IN a weekend packed with action, world title fights will occupy most of the sport’s attention. But one man who will be happy just to box is Anthony Ogogo. The middleweight, a bronze medallist at London 2012, has been out of action for a year, after having two operations on his Achilles tendons and undergoing exhaustive rehabilitation.
โI forgot what it was like to train and compete and box pain-free,โ Anthony told Boxing News. โTheyโre doing brilliantly, theyโre doing really well, I couldnโt be happier with how itโs all gone.
โIโve done so many rounds of sparring, Iโve done countless rounds, Iโve sparred so many different types of people, itโs just been really good.โ
Now he can finally train pain-free. โIโm remembering why I loved it,โ Ogogo continued. โIโm absorbing all the information Iโm being told by my team because I can absorb it. Before I was using so much energy, I didnโt realise it was just a case of how it had to be, I was using so much energy trying to ignore the pain in my Achilles, when I was given instructions I wasnโt really taking it on board and I wasnโt really getting what I was supposed to doโฆ Now when I get told to do something it makes sense.โ
His new lease of life comes with a new promotional set up. Golden Boy have come to an agreement to co-promote Ogogo with Sauerland Event. โThey said they can make me as busy as I want but all their shows are in America,” Anthony explained. “I didnโt really want to [move to America] because Iโm British. Iโm very proud of being British. Boxing at the minute in Britain is on the crest of a wave at the moment. I want to enjoy it and be in the thick of it.”
Sauerland, who also represent George Groves and David Price, will help him progress in Britain and Europe. โI genuinely feel like Iโve got the best of both worlds, Iโve got Oscar De La Hoya over the pond and Iโve got the Sauerland guys here in the UK. I couldnโt be happier with how everythingโs turned out. After a long period of being unhappy and being injured, and being inactive finally Iโve worked so hard to get back and now Iโm going to be able to experience the fruits of my labour,โ Ogogo added.
He will box on the undercard of the Arthur Abraham-Robert Stieglitz WBO super-middleweight world title fight in Halle, Germany on Saturday (July 18), against Ukraineโs Ruslan Schelev. โHe is by far the best person on the list of 10 names that they gave us. Initially my team wanted me to fight someone whoโs not as good. I said I donโt want to fight him. I want to fight [Schelev]. Heโs got the best record [on the list], heโs good, heโs big, heโs strong, he can switch hit, he boxes southpaw, boxes orthodox. Iโve condensed my 12 month rehab programme into six months, Iโve worked so hard, I havenโt done that to fight a road sweeper. Iโve done that fight somebody decent, whoโs got a good record, heโs 11-3, so even as a 7-0 fighter, fighting someone whoโs 11-3 thatโs pretty good anyway. Bear in mind Iโm coming off a 12 month lay-off, thatโs pretty good.โ
Ogogo has every intention of keeping busy now. His next stop will be a trip to California to spar with George Groves ahead of the latterโs world title fight, which is expected to be finalized imminently. (Groves is the mandatory challenger for Badou Jack’s WBC super-middleweight title.)
โIโm going over to Big Bear in California with the George Groves camp. Iโm going to be helping him finish off his preparations for his world title fight. Thatโs going to be great for me, as a young boxer, going out and helping George Groves with his final preparations for his world title fight as well. Iโll get loads of experience doing that,โ Ogogo said. โIโm backing myself to get to the top. Iโm 100 per cent sure Iโm going to be a world champion one day. Thereโs going to be times when I might have to go away to California and Iโm going to be fighting in Vegas and Iโll need to go to California and do a training camp so itโll be great for me to go over there and be privy to it all and see it all first hand.
โItโs going to be a great experience for me and itโs going to hold me in good stead if I can get three weeks of sparring with George Groves in California, Big Bear and maybe some rounds of sparring with whoever else is there at the time. Itโs going to be good.โ
First, of course, he must get through Saturday nightโs fight. โHeโs going to be handful but I think Iโve got more than enough to get the win and I want to be doing it in style. Iโm going to get this win out the way, first fight back in 12 months and then I can crack on. Each fight Iโll be fighting better people, people who are high up the rankings. I want to be ranked, I want to be ranked by governing bodies, I want to be right up there in the British rankings, I want to be there and thereabouts,โ he said.
โIโve wasted a year. Iโve had a year out. I havenโt got time to waste. By 2016 I want to be there or thereabouts, I want to be knocking on all the doors for all the belts. This year is about getting there, getting to 12-0 so next year Iโm ready to go.โ
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