Ola Afolabi

Ola Afolabi (b. March 15, 1980 in London) is a US-based British professional boxer of Nigerian heritage. He is a contender in the cruiserweight division, listed as #9 in the Ring Magazine [1] as of March 2009 and holds a "interim World Boxing Organization title"

Career

Afolabi turned pro at Light-Heavyweight in California in 2002. In 2003 he was outpointed by Allan Green and went up a division to cruiserweight. He beat a small heavyweight clubfighter in Willie Chapman and added James Walton and Michael Simms to his victims. He also knocked out former Cruiserweight Champ Orlin Norris.

The win that put him into the limelight came over undefeated highly-touted Golden Gloves champion Eric Fields whom he KO'ed in 2008. He was immediately signed to a promotional contract with Duva Boxing. Ola subsqequently made his national television debut on ESPN's Friday Night Fights, winning a unanimous decision over DeLeon Tinsley. In March 2009 he knocked out former WBO World Cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli to win the Interim WBO cruiserweight title in Manchester, England. The result was considered somewhat of an upset, particularly in the British press, as Afolabi was a relative unknown at that point and Maccarinelli was a former world champion who had suffered just 2 losses prior to the fight.^[1]