Ogbeide eases back after area title defeat
Ogbeide…in action in his home city this Friday. Pic: Manjit Narotra/BCB
NICO Ogbeide may have failed in his attempt to bring a Midlands title back to Birmingham, but his clash with Brandon Bethell has given him plenty of belief that if they fought again, he wouldn't leave empty-handed, writes PAUL WEBB.
Rather than just sit around waiting for the rematch, the 31-year-old super-featherweight will box this Friday night on BCB Promotions' “Stand and Deliver” show at the Eastside Rooms, Birmingham.
“I always look on the bright side," said Ogbeide. "I was devastated and upset, but I have taken the positives and can appreciate what we did and the show we put on.
“The fight was good, but I know that I started too slow. I was under the impression he would start slow and in the back of my mind I thought I needed to conserve my energy for the later rounds. But I had plenty left at the end of the 10, so I should have done more earlier. I know I can do that distance now and, in hindsight, maybe I should have done six before, as I had only boxed four rounders in all my previous fights. I matched him in terms of skill and if I'd done things differently early on, it would have been a different result.”
Like many boxers, Ogbeide is a keen athlete, completing half marathons and regularly incorporating distance running into his fight preparation, including the daunting mud- and obstacle-course Wolf Run. Unlike previous fights, Ogbeide will have coach Dave Clarke, from Bartley Green Boxing Club, both in his corner and also throughout the build-up.
He said: “I love it. I'm a naturally competitive person and I've signed up to do a Hyrox event, as well. Training is going really well and this will be the first time my coach in camp will be the same person in my corner on fight night - that's going to be really important. When you have someone in the fight giving you instructions, it doesn't flow right - they don't know you the same way as somebody you've been training with day in day out.”
Friday's fight, back down at four rounds, will be Ogbeide's first after the Bethell defeat in June and while a title won't be on the line for this one, the crowd that came to Wolverhampton back in June will be out in numbers once again – this time a little closer to home.
Nico added: “I want the rematch with Brandon. I pushed for it straight away after the fight, so they know that I'd take that next. Our styles just gelled and we sold a lot of tickets. Both sets of supporters really got behind it and I know they would all want to see that again. Friday night is a chance for me to get in and really let my hands go and put on a performance for my fans who always show up for me.”
*Stand and Deliver is set to feature the returning Dylan Cheema, Hamza Azeem's homecoming after his WBC Grand Prix adventures in Saudi Arabia, the unbeaten Jamie Edwards and debutant Shannon Taylor.
*Tickets are available now, priced at £45 for general admission and £80 for VIP, from the boxers directly or by emailing info@bcb-promotions.com.