TALENTED Ghanaian Richard Commey has flown under the radar for years, doing some fine work on the road, and now – well, next year – gets the opportunity he has patiently been waiting for.
Today, it was announced Commey, 27-2 (24), will get a crack at WBC and IBF world lightweight champion Mikey Garcia in January 2019, with the bout set to find a home on either Showtime or Fox Sports. It’s a tough task on paper, admittedly, given Garcia’s undeniable qualities, but it’s a chance all the same and Commey, a road warrior who has had to do things the hard way, will be champing at the bit to show what he can produce on the big stage.
Please to announce that @RichardCommey has agreed terms to face unified lightweight champion @mikeygarcia for his @WBCBoxing and @IBFUSBAboxing world titles. The bout will take place sometime in January 2019 either on @ShowtimeBoxing or @FOXSports! @Streetwisemgt
— Michael Amoo-Bediako Snr (@Mickey_Moo) October 2, 2018
Born in Accra, Ghana, the 31-year-old has been a professional for seven and a half years and in that time campaigned predominantly on the edges of the world’s lightweight division. He won a Commonwealth title against Gary Buckland in 2014 and also defeated other British fighters like Kris Hughes and Paul Truscott along the way.
In 2016, he lost back to back split-decisions against Robert Easter Jr and Denis Shafikov, though both were disputed, and the former, an IBF title fight, represents Commey’s one stab at world title glory. That’s set to change in 2019, however.
He’ll have to go some to conquer Garcia, mind. The gifted Californian, with a record of 39-0 (30), has defeated Sergey Lipinets and Easter Jr this year and claimed the scalps of Adrien Broner and Dejan Zlaticanin in 2017. In short, he is arguably the most in-form fighter in the sport today.
At today’s annual WBC convention in Kiev, Ukraine, a number of fascinating fights were either announced or teased.
From a UK perspective, there will be interest in the WBC final eliminator between Welsh talent Andrew Selby and Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar, the winner of which will fight their champion, Cristofer Rosales.
Elsewhere, the WBC have ordered a left field super-lightweight final eliminator between Jorge Linares and Adrien Broner, for a belt currently held by Jose Ramirez, as well as an eliminator between Mohamed Mimoune and Viktor Postol.
Middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, meanwhile, is allowed a voluntary defence this year, and Jermall Charlo, the WBC interim champion, is due to fight Gennady Golovkin. The winner of that one, Golovkin vs. Charlo, will then be awarded mandatory status and in line for a shot at Canelo.
In other news, Shawn Porter, winner of a vacant WBC welterweight title, must face two mandatory challengers in succession, which means a rematch against Keith Thurman will be initiated the moment he is ready to return to the ring.
Finally, Gary Russell Jr, the WBC featherweight champion, will meet Leo Santa Cruz, the WBC diamond champion, at some point in the near future, the WBC have declared.
