Izu Ugonoh Anticipates a World Title Shot in 2017

By Ryan Burton

Unbeaten Polish heavyweight prospect Izuagbe "Izu" Ugonoh (16-0) returns to action Saturday against Gregory Tony (21-6) at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau City, New Zealand. The fight will be on the undercard of his stablemate Joseph Parker's bout against Alexander Dimitrenko. 

The fight will be the second of the year for Ugonoh. His first fight of the year was a July knockout of Ricardo Ramirez.

"So I (last) fought Ramirez in New Zealand. The guy went four rounds. He was a durable guy but I caught him with some body shots. That is pretty much what I had been working on. I executed the game plan.

"That was a good win for me coming off of my seven month layoff from doing Dancing With the Stars (in his native Poland). It was good to jump back into the ring and I showed some new skills at the same time and now I am looking forward to the next fight," said Ugonoh.

The 29-year-old trains alongside Parker under the guidance of Kevin Barry in Las Vegas. He feels that he is close to reaching the peak of his career.

"I really do enjoy training. There are no problems in training. In my opinion that is the best combination - staying busy and using your health while you have it. I am very excited about our future plans and showing my progress in the ring," Ugonoh explained.

In an earlier conversation with BoxingScene.com, Ugonoh's trainer said that his fighter is on the fast track to a world title.

Ugonoh, who is ranked #12 by the WBO and has now cracked the IBF's the top 15, agrees with Barry's sentiments. 

"It is something that has been talked about. It is not a dream anymore. It is just a plan. I can only take one fight at a time and that is where my focus is. I am looking at my fight in October and I want to bring the best Izu to the ring. 2017 is a year where I think I can get to the number #1 position," Ugonoh told BoxingScene.com.

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