Evgeny Orlov.
e-mail Matt Chudley
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