Henry Akinwande
| Henry Akinwande | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Henry Akinwande |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) |
| Reach | 86 inches (2.2 m) |
| Nationality | English, Nigerian |
| Born | October 12, 1965 London, England |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 55 |
| Wins | 50 |
| Wins by KO | 30 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 1 |
Henry Akinwande (born October 12, 1965) is a retired professional heavyweight boxer and former WBO heavyweight champion.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Akinwande was born in London, England but went to live in his parents homeland of Nigeria as a 4-year-old and came back to England as a 21-year-old (1986).[citation needed]
[edit] Amateur career
As an amateur boxing out of the Lynn amateur boxing club in Walworth, SE London, he was ABA heavyweight champion in both 1988 and 1989, beating another fellow Nigerian and future WBO heavyweight champion Herbie Hide and represented Great Britain in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
[edit] Amateur Highlights
- 1986 ABA 2nd place at Heavyweight
- 1987 ABA 2nd place at Heavyweight
- 1988 ABA Champion at Heavyweight
- 1988 represented Great Britain as a Heavyweight at the Seoul Olympic Games. Result was:
- Lost to Arnold Vanderlyde (Netherlands) points
- 1989 ABA Champion at Heavyweight, outpointing Herbie Hide in final.
[edit] Professional career
Akinwande made his professional debut in 1989 against Carlton Headley in London and won all of his first 18 bouts before challenging Axel Schulz for the vacant European heavyweight title in Berlin, Germany in 1992. The fight, scored only by the referee was adjudged to be a draw after 12 rounds. This was felt by many to be a "home town" decision, as most observers had Akinwande winning comfortably.
Following a victory over New Zealand's James Thunder for the Commonwealth title in 1993, Akinwande again challenged Schulz for the vacant European belt. This time three judges were employed and Akinwande was awarded a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He was to defend the title twice, against Biagio Chianese and Mario Scheisser. Akinwande also defeated fellow Briton and future WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson, former IBF heavyweight title holder Tony Tucker, Frankie Swindell and Gerard Jones, all from the USA, during this period.
In 1996 Akinwande faced American Jeremy Williams for the WBO title which had been vacated by Riddick Bowe, a fight which Akinwande was to win via a 3rd round stoppage. Akinwande went on to defend the belt twice, with victories over Russian Alexander Zolkin and fellow Briton Scott Welch who had won the WBO Intercontinental Title with a stoppage over the 46 year old Joe Bugner.
The WBO belt was then vacated so that Akinwande could pursue a challenge to WBC champion Lennox Lewis in 1997. The fight took place at Caesars Tahoe in Nevada. Akinwande was strangely subdued and spent much of the fight attempting to clinch Lewis. After repeated warnings, referee Mills Lane finally ran out of patience and disqualified Akinwande for repeated holding in the 5th round.[1]
A proposed challenge to Evander Holyfield for the WBA belt in 1998 was later abandoned after Akinwande tested positive for hepatitis B. This meant a lengthy spell of recovery for Akinwande, but he was finally cleared to return to the ring in 1999.
Akinwande won his next 8 fights, his victims included top contenders Orlin Norris and Maurice Harris, as well as Peter McNeeley, Kenny Craven, Russel Chasteen and Najee Shaheed.
A fight with Oliver McCall in 2001 resulted in Akinwande's 2nd defeat. After Akinwande had outboxed McCall for most of the fight, Akinwande began to tire, and McCall caught him with a few seconds remaining in the 10th and final round. Akinwande was counted out.
Akinwande recovered from this to win his next 9 bouts, including notable victories against Timo Hoffman, Ed Mahone, Cisse Salif and Anton Nel, all for the IBF Intercontinental Title.
In late 2006 he dropped a split decision to Oleg Platov, a bout in which Akinwande received a point deduction in 8th round for holding, and Platov received a point deduction in 9th for head butt.
After that fight he won another fight against Andriy Oleinyk in 2007 before losing to top prospect Ondřej Pála from the Czech Republic by unanimous decision on July 4, 2008, which turned out to be his last fight.
| Preceded by Riddick Bowe Vacated |
WBO heavyweight championship 29 Jun 1996–17 Feb 1997 Vacated |
Succeeded by Herbie Hide |
[edit] Professional boxing record
| 50 Wins (30 knockouts, 20 decisions), 4 Losses (1 knockout, 3 decisions), 1 Draw [1] | |||||||
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 50-4-1 |  Ondrej Pala |
UD | 6 | 04/07/2008 | Bueyuek Anadolu Hotel, Ankara, Turkey | |
| Win | 50-3-1 |  Andriy Oliynyk |
UD | 10 | 30/06/2007 | Olympisky Sport Hall, Moscow, Russia | |
| Loss | 49-3-1 | Oleh Platov |
SD | 12 | 04/11/2006 | RWE Rhein-Ruhr Sporthalle, Muelheim, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany | Lost IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 49-2-1 |  Cisse Salif |
UD | 12 | 04/03/2006 | EWE-Arena, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany | Retained IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 48-2-1 |  Ed Mahone |
UD | 12 | 10/12/2005 | Leipziger Arena, Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany | |
| Win | 47-2-1 | Tipton Walker |
TKO | 2 (6) | 24/09/2005 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 46-2-1 |  Alexander Vasiliev |
UD | 8 | 14/05/2005 | Oberfrankenhalle, Bayreuth, Bayern, Germany | |
| Win | 45-2-1 |  Anton Nel |
TKO | 10 (12) | 10/04/2004 | U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Nigeria | Retained IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 44-2-1 |  Timo Hoffmann |
SD | 12 | 31/05/2003 | Brandenburg Halle, Frankfurt, Brandenburg, Germany | Won IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 43-2-1 |  Raman Sukhaterin |
UD | 12 | 10/12/2002 | Sala Sporturilor, Constanta, Romania | Won WBN Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 42-2-1 | Sam Ubokane |
TKO | 7 (10) | 29/10/2002 | Wynberg Military Sport Complex, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa | |
| Win | 41-2-1 | Curt Paige |
TKO | 1 (8) | 08/03/2002 | Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 40-2-1 | Oliver McCall |
KO | 10 (10) | 17/11/2001 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 40-1-1 | Maurice Harris |
KO | 1 (10) | 16/06/2001 | Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | |
| Win | 39-1-1 | Peter McNeeley |
KO | 2 (12) | 17/03/2001 | Cintas Center, Tallahassee, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 38-1-1 | Kenny Craven |
TKO | 1 (12) | 08/12/2000 | Cintas Center, Tallahassee, Florida, United States | Won vacant WBC FECARBOX Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 37-1-1 | Russell Chasteen |
TKO | 5 (10) | 25/05/2000 | Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, United States | |
| Win | 36-1-1 |  Chris Sirengo |
TKO | 1 (10) | 22/02/2000 | Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa | |
| Win | 35-1-1 | Najee Shaheed |
TKO | 9 (10) | 15/05/1999 | Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 34-1-1 |  Reynaldo Minus |
TKO | 2 (10) | 06/03/1999 | UM Sports Pavilion, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 33-1-1 | Orlin Norris |
UD | 12 | 13/12/1997 | UM Sports Pavilion, Pompano Beach, Florida, United States | WBA Heavyweight title eliminator. |
| Loss | 32-1-1 |  Lennox Lewis |
DQ | 5 (12) | 12/07/1997 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, United States | For WBC Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 32-0-1 | Scott Welch |
UD | 12 | 11/01/1997 | Nashville Arena, Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Retained WBO Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 31-0-1 | Alexander Zolkin |
TKO | 10 (12) | 09/11/1996 | MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Retained WBO Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 30-0-1 | Jeremy Williams |
KO | 3 (12) | 29/06/1996 | Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, United States | Won vacant WBO Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 29-0-1 | Gerard Jones |
DQ | 7 (10) | 23/03/1996 | Miami Arena, Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 28-0-1 | Brian Sargent |
TKO | 4 (10) | 27/01/1996 | Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 27-0-1 | Tony Tucker |
UD | 10 | 16/12/1995 | Core States Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 26-0-1 | Stanley Wright |
TKO | 2 (10) | 22/07/1995 | New London Arena, Millwall, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 25-0-1 | Calvin Jones |
KO | 2 (8) | 08/04/1995 | Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 24-0-1 | Mario Schiesser |
KO | 7 (10) | 23/07/1994 | Sportforum, Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany | Retained EBU (European) Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 23-0-1 | Johnny Nelson |
PTS | 10 | 05/04/1994 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 22-0-1 |  Biagio Chianese |
TKO | 4 (12) | 01/12/1993 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom | Retained EBU (European) Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 21-0-1 | Frankie Swindell |
PTS | 10 | 06/11/1993 | Superbowl, Sun City, North-West, South Africa | |
| Win | 20-0-1 | Axel Schulz |
UD | 12 | 01/05/1993 | Berlin, Germany | Won vacant EBU (European) Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 19-0-1 |  Jimmy Thunder |
PTS | 12 | 18/03/1993 | Lewisham Theatre, Lewisham, London, England, United Kingdom | Won vacant vacant Commonwealth (British Empire) Heavyweight title. |
| Draw | 18-0-1 | Axel Schulz |
PTS | 12 | 19/12/1992 | Berlin, Germany | For vacant EBU (European) Heavyweight title. |
| Win | 18–0 | Steve Garber |
TKO | 2 (8) | 18/07/1992 | Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 17–0 | Kimmuel Odum |
DQ | 6 (8) | 05/06/1992 | Palais des Sports, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France | |
| Win | 16–0 |  Lumbala Tshibamba |
PTS | 8 | 10/04/1992 | Carquefou, Loire-Atlantique, France | |
| Win | 15–0 | Tucker Richards |
TKO | 2 (8) | 26/03/1992 | Ice Rink, Telford, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 14–0 | Eddie Taylor |
TKO | 3 (8) | 28/02/1992 | Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France | |
| Win | 13–0 | Tim Bullock |
TKO | 3 (8) | 06/12/1991 | Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany | |
| Win | 12–0 | John Fury |
KO | 3 (8) | 09/10/1991 | G-Mex Leisure Centre, Manchester, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 11–0 | Marshall Tillman |
PTS | 8 | 28/06/1991 | Salle Leyrit, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France | |
| Win | 10–0 |  Ramon Voorn |
PTS | 8 | 06/06/1991 | Broadway Theatre, Barking, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 9–0 | J. B. Williamson |
TKO | 2 (8) | 06/03/1991 | The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 8–0 | Francois Yrius |
TKO | 1 (6) | 12/12/1990 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 7–0 | Tracy Thomas |
PTS | 6 | 10/10/1990 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 6–0 | Mike Robinson |
KO | 1 (6) | 09/05/1990 | Grand Hall, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 5–0 | Warren Thompson |
PTS | 6 | 14/03/1990 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 4–0 | John Fairbairn |
TKO | 1 (6) | 10/01/1990 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 3–0 | Paul Neilson |
TKO | 1 (6) | 06/12/1989 | The Arena, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 2–0 | Dennis Bailey |
TKO | 2 (4) | 08/11/1989 | Grand Hall, Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 1–0 | Carlton Headley |
KO | 1 (6) | 04/10/1989 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom | |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Leach, Glyn (13 July 1997). "Boxing: Lewis wins another fight that wasn't". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing-lewis-wins-another-fight-that-wasnt-1250393.html. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
