Olubamiwo ready to prove himself as the best in Britain

Larry Olubamiwo believes he is ready for any heavyweight in Britain after requiring only 112 seconds to despatch domestic rival Dave Ferguson on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s victory over John McDermott last Friday.

On what appeared to be a 50-50 matchup on paper, ‘Big Larry’ walked through Ferguson and dropped the Geordie for the count after connecting with a deceptively hard right hand midway through the opener to record his third successive first round win.

The shell-shocked Ferguson, who claimed afterwards that he could have continued after mistiming referee Howard Foster’s count, is now contemplating retirement after becoming Olubamiwo’s eighth knockout victim inside two rounds.

“The plan was to establish my jab and work Ferguson to the body with a view to breaking him down in three or four rounds so I was delighted to get the knockout so early. I know some people didn’t think the punch seemed that hard but if you check the replays it was a good shot that snapped his head back. Dave Ferguson is very tough, he’s already shown that against the likes of Martin Rogan previously, and he wouldn’t go down unless he was genuinely hurt,” reasoned Larry to BoxRec News.

“I know Ferguson has said that he mistimed the count but I’m not so sure about that. If you are able to get up, you get up, he definitely seemed wary of my power once he’d tasted it. I was pleased with my performance and although the fight didn’t last long I think I showed that my skills are improving all the time thanks to my trainer James Cook and through the sparring I gained in Freddie Roach’s Wildcard gym a few months ago. My jab, movement and body work was in evidence and I also think that my defence is improving, too,” added a satisfied Olubamiwo.

The Hackney powerhouse’s latest victory, his ninth in ten starts following his debut in October 2008, saw Olubamiwo win an eliminator to contest the English heavyweight title now held by Tyson Fury after the Manchester traveller defeated John McDermott in nine rounds in last Friday’s eagerly awaited rematch.

“I’ve had a meeting with Frank Maloney this week and he asked me if I’d be willing to fight Tyson Fury next. Before I could reply, my trainer James Cook answered ‘yes’, but that’s fine by me because I’m ready. I was really impressed with Tyson Fury against John McDermott last Friday, he showed a lot of heart and determination but I’d happily take him on. My victory over Dave Ferguson means that there are a number of options now available to me when I return to the ring in September.”

“I could end up fighting Fury for the English title but he’s also in line to meet the winner of Sam Sexton and Derek Chisora for the British and Commonwealth titles. I don't mind which of those three I fight,” Olubamiwo continued.

Olubamiwo could have to wait until the end of this year for his big chance. In the interim period, his handlers may utilise the time to gain the 31-year-old some additional ring experience which has so far amounted to just 22 rounds.

For all his explosive power, questions still remain about Olubamiwo’s stamina following his surprise points loss to Russian journeymen Daniil Peret in only his fourth fight. Peret has since been comfortably outscored by Olubamiwo’s stablemates Tom Dallas and David Price, so would now be the perfect time for Larry to avenge his only pro defeat?

“I’ve discussed the possibility of fighting Peret again but Frank (Maloney) doesn’t feel that there is much to be gained by doing so as I’m on the verge of a title shot now. In my own mind I’m comfortable with the loss because I know exactly the reasons behind it. At the time of the Peret fight, I was trying to combine a full-time job around my training whilst also moving house and the stress of all this affected me. From the third round onwards against Peret all of my energy just drained out of me, it wasn’t as if it happened gradually, all of a sudden I had nothing left but I still managed to make it through the rest of the fight,” admitted Larry.

“People who question my stamina are forgetting that I completed six rounds boxing at a fast pace against Yavor Marinchev six months later. I don’t necessarily feel that I need to get more rounds under my belt to prove my stamina before I can progress onto the next level. If Frank had any doubts about me he wouldn’t be putting me in ten rounders now.”

Olubamiwo is part of an exciting new breed of domestic big men who are jostling to establish themselves as Britain’s leading heavyweight hope behind reigning WBA champion David Haye. With no shortage of potential adversaries, I asked Larry who he considered to be his main threat.

“There are a lot of good heavyweights coming through right now. You have myself, David Price and Tom Dallas from Maloney’s stable. Derek Chisora and Sam Sexton from Frank Warren’s stable and Tyson Fury from Hennessy Sports. However, I think Richard Towers (promoted by Ricky Hatton) could emerge as my biggest rival in the future. I’ve been really impressed with Towers so far and he appears to be very determined and a big puncher like myself,” said Olubamiwo.

“I think the current crop of heavyweights in Britain are going to be involved in some much more exciting fights than when Danny Williams, Matt Skelton, Michael Sprott and Audley Harrison kept fighting each other a few years ago. I really appreciate the support I get from the fans on the BoxRec forum so hopefully I can establish myself as the best in the near future.”