The Genesis of King Kong
Mark E. Ortega
Ultimateboxingresults.com
May 3, 2009
When
July 11th rolls around, a bantamweight title tilt is set to take
place when Ghanaian Joseph King Kong Agbeko [26-1, 22 KOs] defends
his IBF 118-pound belt against two-division champion moving up in
weight Vic Darchinyan. The bout is a Showtime Championship Boxing
headlining-bout that is sure to provide a ton of fireworks, just in
case you were longing for more following the previous weekend’s
display of pyrotechnics courtesy of the Fourth of July. Read about
this fight anywhere else and you might think that Darchinyan, who is
the widely-considered favorite, already has the belt around his waist
even though it is Agbeko who is champion.
Agbeko, along with manager Vinny Scolpino (whom also manages fellow Ghanaian world champion, Joshua Clottey) do not seem too fazed by this reaction and seem to welcome it gladly.
“I think it is an opportunity to prove that I am the best bantamweight in the world,” said Agbeko in a phone interview last weekend. “I am glad I have the fight with Darchinyan to prove myself. I don’t think he is that dangerous. I just want to be at my best and I think this fight is going to be more exciting than any of my fights. Darchinyan is nobody, he can punch heavy, that’s about it. I can fight him, I can box him, and I can punch better than him."
Agbeko is likely receiving a considerable less amount of money than Darchinyan even though he is the champion, as Darchinyan has built himself into an elite fighter mainly off of the prestigious airtime that Showtime has provided him over the past few years. Darchinyan is one of the rare few fighters who has stuck with Showtime even when he became recognizable with some of the casual fans as HBO hasn’t given a lot of time to the very lightest weight classes since Michael Carbajal and Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez plied their trade in the junior flyweight class and Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero battled it out at super flyweight more than ten years ago.
“I don’t really want to discuss numbers,” said manager Scolpino, “but we are happy with our deal. This is the fight Joseph has wanted since Darchinyan announced his planned move to bantamweight and we got it. We can’t be too disappointed with that.”
King Kong (yes, that is part of Agbeko’s birth-name given to him by his father and what he tends to answer to in his native Ghana) is expected to be a formidable opponent to Darchinyan, but not one that will pose any serious threat in thwarting his attempt at winning a third world title in as many weight classes due to Agbeko’s style that could leave him open to one of Darchinyan’s awkward but effective power shots.
Agbeko provides another side of the sweet science that we haven’t seen at this level yet against Darchinyan, and that is one that throws a high volume of punches and uses his offense in part to help defend himself as well.
Agbeko has compiled an impressive record, but many people scratch their heads when forced to name some of the top fighters he has fought. Agbeko first began boxing at the age of 12 in his native Ghana , compiling an outstanding record as an African amateur along the way. In beating two-division champion Luis Alberto Perez via seventh-round stoppage in perhaps one of the more exciting one-sided affairs in recent memory, Agbeko put the entire world on notice of what very few outside of Ghana were aware, that Agbeko can fight.
Perez was no pushover either, being favored by a two-to-one edge that could have been wider if not for the poor performance Perez gave in his last defense of his IBF super flyweight title against Dmitry Kirilov in a split-decision victory that many feel he was gifted in June of 2006. The odds were based heavily on the decline of Perez rather than any knowledge on what Agbeko brought to the table.
It would be the first time Agbeko fought a high-level opponent since losing a very questionable majority decision to Ukrainian bantamweight prospect Wladimir Sidorenko in a 12-round fight in Germany in May of 2004 when both fighters were undefeated. After viewing a copy of this fight as broadcast by Eurosport, I came away with a scorecard that had Agbeko winning 118-112 (eight rounds for Agbeko, two for Sidorenko, and two even) while the judges had it scored even at 114-114, 116-114 and a much too wide 117-111 in favor of Sidorenko. The solo commentator for the bout, who had Agbeko winning widely, seemed unenthusiastic in expressing his disdain for the decision, likely because of how common it was for the outside fighter to get jobbed against the local name.
Agbeko would fight once more before managerial disputes would keep him out of the ring for 29 months. After two more victories over opponents with a combined record of 10-5-1 , Agbeko would hit the lottery and earn a shot at Perez in a televised opening bout on Showtime Championship Boxing’s undercard of Chad Dawson-Epifanio Mendoza.
Agbeko would seize the opportunity, providing lots of action for the crowd and stealing the thunder that night at the Arco Arena in Sacramento , California . Agbeko dished out a ton of punishment mainly behind his heavy assault of straight right hands, but took some clean shots in return for the game but outgunned Perez. With the victory, Agbeko became only the fifth world champion alongside David Kotei (WBC-126), Azumah Nelson (WBC-126, WBC-130 x2), Ike Quartey (WBA-147), and to a lesser degree Alfred Kotey (WBO-118). Nelson is the most memorable, compiling an outstanding record of 18-4-2 in world title fights after emerging from the African land virtually unnoticed before giving Salvador Sanchez all that he could handle before succumbing to a fifteenth-round stoppage that shot his stock through the roof.
Agbeko has similarly emerged from the unknown but was an unfortunate victim of a thirteen month layoff caused by reasons including his opponent’s lack of a visa that knocked out a fight in Puerto Rico and a case of malaria suffered in his homeland in preparation for a retry in Biloxi , Mississippi on the Campbell-Guzman undercard in September.
Following that long layoff, Agbeko would remind fans of who he is by successfully defending his crown against William Gonzalez, the man who he had delays of meeting four previous times, by majority decision on a December card televised by Versus. If it weren’t for the main event being the fantastic cruiserweight affair between Steve Cunningham and Tomasz Adamek, the Agbeko-Gonzalez fight would have stolen the thunder yet again. The card was regarded by many as one of the best televised sets of fights and it came from the unlikeliest of sources in the network that had handed us such gems as Hasim Rahman-Taurus Sykes and Tye Fields-Who Cares? (also known as Who Cares?-Who Cares?) before turning things around this past year.
Agbeko possesses a few tools that allow me to give him a fair chance in scoring the upset over Darchinyan. For starters, he throws a lot of punches and we haven’t seen how Darchinyan will react to a high-volume opponent (at this level of competition, at least) with a better than average beard. In the process of throwing that high count of shots Agbeko does leave himself open for incoming leather and has taken a fair amount of punches in his recent fights. One of the bigger questions heading into this fight is how Darchinyan will carry his power into a third weight class after having no issues with that question at 115-pounds, stopping two high-level opponents in Mijares and Arce.
While Agbeko carries a high number of knockouts in his ledger, I wouldn’t consider him a one-punch knockout threat as he is more of a wear-you-down kind of fighter that overwhelms his opponents into submission or into enough of a disadvantage in punch output to make a case for himself garnering a decision victory.
“Going twelve rounds with Gonzalez is what prepared me for this next fight,” said Agbeko in response to what has him prepared for his biggest test. “Everything Darchinyan can do, I can do better than him. I’m going to beat him in any style I want,” Agbeko said confidently.
If Agbeko were able to pull off the upset, he has big names on his mind. The prospects at 118 and 122 pounds for future fights provide a lot of places that could be explored that would not disappoint boxing fans.
“I love competition, I want to fight the best guys,” reacted Agbeko to the question of who would be next. “Marquez, Vazquez, I would love to fight those guys.”
Despite the confidence Agbeko has displayed in discussing his prospects of victory over Darchinyan, I wouldn’t suggest that he is looking past his opponent and will be very ready for Darchinyan come fight night.
“I want my fans to come and watch this fight and support me,” said Agbeko when asked what he would like those that have become fans of his to hear from him. “This is gonna be the genesis of King Kong, this is gonna be the beginning, not the end. Those who are gonna be watching, be prepared for the best fight of my life.”
Agbeko, along with manager Vinny Scolpino (whom also manages fellow Ghanaian world champion, Joshua Clottey) do not seem too fazed by this reaction and seem to welcome it gladly.
“I think it is an opportunity to prove that I am the best bantamweight in the world,” said Agbeko in a phone interview last weekend. “I am glad I have the fight with Darchinyan to prove myself. I don’t think he is that dangerous. I just want to be at my best and I think this fight is going to be more exciting than any of my fights. Darchinyan is nobody, he can punch heavy, that’s about it. I can fight him, I can box him, and I can punch better than him."
Agbeko is likely receiving a considerable less amount of money than Darchinyan even though he is the champion, as Darchinyan has built himself into an elite fighter mainly off of the prestigious airtime that Showtime has provided him over the past few years. Darchinyan is one of the rare few fighters who has stuck with Showtime even when he became recognizable with some of the casual fans as HBO hasn’t given a lot of time to the very lightest weight classes since Michael Carbajal and Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez plied their trade in the junior flyweight class and Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero battled it out at super flyweight more than ten years ago.
“I don’t really want to discuss numbers,” said manager Scolpino, “but we are happy with our deal. This is the fight Joseph has wanted since Darchinyan announced his planned move to bantamweight and we got it. We can’t be too disappointed with that.”
King Kong (yes, that is part of Agbeko’s birth-name given to him by his father and what he tends to answer to in his native Ghana) is expected to be a formidable opponent to Darchinyan, but not one that will pose any serious threat in thwarting his attempt at winning a third world title in as many weight classes due to Agbeko’s style that could leave him open to one of Darchinyan’s awkward but effective power shots.
Agbeko provides another side of the sweet science that we haven’t seen at this level yet against Darchinyan, and that is one that throws a high volume of punches and uses his offense in part to help defend himself as well.
Agbeko has compiled an impressive record, but many people scratch their heads when forced to name some of the top fighters he has fought. Agbeko first began boxing at the age of 12 in his native Ghana , compiling an outstanding record as an African amateur along the way. In beating two-division champion Luis Alberto Perez via seventh-round stoppage in perhaps one of the more exciting one-sided affairs in recent memory, Agbeko put the entire world on notice of what very few outside of Ghana were aware, that Agbeko can fight.
Perez was no pushover either, being favored by a two-to-one edge that could have been wider if not for the poor performance Perez gave in his last defense of his IBF super flyweight title against Dmitry Kirilov in a split-decision victory that many feel he was gifted in June of 2006. The odds were based heavily on the decline of Perez rather than any knowledge on what Agbeko brought to the table.
It would be the first time Agbeko fought a high-level opponent since losing a very questionable majority decision to Ukrainian bantamweight prospect Wladimir Sidorenko in a 12-round fight in Germany in May of 2004 when both fighters were undefeated. After viewing a copy of this fight as broadcast by Eurosport, I came away with a scorecard that had Agbeko winning 118-112 (eight rounds for Agbeko, two for Sidorenko, and two even) while the judges had it scored even at 114-114, 116-114 and a much too wide 117-111 in favor of Sidorenko. The solo commentator for the bout, who had Agbeko winning widely, seemed unenthusiastic in expressing his disdain for the decision, likely because of how common it was for the outside fighter to get jobbed against the local name.
Agbeko would fight once more before managerial disputes would keep him out of the ring for 29 months. After two more victories over opponents with a combined record of 10-5-1 , Agbeko would hit the lottery and earn a shot at Perez in a televised opening bout on Showtime Championship Boxing’s undercard of Chad Dawson-Epifanio Mendoza.
Agbeko would seize the opportunity, providing lots of action for the crowd and stealing the thunder that night at the Arco Arena in Sacramento , California . Agbeko dished out a ton of punishment mainly behind his heavy assault of straight right hands, but took some clean shots in return for the game but outgunned Perez. With the victory, Agbeko became only the fifth world champion alongside David Kotei (WBC-126), Azumah Nelson (WBC-126, WBC-130 x2), Ike Quartey (WBA-147), and to a lesser degree Alfred Kotey (WBO-118). Nelson is the most memorable, compiling an outstanding record of 18-4-2 in world title fights after emerging from the African land virtually unnoticed before giving Salvador Sanchez all that he could handle before succumbing to a fifteenth-round stoppage that shot his stock through the roof.
Agbeko has similarly emerged from the unknown but was an unfortunate victim of a thirteen month layoff caused by reasons including his opponent’s lack of a visa that knocked out a fight in Puerto Rico and a case of malaria suffered in his homeland in preparation for a retry in Biloxi , Mississippi on the Campbell-Guzman undercard in September.
Following that long layoff, Agbeko would remind fans of who he is by successfully defending his crown against William Gonzalez, the man who he had delays of meeting four previous times, by majority decision on a December card televised by Versus. If it weren’t for the main event being the fantastic cruiserweight affair between Steve Cunningham and Tomasz Adamek, the Agbeko-Gonzalez fight would have stolen the thunder yet again. The card was regarded by many as one of the best televised sets of fights and it came from the unlikeliest of sources in the network that had handed us such gems as Hasim Rahman-Taurus Sykes and Tye Fields-Who Cares? (also known as Who Cares?-Who Cares?) before turning things around this past year.
Agbeko possesses a few tools that allow me to give him a fair chance in scoring the upset over Darchinyan. For starters, he throws a lot of punches and we haven’t seen how Darchinyan will react to a high-volume opponent (at this level of competition, at least) with a better than average beard. In the process of throwing that high count of shots Agbeko does leave himself open for incoming leather and has taken a fair amount of punches in his recent fights. One of the bigger questions heading into this fight is how Darchinyan will carry his power into a third weight class after having no issues with that question at 115-pounds, stopping two high-level opponents in Mijares and Arce.
While Agbeko carries a high number of knockouts in his ledger, I wouldn’t consider him a one-punch knockout threat as he is more of a wear-you-down kind of fighter that overwhelms his opponents into submission or into enough of a disadvantage in punch output to make a case for himself garnering a decision victory.
“Going twelve rounds with Gonzalez is what prepared me for this next fight,” said Agbeko in response to what has him prepared for his biggest test. “Everything Darchinyan can do, I can do better than him. I’m going to beat him in any style I want,” Agbeko said confidently.
If Agbeko were able to pull off the upset, he has big names on his mind. The prospects at 118 and 122 pounds for future fights provide a lot of places that could be explored that would not disappoint boxing fans.
“I love competition, I want to fight the best guys,” reacted Agbeko to the question of who would be next. “Marquez, Vazquez, I would love to fight those guys.”
Despite the confidence Agbeko has displayed in discussing his prospects of victory over Darchinyan, I wouldn’t suggest that he is looking past his opponent and will be very ready for Darchinyan come fight night.
“I want my fans to come and watch this fight and support me,” said Agbeko when asked what he would like those that have become fans of his to hear from him. “This is gonna be the genesis of King Kong, this is gonna be the beginning, not the end. Those who are gonna be watching, be prepared for the best fight of my life.”
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