Former WBA Inter-Continental Light heavyweight boxing champion Peter Oboh has said that this was the best time for a resurgent Anthony Joshua to work his way back to the pinnacle of world boxing, but must do the right thing at the right time. In a chat with Vanguard’s Deputy Sports Editor Jacob Ajom he spoke about the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and on how boxing can be revived in Nigeria nay Africa. Read on.

Former WBA Inter-Continental Light heavyweight champion Peter Oboh has said that this is the best time for a resurgent Anthony Joshua to get back to the pinnacle of world boxing, but must do the right thing at the right time.

Oboh, a former British and Commonwealth champion who has turned a pastor, said he was happy that Anthony Joshua has rediscovered his punching power and sleek footwork and has a chance of getting a shot at a world title fight if he can win his next fight. “First he has to beat Daniel Dubois. He can actualise that dream because he has shown that his engine is still working well. But as a boxer, when your engine knocks, there is nothing you can do because you may know what to do but your body will not respond. 

Just back from Europe after a long holiday, Oboh said Joshua’s current form points to a boxer who wants to get back what he has lost and with determination and discipline he will return to the top.

He said that what affected Joshua and Tyson Fuey in their losses to Alexandr Usyk was a wrong application of tactics. “They failed to use their longer reach and heavier punching power on him. If I were Joshua’s coach, against a smaller opponent, I would have told him to increase his pace. If Usyk gave him 100 punches and Joshua was able to return punch for punch, chances are that Joshua could have survived his opponent’s punches but his smaller opponent couldn’t have stood punch-for-punch with Joshua because Joshua’s punches would be heavier.”

On Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, Oboh advised the two popular pugilists to take a break.

“They are going through what we call their engines being ‘knocked’. Both Fury’s and Wilder’s engines have knocked.

“I think they should retire or stay off the scene for now. When your engine knocks, as a boxer you stay away like for four years. If you still want to box, then you can stage a comeback.”

How do you see the heavyweight class?

To be honest, it is getting very exciting. Usyk beating Fury, after beating Joshua twice is no mean feat. But sometimes in boxing there are periods when a boxer reigns supreme, period of ascendancy and other times you find him declining. For instance after Joshua lost twice to Usyk, he became gun shy like one who had lost his punching power. He stopped being the old Joshua that we knew. However he has rediscovered his old form and his confidence has returned so we are seeing Joshua’s best recently.

While Fury and Wilder had their three super fights. They are going through what we call their engines being ‘knocked’. There are some fights that can either make or break you. At times you could win a fight but you can never be yourself any more. That was what happened to Fury. Both Fury’s and Wilder’s engines have knocked.

It happened to George Foreman when he fought Mohammed Ali. So I consider Alexandre Usyk the luckiest boxer in the world. I know if Joshua was not gun-shy or Fury’s engine was not knocked, I believe he wouldn’t stand a chance to beat them because very big heavyweights usually beat smaller heavyweights.

But you know Usyk who rose from the lower ranks has remained unbeaten?

Yes, anyone can remain unbeaten depending on who you fight against. This is not taking away anything from him; he is good because he won gold in the Olympics. But Joshua too won gold in the Olympics. Usyk is more of a textbook fighter – no disrespect to him, 

So do you advise both Fury and Wilder to retire?

Yes. I think they should retire or stay off the scene for now. When your engine is knocked, as a boxer you stay away like for four years. If you still want to box, then you can stage a comeback.

But Fury and Usyk have a rematch clause which can be triggered by Fury in particular.

In history, most rematch go the same way as the first.. Usyk did not beat Fury because he was the better of the two, though I respect him a lot. Usyk beat Fury because the reason I gave earlier, Fury’s engine has knocked. If you have a car and the engine knocks, you have to go get a new engine. If you repair that one and you put it under immense pressure, it will knock again. So, Fury and Wilder cannot take pressure for now. Even the great Mohammed Ali, when he fought Joe Fraiser in the famous Thriller in Manila Ali could not fight again; he became a shadow of his old self.

Mike Tyson has a fight against Paul….. Do you advise Tyson, at 57 should still enter the ring and fight a younger opponent?

This is a kind of 50-50 fight. Tyson is like an expired product, one of the best in his day while the other guy is a young man who is like a new product. I just hope nobody ends up at the hospital.

Do you see Anthony Joshua winning a world title again?

Yes. He can actualise that dream because he has shown that his engine is still working well. But when your engine is knocked, there is nothing you can do because you may know what to do but your body will not respond. But when you are gun-shy, you become more negative, you think more of the punches you want to give than the ones you will receive.

What will be your advice to Anthony Joshua for him to get back to the pinnacle of the heavyweight class?

The smaller heavyweights are faster and more mobile in the ring. Joshua and Fury used the wrong strategies against Usyk. They failed to use their longer reach and heavier punching power on him. If I were Joshua’s coach, against a smaller opponent, I would tell him to increase his pace. If Usyk gives him 100 punches and Joshua is able to return punch for punch, chances are that Joshua can survive his opponent’s punches but his smaller opponent can’t stand punch-for-punch with Joshua because Joshua’s punches will be heavier.

Nigerian boxers just returned from Olympic qualifiers in Thailand. They returned empty-handed. But before then we had four who are already Paris bound. Why do you think African boxers are failing at the global stage?

I won’t say African boxers but I can say Nigerian boxers because north Africans are doing very well. They are the best in Africa at the moment. Boxing is supposed to be our own sport. In Nigeria, our first medal at the Olympics was from boxing by Nojeem Maiyegun. Isaac Ikhouria repeated the feat in 1972 Munich Olympics. The present national coach, Tony Konyegwachi is a very sound man from a boxing family. We were together in the national camp in the 1990s. We were roommates. His older brother, Peter won a silver medal in the Olympics.

The biggest drawback is that Nigerian boxers are not exposed before tournaments. They rarely go out. They don’t travel. That is where we miss people like the late Brai Ayonote. When he was chairman of the boxing federation, he travelled with the boxers all over the world. Indeed it was on one of those trips that he died in China. If we want our boxers to become champions, there have to be more competitions. Exposure gives confidence. Amateur boxing is just three rounds and before you realise you are better than your opponent it is all over. There are competitions every month around the world. They should send them out to compete and mingle with the best around the world. Only that way can they regain confidence.

It all has to do with funding

Nigeria is a very rich country. We need government and corporate bodies to come in to assist Nigeria boxing.

How about the technical aspect? Do you think we have enough technical capacity to turn things around?

In boxing you have about four different styles namely the American style of boxing, the African, the European and the Eastern European styles. Presently the American style is no longer in vogue as you know America has not won gold in boxing for a long time. It’s not like before when the Cubans dominated, now it is no longer like that. Now they use computer style, everything has gone scientific. If you use combinations, you might not even score a point but one big punch you can score your point. So now boxing is leaning towards the African style now.

Professional boxers now can compete at the Olympics. Is that true?

Yes but the pros are not really interesting. Imagine a man like Fury goes to the ring against an unknown amateur and he knocks him out, you know that will be a dent in his career But really, the pros are not interested. If the pros are interested and start going to the Olympics, it favours the amateurs, because the pros already have their reputations. The amateurs have nothing to lose. But in reality, some amateurs cannot take punches from pros. I was an amateur before. .